”I recently learned about how autism manifests in girls differently than in boys, which leads to a lot of women with autism never getting diagnosed. This is because women are often more able to appear ‘high functioning’ due to increased ability to ‘mask’ symptoms. Reading about this felt like looking into a mirror. I don’t have a diagnosis, but it would certainly explain a lot about my experiences throughout my life. I strongly suspect that I am on the spectrum. I am so happy that Princeton has a new neurodiversity identity group, PUNC. I think there is still a lot of work to be done in higher ed to break down stigma against folks who identify as neurodiverse! ‘High functioning’ doesn’t mean we’re not suffering or that our condition doesn’t have a huge impact on our day-to-day life, even if it is not outwardly apparent.”
