Matthew Bizer’s Reviews > Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity > Status Update

“It's vital we learn to navigate interactions marked by conflict, and practice standing firm in the face of negative reactions from others. As long as we haven't abused anyone or violated their rights, it's okay for our actions to make others unhappy. After all, neurotypical people step on conversational toes and continue breezily along all the time.”

“But when we look at time as a series of cycles or spirals with goals that are ever-shifting, we can recognize that the learning and reflection we put into an aborted project (or even into masking) often pays off, just not in the way we expected. Every disappointment or failure teaches us something about what we want, and what is best for us.”

“What non-Autistic folks often don’t realize is that Autistic people experience intense sensory input as if it were physical pain.”

“Hiding self-destructiveness behind a mountain of achievements isn't functioning, not really. The very concept of ‘functioning status’ is predicated on the logic of capitalism and the legacy of the Protestant work ethic, which both have trained us to believe that a person's productivity determines their worth.”

“My hope is that one day, each of us can accept ourselves as the wonderfully weird, mold-breaking individuals we truly are, and live as ourselves, without fear of ostracism or violence. […] When you stop judging yourself according to the neurotypical gaze, everything from your relationship norms and daily habits, to the way you dress yourself and design your home is free to change.”