Description

She’s fine at school.” If you’ve heard that about a young person who falls apart the moment she gets home, this workshop is for you. It’s also for the many parents who recognised themselves along the way and are working out, later in life, that they’ve been masking too.

Led by Lydia, who is autistic and ADHD and was diagnosed in her 40s, this workshop looks at what masking really is (and what it isn’t), why autistic girls and women mask so heavily that around 80% reach 18 without a diagnosis, and what happens when the mask slips: shutdown, meltdown and, if it goes on long enough, burnout. Lydia then shares practical strategies for reducing the need to mask at home, drawing on her own family’s experience throughout.

Topics covered include the internal presentation of autism, spotting the signs of masking, shutdown, meltdown and burnout, situational mutism, alexithymia and interoception, rejection sensitive dysphoria, stimming, and how to make your home a sanctuary where nobody has to perform.

Please note this workshop covers the impact of masking on mental health, including self-harm and restrictive eating. If you or your young person are struggling right now, please reach out for support. Our Facebook group is also here for you.