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Prosper Health's Autism Resource Center
Featured Article
Social Cues and Autism: Why the "Missed Signals" Narrative Gets It Wrong
Consider this: a coworker asks you to complete a task, “whenever you get the chance,” and you take it at face value. Two days later, you find out the request was urgent, and your coworker assumed their tone made that obvious. Or another example: you're mid-conversation with a friend, and something in their face shifts. You notice it, and you're also tracking their tone, their words, and your own response, all at once. By the time it's processed, the moment to say something has passed.
If either scene felt familiar, you’ve probably been told that you missed something obvious. Maybe you’ve been called hard to read, rude, oblivious, cold, or “bad at people.” But inside, you know that’s not really what happened.
These messages put the entire problem on one person in a conversation between two people. This article looks at autism and social cues, including why social cues can be harder to read for some autistic adults, why misunderstanding is often mutual, and what can help in situations where it matters most.
Misophonia and Autism: Why Certain Sounds Feel Unbearable, and What to Do About It
Do certain everyday sounds — like slurping, tapping, or chewing — send you into a whirlwind of distress or discomfort? Perhaps it’s not just emotional, but also physical, and you can’t shove down the reactions no matter how hard you try. If this feels relatable, you might have a common condition called misophonia.
Research suggests a possible link between misophonia and autism. Autistic individuals are more likely to have sensory sensitivities, after all. In any case, misophonia is “a nervous system response and not a cognizant decision,” says Jacqueline Shinall, Psy.D., a psychologist at neurodivergent-affirming telehealth provider Prosper Health.
Delane, a 27-year-old autistic woman, experiences misophonia due to “human sounds” like eating. “It just feels like someone constantly poking at the same spot, to the point of overstimulation and irritation,” she says. “It takes a lot of self-control to not lash out.”
Let’s take a closer look at what misophonia is, what research shows and doesn’t show about its connection to autism, and how to manage it. Whether you're wondering whether misophonia may be a sign of autism, are autistic and want to understand misophonia, or are simply looking for relief, there's no wrong reason to be here.
The Fear of Being Perceived in Autistic Adults
Let’s say you’re about to go to lunch with a colleague, but you just need to make a few last tweaks on a task.
Your colleague is happy to wait for you and remains quiet while you finish up, but it doesn’t matter. You still feel like you’re being watched. Suddenly, your anxiety skyrockets, and completing your work task now feels impossible with your coworker standing idly by.
Many call this the fear of being perceived — and it’s become a viral shorthand for a much broader feeling — but for autistic and ADHD adults, there’s usually something more concrete that’s happening behind the scenes.
Autistic content creator Morgan Foley even made a video illustrating the fear of being perceived, in which she not only demonstrates how this feeling can present in several scenarios (work, socializing, chores, etc.), but also the thoughts going through her head in that moment.
After reading this article, you will be able to recognize this type of fear as a specific, explainable pattern connected to neurodivergence, understand why it hits differently depending on your neurotype, and identify at least one concrete step toward feeling safer while still being yourself.
Most importantly, this article will help you to answer the question, “Why do I hate being perceived?”
Black and White Thinking: What It Is and Why It Happens
“If I can’t do this project perfectly, I shouldn’t have this job, should I?”
“OMG, my friend canceled our coffee meetup. I knew she never really liked me.”
“My partner forgot I wanted to see The Odyssey this weekend. I think our relationship is in trouble.”
If any of these internal monologues sound familiar, it’s not because someone gained access to your innermost emotions: It’s because these thought patterns are more common than you may think, and they’re known as black-and-white thinking.
Before we delve into these patterns more deeply, know this: It’s okay if you’re unsure whether your black-and-white thinking is a problem, a trait, or both, even if you’ve been told that you tend to “overreact” or that you “can’t see nuance.” Examining this kind of dichotomous thinking doesn’t mean it’s a flaw to be fixed or even a symptom of a specific disorder.
These patterns are just one part of who you are, and you deserve to understand what exactly black-and-white thinking is, what’s driving these patterns, and if you should pursue support.
Understanding Autism and Stomach Issues: A Guide for Autistic Adults
Digestive problems are very common in the autistic community, and they’re more than just tummy aches. Autistic adults often report a range of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including constipation, nausea, abdominal pain and bloating. These concerns can seriously impact daily life, yet they’re often overlooked or misunderstood by healthcare providers. This guide is here to validate your experience, provide helpful information and support you in advocating for better care.
Adapting ERP Therapy for Autistic Adults
Living with both autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be challenging, especially when it comes to getting the right diagnosis and support. Because symptoms can overlap, it’s easy for one condition to be misdiagnosed or misunderstood. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is the most effective treatment for breaking the OCD cycle, but when it’s not adapted for neurodivergent people, it can leave autistic adults feeling misunderstood or dismissed.
The good news is that ERP can work for autistic adults when it’s delivered in an affirming and collaborative way. You can still achieve symptom relief without having to choose between effective treatment and staying true to who you are.
To explore how ERP therapy can be more inclusive and effective for autistic adults, we spoke with Glen Veed, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at Prosper Health, and April Kilduff, LCPC, LMHC, LPCC, LPC, an autistic therapist at NOCD.
Autism and Schizophrenia
Did you know when autism was first described it was thought of as a version of childhood-onset schizophrenia? Today, we know that autism and schizophrenia are unrelated diagnoses with very different features. Understanding the overlap between autism and schizophrenia, however, remains important, as schizophrenia may be more common among autistic people than in the general population. One study suggests that autistic youth may be three to six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than allistic (AKA non-autistic) peers.
Read on to learn about these two diagnoses’ co-occurrence and how to get support.
Breathing Exercises for Autism: Enhancing Well-Being and Reducing Stress
Breathing is something we do automatically, so it might seem strange that it’s something we need to learn.
While breathing won’t solve all your problems, learning how to breathe intentionally can change how you respond to them, and that can make a big difference. Breathing exercises offer autistic adults a powerful, science-backed tool for navigating nervous system dysregulation, sensory overwhelm and emotional intensity.
These practices don’t need to be rigid or perfect to be effective; rather, they can be tailored to sensory preferences, embedded in daily routines and paired with mindful movement or imagery. Ultimately, breath is more than a survival mechanism—it becomes a means of self-connection, regulation and empowerment.
Unraveling Autism Misconceptions: Insights from an Autistic Adult
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts how people communicate, learn and interact with the world. Some autistic traits in adults include having difficulty understanding what others think or feel, taking things literally, avoiding eye contact and having intense, narrow interests known as “special interests.”
Understanding autism is crucial because it promotes accurate recognition of the rich diversity in how autistic people perceive, process and interact with the world, thereby reducing stigma and enabling tailored supports that respect individual strengths and challenges. Further, by dispelling myths and misconceptions, we foster inclusion, improve mental health outcomes and empower autistic individuals to thrive.
Navigating Autism and Communication Differences in Adults: Strategies for Success
To be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, an individual must have social and communication differences compared to those without autism, and those differences must impact their daily life. The severity varies from one individual to the next. However, communication differences are a core characteristic of autism.
Common challenges faced by autistic people include:
- Difficulty interpreting or understanding body language
- Difficulty modulating tone, volume or speed of speech
- Trouble understanding idioms, figurative language or other instances of non-literal speech
- Uncertainty during social interaction
- Using more direct language or more formal and technical language, which is sometimes mistakenly interpreted as “bluntness” or “rudeness”
- Using repeated words or phrases (or echolalia)
- Having a flat affect or appearing uninterested during conversations, even if they are engaged
Differences in communication between autistic individuals and non autistic individuals often lead to difficulties for the autistic population. These difficulties include:
- Facing judgment during social situations or bullying from peers
- Finding it hard to make or maintain friendships
- Developing anxiety around social situations
- Feeling fatigued after a social interaction
- Increased risk of isolation or loneliness
- Low self-esteem or negative self-image
- Engaging in masking behaviors, which can lead to burnout
When communication style differences are judged instead of accommodated, it leads to negative outcomes for autistic individuals. Support and resources can help autistic individuals become more effective communicators, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. It’s also important that we learn to not only understand autistic communication but also accept and embrace it.
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