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Annual reports
The Reframing Autism team would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we have the privilege to learn, work, and grow. Whilst we gather on many different parts of this Country, the RA team walk on the land of the Birpai, Awabakal, Wattamattagal, Whadjak, Amangu, Bunurong and Kaurna Yarta peoples.
We are committed to honouring the rich culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this Country, and the diversity and learning opportunities with which they provide us. We extend our gratitude and respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to all Elders past, present, and emerging, for their wisdom, their resilience, and for helping this Country to heal.
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![To ‘mask’ or to ‘camouflage’ means to hide or disguise parts of yourself in order to better fit in with those around you. It is an unconscious strategy that all humans develop in order to connect with those around us.
However, for many Autistic folk, the strategy is often much more ingrained and harmful to our wellbeing and health. Since our social norms are often different to others around us, we may experience greater pressure to hide our true selves to fit in.
Masking can involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are ‘unusual’, such as stimming or intense interests. When an Autistic person masks, it may often be to avoid the discrimination and judgement that can come with being ‘different’.
As we grow in our Autistic identities, we may become more aware of our own masking, but it often begins as an unconscious response to social experiences before we've even grasped our differences.
At some points in our lives, like during job interviews or social events, masking may feel useful or necessary. However, for others (or in other situations), masking can feel overwhelming and resource-intensive for the Autistic brain.
#AskingAutistics: How do you feel about masking? Has it been helpful, harmful, or somewhere in between in your life?
[Image description: A light purple background with the Reframing Autism logo at the top center. In the middle of the image is an illustration of a person with their head in their hands, looking stressed. A title, "Autistic masking can look like..." sits above the illustration. There are 6 text bubbles around the illustration, which read (in order - left to right and top to bottom): Stopping yourself from talking about your interests, Mimicking the speech or behaviour of those around you, Holding back stims or your natural body movements, Suppressing your feelings and thoughts in the moment, Saying "yes" to things out of obligation, Scripting/planning conversations before they happen.]
#AutisticMasking #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticAdvocate #AutisticAdult](https://reframingautism.org.au/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)