Autistic Women of Color: The Invisible Architects –
Here’s the thing no one tells you about autism when you are intelligent, verbal, accomplished, funny, emotionally aware, and socially functional:

You do not look like what people expect autism to look like.

You look like:

• “Intense”

• “Direct”

• “Too much”

• “Cold” (when you are actually overwhelmed)

• “Emotional” (when you are actually dysregulated)

• “Difficult” (when you are actually precise)

Joy is maintenance, not magic.
It’s stretching before the spiral.
Leaving one light on in your studio when the mood says hide.
Answering the text you’ve been avoiding just to remind your nervous system that connection still exists.

“…When I finally went to Kaiser,
Dr. Chad gave me that polite-but-concerned doctor look.
You know the one.
The one where they say, "What do you mean grow back?"
and try not to let the worry reach their eyebrows.

He said, "Yeah… let's just make sure."

And all I could think about was my ex.
How her tumor burst through her skin
in the shower while we…”

“A Robot Erased 21 Years of My Life: Why I’ll Never Sign In With Facebook Again”