Devon Price at Foster Beach on April 6, 2022, in Chicago. Price wrote the book"Unmasking Autism" about discovering his own autism as a 20-something, and how his life improved after he realized he had a disability and made efforts to accept his authentic self.Don’t talk too much about the things that interest you, he would tell himself.Don’t answer honestly when someone asks how you’re doing.
“I realized ‘Oh, I’m not a misanthrope, I just hate being in public because it’s so loud and overstimulating. Oh, I’m not rude because I’m a mean-spirited person, it’s just that I give people an honest answer to a question when they ask me and that’s not what they expected or wanted to hear,” said Price, 33, an assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.Price estimates that 2% of U.S.
The world is still a very difficult place for people who are recognizably disabled, he said. He cited the example of a friend with autism who was recently fired after being very direct and serious about problems with a workplace diversity program, rather than expressing objections with cheerful diplomacy.He recommends first becoming comfortable with the true self behind the mask — learning to trust and value your unique gifts, and appreciate your needs.