Find a therapist to help with autism

Autism awareness should include all autistic people.

Autistic adults who seem fine still face unseen disability.

"High-functioning" adults with autism often don't feel high functioning.

Temple Grandin, Henry Cavendish, Nikola Tesla, Hannah Gadsby, Emily Dickinson, and Chris Packham are all very different people who share some profound commonalities. Chris Packham is a naturalist and photographer, and an advocate and conservationist who has accomplished extraordinary things. He was also diagnosed with autism in his 40s and has been open about how deeply he has struggled in his personal life. He has described suicidal ideation, depression, and difficulty with social interactions.

Temple Grandin is a professor, inventor, and autism advocate who revolutionized humane livestock handling and reshaped the way the world understands autism. She has also been candid about her inability to form romantic relationships and has said that human relationships can feel confusing and overwhelming. Nikola Tesla is widely assumed to have been autistic based on historical descriptions of his behavior. He was a pioneer of electricity and modern power systems whose brilliance changed the world, yet he died alone and in poverty.

Emily Dickinson was a brilliant poet who will live on through history through the power of her words. There is speculation that she may have been autistic. Despite her authoring 1,800 poems and her profound impact on poetry, she struggled with loneliness, periods of withdrawal and isolation, difficulty finding sustainable friendships and relationships, and loneliness.

Misunderstood Battles

The list is long, but the story is the same. Even though autistic people can be brilliant, extraordinary, and wonderful, we all struggle, and life can be a constant battle. These battles are often the most misunderstood part of being an autistic adult, because many people cannot separate someone’s ability to accomplish things in one domain from their overall capacity to function in daily life. Which means when we talk about autism awareness, many people are happy to advocate for helping those who visibly can’t speak or mimic normal human social behavior, but struggle thinking of autistic adults who mask well as needing support or advocacy.

I was playing Magic: The Gathering the other day, and one of the other players was telling me about his autistic children. I said I was autistic, too, and he responded, “No, my kids weren’t potty trained until they were 10,” implying that this was the “real” autism. The implication is that if I can play a card game or write and speak well, then my other disabilities must not be severe. People often don’t believe me when I describe how hard things are for me. Even my own husband is quick to mock me for my inability to do basic things like go to the grocery store.

Research shows that autistic adults across the support-needs spectrum have higher levels of depression, anxiety, suicidality, and interpersonal conflict. They struggle with employment and daily living skills. Regardless of the mask of normalcy or their specific talents, autistic adults struggle—and they struggle just as much as autistic children. Autistic people are 10 times more likely to die by suicide than their neurotypical counterparts.

Autism Acceptance Month

This April is Autism Acceptance Month. This month should remind us that all autistic people in our communities need support and understanding. Autism awareness and acceptance is not just about helping children who are struggling with potty training or who are nonverbal, or supporting parents through those challenges. It is about supporting and celebrating all autistic people, including those who do not have high support needs.

Find a therapist to help with autism

Hannah Gadsby is an autistic comedian and advocate whose comedy has made millions laugh worldwide. She once famously said, “I have what’s called high-functioning autism, which is a terrible name for what I have, because it gives the impression I function highly. I do not.”

Another autism advocate, Adam Walton, said, “So-called mild autism doesn’t mean one experiences autism mildly… it means you experience their autism mildly. You may not know how hard they had to work to get to the level they are.”

So this April, remember that all the autistic people around you need awareness and acceptance—those who will never be able to participate in society in a traditional way and have very high disability needs, and those who appear to be flourishing. This world is a constant grindstone for autistic adults, and even when we appear to be functioning highly, we are often just masking highly to prevent you from feeling our autism.

Dickinson, E. (1955). The Poems of Emily Dickinson (T. H. Johnson, Ed.). Harvard University Press. (Original works published 1850s–1880s)

M. Ferna´ndez, D. Zofia Wojcik and E. Dıez (2026). Quality of Life Assessment in Autistic Adults. gaps and emerging challenges. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Gadsby, H. (2018). Nanette [Comedy special]. Netflix.

Grandin, T. (2006). Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism (2nd ed.). Vintage.

Khachadourian V, Mahjani B, Sandin S, Kolevzon A, Buxbaum JD, Reichenberg A, Janecka M. Comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder and their etiologies. Transl Psychiatry. 2023 Feb 25;13(1):71. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02374-w. PMID: 36841830; PMCID: PMC9958310

Packham, C. (2017). Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir. Ebury Press.

South M, Costa AP, McMorris C. Death by Suicide Among People With Autism: Beyond Zebrafish. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(1):e2034018. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.34018

Tesla, N. (2011). My Inventions and Other Writings. Penguin Classics. (Original works published 1919)

Walton, A. (2020). Quote on autism experience. The Autism Awareness Centre. https://autismawarenesscentre.com

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