Unmasking Autism: A Critical Hit to My Perspective (Even as an ADHDer)

So there I was—inventory full of planner apps, brain running a side quest every time I opened my fridge—and suddenly I picked up Unmasking Autism by Devon Price. Plot twist: I’m not autistic (though I’m still in line for an official diagnosis) ), but as someone with ADHD, this book still landed like a perfectly timed power-up.

The Power of Masking (and Unmasking)

The book's main mechanic? Masking. Think of it like stealth mode in a game you didn’t realize you were playing your whole life—camouflaging your traits to fit into a neurotypical world. But Price doesn’t stop there. He introduces the idea of visible unmasking, which I’d call the equivalent of equipping your weirdest armor and proudly dancing in town square. And honestly? That’s a mood.

Even without an autism diagnosis, I found this concept incredibly empowering. So much of ADHD involves similar camouflage—filtering our volume sliders, stashing our tangents, pretending our attention spans aren’t bouncing like pinballs. Price’s encouragement to unmask and embrace neurodivergency felt like getting a +10 buff to Self-Acceptance.

But Wait... Is Everyone Autistic Now?

Here’s where my NPC skepticism kicked in. One of the book’s more controversial stances is the idea that “if you feel autistic, you are.” And listen—I'm all for welcoming people to the neurodivergent guild. But I also believe some quests need an actual map. Psychological or medical assessment can still play an important role, and I’m wary of skipping character creation without some stats to back it up.

Not the Whole Party

One thing to flag—Unmasking Autism mostly focuses on a particular kind of player: high-masking, verbal, low-support-needs autistics. It doesn’t explore much of the experience of those who need more daily support or who are non-speaking. That’s a real limitation, especially if you're hoping for a complete picture of the spectrum.

That said, I really appreciated how much light Price shines on the often-missed characters in this story: the misdiagnosed, the late-diagnosed, the overlooked—especially women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ folks. It’s like opening up a hidden side quest where suddenly half the village is saying, “Wait... that was me too?”

Czech Bonus Content FTW

Huge shout-out to Jan Melvil Publishing for bringing this book to Czech readers. They included localized notes that added much-needed XP to my understanding. Czech context around mental health, diagnosis, and neurodiversity isn’t identical to the U.S. meta, so this thoughtful addition made a big difference. It turned a US-centric guidebook into something that actually spoke to our corner of the map.

Final Thoughts: A Useful Side Quest

Even if you’re not playing on the Autism difficulty setting, this book is a valuable scroll to read. It challenges how we think about identity, difference, and how we’ve been taught to “perform” normal. If you’ve ever masked your quirks, downplayed your sensory overload, or just felt like the weirdo in your party—this might be the support item you didn’t know you needed.

Rating:🧩🧩🧩🧩 out of 5 puzzle pieces (because life, like this book, is all about figuring out how the weird bits fit together).