Many autistic women learn to “mask”. Masking is when someone mimics neurotypical social behaviours so effectively that they go unnoticed. This may involve copying facial expressions, rehearsing social scripts, or suppressing natural behaviours like stimming. These strategies are often unconscious and can become so habitual that they feel like personality rather than protection (Hull et al., 2017).

This is part of what makes late diagnosis so emotionally charged. The discovery that you are autistic doesn’t just give you a new framework; it often asks you to deconstruct an identity you built for survival, dig down to find your true self.

Person-centred counselling isn’t about fixing you — it’s about creating a space where you feel truly heard, accepted, and free to explore at your own pace. In that space, real change quietly begins.