Acknowledgements; Disclaimer; Introduction; Foreword; Introduction; Chapter 1: Learning to Imitate; Chapter 2: The Drive to Camouflage; Chapter 3: Do You Camouflage?; Chapter 4: How to be Self-Compassionate; Chapter 5: Taking off the Mask; Chapter 6: A Guide for Parents, Educators, and Therapists; Chapter 7: Final Thoughts; References; Further Reading
'I realised I had been camouflaging my whole life - I'd been trying to mask my autistic traits and fit in with all the non-autistic people around me.' Growing up autistic can often feel as though you have to become a chameleon in social situations, camouflaging yourself to fit in with a seemingly neurotypical world. Combining lived experience with scientific research and practical advice, this book is the essential guide to understanding why you mask and how to feel confident without one. Focusing on diagnostic devices like the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) to discover the situations in which you mask the most and why, alongside a range of techniques, from CBT, compassion based therapy, DBT, and mindfulness to relieve anxiety and reduce stress, this guide gives you all the tools and confidence you need to re-connect with yourself, the things you love and finally, take off your mask.
Hannah Belcher is an autistic advocate and researcher, who has completed a PhD in camouflaging, mental health and late diagnosis in autistic females. She is a Lecturer in User Led Research at King's College London.