Prosper Health's Autism Resource Center

Stimming, shorthand for self-stimulatory behavior, is a set of self-regulating behaviors commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder. Stimming can involve a wide variety of behaviors that stimulate one’s own senses, such as moving the body, playing with objects, or making vocalizations. Stimming, like many autistic behaviors, has been stigmatized, and often regarded as a symptom to be reduced by treatment. However, stimming is a normal, often harmless reality of autistic life, one that helps us regulate our senses and engage with the world more authentically.

“Meltdown” is not a term often associated with adult life, but for many autistic adults, meltdowns are a reality. For us, meltdowns are not what you might picture at first: an inconsolable child, acting out over not getting what they want; they’re more like the release valve on a neurobiological pressure cooker.

Neurodivergence is a term coming into increasingly popular use—but what does it mean? With a growing number of people identifying as neurodivergent, it’s important to understand what neurodivergence is, how neurodiversity adds value to our institutions and communities, and the challenges a neurodivergent person often experiences in a neurotypical world.

Masking is the practice of concealing autistic traits and performing neurotypical behaviors. Autistic people mask for many reasons, often to avoid mistreatment and potentially traumatic experiences. Autistic individuals mask to different extents, and though masking is common among autistic people, not all of us mask. Masking can be intentional or done unconsciously. Many autistic individuals experience a mixture of both. Masking is a complex, highly variable behavior that looks and feels different across individuals.

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Masking, for many autistic people, is a necessary mechanism used to survive and seek advancement in a world built around neurotypical expectations. However, it can also have severe impacts on our wellbeing. Tightly managing our behaviors to cater to other people’s comfort can wear on our mental health.

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Masking is a multifaceted part of many autistic individuals’ lives, and each autistic person may feel differently about masking’s role and meaning in their life. Understanding the reasons we mask and the impact of masking can allow us to connect more deeply with ourselves and better identify our needs. Gaining this understanding can also empower neurotypical individuals to better support autistic people in their lives.

Neurodiversity is a growing movement that celebrates neurodivergent perspectives and the many different ways people think and engage with the world. As the cultural conversation around neurodiversity has expanded, some institutions have begun evaluating ways to better include and uplift neurodivergent people. These changes are desperately needed, especially in mental health services. Neurodiversity-affirming therapy offers neurodivergent people mental health support that recognizes our value and embraces our inherent strengths.

Autism is known to co-occur with several health conditions—but what does this mean? What other diagnoses are most prevalent among autistic individuals, and does an autism diagnosis inform treatment of co-occurring conditions?