To be loved in all darkness, and held in all the beauty in ugliness. Oh, the greatness of the pain of falling, with all heart and soul. To be devoured with all that one can be yet dismissed in nakedness.
Girls who grew up with undiagnosed autism become women who...
1. Are described as "too sensitive" when they're actually overwhelmed.
2. Need days to recover from things everyone else calls "fun".
3. Feel like outsiders in every friendship group, even when included.
4. Can explain things perfectly when alone but go completely blank when put on the spot.
5. Analyze every interaction afterwards wondering if they sounded rude, weird, awkward, too much, or not enough.
6. Feel physically uncomfortable being perceived by other people.
7. Are hypervigilant and may develop fears/phobias.
8. Need huge amounts of alone time just to feel regulated again.
9. They were called shy, dramatic, awkward, difficult, lazy, rude, or intense instead of autistic.
10. Become experts at masking while privately feeling exhausted and disconnected from themselves.