For many autistic adults, masking is the reason why we “don’t look autistic”. But what is it, does everyone do it and how can it help us, actually? In this video I take a look at some recent research on the topic which identified four categories of “compensatory strategies”, different ways in which autistic people obscure their true selves to fit in with friends, get a job or promotion, or just exist in the neurotypical world.

The autism diagnosis criteria are written for professional use and are therefore shrouded in mysterious and somewhat opaque language. In this video, I’m attempting to explain the DSM criteria for autism diagnosis (under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder) which is used in North America and parts of Europe (the ICD-11 is a more international version, but it is largely the same for the purposes of autism diagnosis)

The concept of the autistic spectrum (or the autism spectrum) is largely used but seems poorly understood by people in general. In this video I explain how it came about and what it actually means.