Autism 101

What Autism Is

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that shapes how a person’s brain develops, processes information, and experiences the world.1 It is not a disease, personality flaw, or behavioural problem. Autism affects sensory processing, communication, attention, learning, movement, and social interaction throughout life.

Autism exists across cultures and communities. Differences in who is diagnosed—and when—reflect systems of bias, not differences in autistic reality.

What Autism Is Not

Autism is not:

  • Caused by parenting or trauma
  • Something people grow out of
  • Defined by intelligence
  • Always visible
  • A lack of empathy or morality

[!NOTE] Autistic behaviour reflects autistic neurology. Disability increases when environments are rigid, punitive, or inaccessible.

Autism Is Neurodevelopmental

Autism begins during early brain development, before birth.1 Genetic and biological factors influence how neurons form connections, how signals are transmitted, and how information is integrated across the brain.

Neuroscience research has identified measurable brain differences in living autistic adults, including reduced synaptic density across multiple brain regions.2 Synapses are the connection points between neurons, and differences in synaptic density affect how efficiently neural networks communicate. These differences correlate with core autistic traits, including social-communication differences and repetitive behaviours.2

This research confirms what autistic people have long reported: autism is biological and lifelong, not a behavioural choice or failure to adapt.1

How Autism Affects the Brain

Autism is associated with:

  • Differences in synaptic density, affecting information transfer
  • Distinct connectivity patterns between brain regions
  • Differences in sensory processing and regulation
  • Variations in attention, integration, and processing speed

These are differences in neural organization, not deficits. Strengths and challenges coexist and depend on context.

The Autism Spectrum

The autism spectrum does not run from “mild” to “severe.”

Instead, it reflects:

  • Different support needs in different domains
  • Uneven skill profiles
  • Fluctuating capacity over time
  • Context-dependent functioning

[!NOTE] Someone may appear highly capable while expending extreme effort through Masking.

Masking and Compensation

Because support needs are uneven and context-dependent, many autistic people learn to mask by suppressing autistic traits and imitating neurotypical behaviour.3

Masking can include:

  • Forcing Eye Contact
  • Suppressing stimming
  • Rehearsing conversations
  • Translating direct thoughts into indirect language
  • Hiding sensory distress

[!NOTE] Masking helps people survive unsafe environments, but long-term Masking is strongly linked to burnout, anxiety, depression, and late diagnosis.

Autism in Cis Women

Masking is especially common where gender expectations are strict.

Cis autistic women are frequently underdiagnosed due to:3

  • Gendered expectations to be agreeable and emotionally attuned
  • Higher rates of internalizing distress
  • Diagnostic models based on male-typical presentations

[!NOTE] Many cis women are diagnosed only after chronic burnout, parenting overload, or workplace collapse. Their autism was always present—it was simply unsupported and misinterpreted.

Autism and Late Diagnosis

Late diagnosis is common, especially in adults.4

Late-diagnosed autistic adults often:

  • Internalize struggles as personal failure
  • Overcompensate through overwork
  • Develop Internalized Ableism
  • Reach diagnosis after illness, burnout, or crisis

[!NOTE] Late diagnosis does not mean “less autism.” It often means more Masking and fewer supports.

Autism in Racialized Communities

Beyond individual masking, structural bias shapes who is seen, believed, and supported.

Autism is significantly underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood in racialized communities—particularly among Black children and youth.5 These disparities are not caused by differences in autistic prevalence, but by systemic racism embedded in diagnostic, educational, and medical systems.

Diagnostic Inequities Begin Early

Racialized children who meet criteria for autism are:

  • Diagnosed later than white peers
  • Less likely to receive an autism diagnosis at first clinical contact
  • More likely to receive behavioural diagnoses instead
  • More likely to receive no diagnosis at all

[!NOTE] Autistic traits are more likely to be interpreted as misconduct rather than neurodevelopmental difference.

Misdiagnosis as Behavioural “Deviance”

Rather than being recognized as autistic, racialized children—especially Black children—are disproportionately diagnosed with conduct-based or defiance-based disorders. These labels frame behaviour as willful or moral failure, rather than expressions of unmet support needs.

Dehumanization and Adultification

Black children are more likely to be perceived as:

  • Older than they are
  • Less innocent
  • More responsible for their behaviour
  • Less deserving of care and protection

[!NOTE] When childhood itself is denied, neurodivergent traits are punished rather than supported.

Educational and Lifelong Consequences

Racialized autistic individuals are:

  • Overrepresented in punitive educational pathways
  • Underrepresented in gifted or enrichment programs
  • More likely to face discipline rather than accommodation
  • More likely to mask for safety, not just social acceptance

[!NOTE] These inequities persist into adulthood, shaping access to diagnosis, accommodations, and mental health support.

Read more here: Autism and Race

Autism and LGBTQ+ Communities

Identity and community context can also shape how autism is recognized and supported.

Autistic people are significantly more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than the general population.6

Shared factors include:

  • Questioning rigid social norms
  • Deep introspection around identity
  • Resistance to imposed roles and expectations

[!NOTE] LGBTQ+ autistic people experience layered marginalization—including ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and medical gatekeeping—alongside strong community resilience.

Autism, Disability, and Society

Autism becomes disabling when systems:

  • Require constant Masking
  • Equate worth with productivity
  • Deny or delay accommodations
  • Treat difference as misconduct

[!NOTE] Disability is neurological and structural.

Strengths Without Romanticizing

Autistic neurology may support:

  • Deep focus and expertise
  • Pattern recognition
  • Creative problem-solving
  • Strong ethics and justice sensitivity

[!NOTE] These strengths do not erase support needs. Autistic people should not have to be exceptional to deserve dignity.

Key Takeaway

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference, grounded in measurable brain variation and shaped by social context. Understanding autism requires centering autistic voices—especially cis women, late-diagnosed adults, LGBTQ+ people, and racialized individuals whose experiences have long been ignored or punished.

[!NOTE] Autistic people do not need to be fixed.
They need to be understood, supported, and believed.

Sources

  1. NHS. Autism. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Finnema, S. J., Nabulsi, N. B., Eid, T., Detyniecki, K., Lin, S.-F., Chen, M.-K., 
 Carson, R. E. (2021). Reduced synaptic density in autism spectrum disorder revealed by in vivo PET imaging. Molecular Psychiatry, 26, 5737–5748. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01124-2 ↩ ↩2

  3. Hull, L., Mandy, W., & Petrides, K. V. (2017). Behavioural and cognitive sex/gender differences in autism spectrum condition and typically developing males and females. Autism, 21(6), 706–727. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316669087 ↩ ↩2

  4. NICE. Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142 ↩

  5. Abdulle, S. (2025). An Intersection of Race and Disability: A Critical Analysis of the Racial Inequities in Autism and Neurodivergent Disability Diagnoses for Black Children. Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, 5(1). ↩

  6. George, R., & Stokes, M. A. (2018). Sexual orientation in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 11(1), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1892 ↩

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