I'm Here for the Autistic Awakening

There are thousands, if not millions of articles about autism.

So why do I bother to write essays about autism?

Because most of the information out there about autism does not apply to me, other late-identified autistics, or the autistic clients that I work with.

I am a late-identified autistic woman. My intelligence helped me to slip under the radar and develop masking and camouflaging skills.

I work with clients who had similar experiences - not realizing they were autistic until they were in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s,+

We are the awakening generation. We are the generation for which there was not yet a full understanding of autism or accurate portraits of how it can present in all genders. We didn’t have the lens of neurodiversity. We didn’t understand that autism is more an internal experience than external behaviors.

As we learn more and more about how autism FEELS and impacts all genders, we are awakening to our autistic identities.

"Autistic Awakening" Marker by Jackie Schuld

Every single autistic client I have ever worked with expresses how life-altering it was to learn they are autistic. Most drastically re-narrate conceptualizations of themselves. They see they are not broken, just differently designed.

I write for the Autistic Awakening.

I write so that unidentified individuals can discover their neurodivergence.

I write so that newly identified autistics can integrate their new identity and enhance all that they are.

I write to bring clarity and understanding. I write so that others can heave a sigh of relief, “Oh wow, me too.”

A lifetime of unidentified autism brings intense disconnection - from others and from the self. I write to unite us. To affirm that what we FEEL and how we think, sense, and experience is valid.

I write for the Autistic Awakening, as we continue to explore and evolve our understanding of autism.

It is a wonderful time to be autistic. To be in the age where WE are finally defining ourselves, not the outside gaze. A time where we get to shape what comes next.

---

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to read more, sign up for my FUNletter. If you would like to explore your autistic identity with an autistic therapist, you can learn more about my therapy services here.