Could it be autism? Why adult autistics aren’t always recognized | Embrace Autism
For many autistic people—especially those without intellectual disability—autism doesn’t look like what most people expect. You might have done well in school. You might have a job, a family, and a rich internal world. And still, something doesn’t quite fit. Behind the scenes there is a constant hum of effort: interpreting social cues, replaying conversations, preparing scripts for interactions that others seem to do with ease. In reality autistics are doing a lot of work: the quiet act of holding back a stim, copying someone’s smile, or adjusting tone mid-sentence to sound “just right.” Over time, these adjustments shape how others see you: competent, agreeable, even charismatic. But they also erode your energy, your clarity, your sense of self.
