🦋 Phenomenally Autistic 🦋| Ayanna Sanaa Davis

Resharing this post did well on IG

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If an autistic person “seems fine,” ask what it took for us to appear that way. Masking isn’t thriving it’s surviving in a world that punishes difference 👌🏽

Every time an autistic person masks to avoid judgment, meltdown, or punishment, it chips away at our well-being. Support starts with safety to be authentic 👍🏽

Autistic masking can lead to anxiety, depression, and identity loss. When you praise autistic people for “blending in,” you are ignoring the harm it does. Acceptance > assimilation.

Couldn't agree more. Masking itself becomes toxic when we have to do it too much.

Masking all day means suppressing stims, mimicking eye contact, faking tone, and hiding distress. It’s all so f’n annoying It's survival, not choice. It’s not "high-functioning" it’s high cost 👌🏽

Masking isn’t just “fitting in.” It’s exhausting, traumatic, and can lead to burnout. Autistic people deserve spaces where we don’t have to hide who we are just to be safe or accepted

I’m gonna make a TikTok video I had a stalker a in real life stalker & after 7 years they finally gave up 🫠🥴 but the thing is did they really? That’s the creepy part you are always looking over your shoulder or a unknown number thinking it’s them from someone else’s phone whew 😰

Yes. Trying to get them to understand this is hard enough on its own. Imagine trying to get them to understand that our support needs can vary greatly throughout our lives, too.

The way that people don’t understand that autism is a spectrum and some require high support while others do not …

I didn’t rest my brain lol but mission accomplished 🥰

Stop punishing Black autistic women for behaviors white autistic people are given empathy for. Bias + stereotypes = harm. Intersectional compassion isn’t optional it’s overdue 👌🏽

Black autistic women face double harms: racial bias that reads our behavior as “aggressive” or “defiant,” and ableism that denies support. Meanwhile, similar behavior in white autistic people often gets understanding.

If we want real equity, we must listen, believe, and adapt systems (healthcare, schools, workplaces) to meet people where they are

If you care about justice for autistic people, start here: 1) Amplify Black autistic women’s voices. 2) Demand bias training in schools/clinics/workplaces. 3) Push for accessible, culturally competent supports. Small changes save lives. Share one action you’ll take today

Black autistic women often mask their distress to avoid being judged, punished, or labeled. We learn early that showing our true emotions isn’t always safe.

So some of us, we hold it in.
Until we're alone 👌🏽
Then come the burnout, the exhaustion, the delayed meltdowns.
Masking keeps us going but at a high cost

Masking helps us survive, but it’s not sustainable. It’s dangerous to keep hiding pain just to be seen as “acceptable.”
We deserve to be safe as we are

YouTube video by Black Girl Diagnosed Black Girl Diagnosed - Charlotte Bachelor

This week on Black Girl Diagnosed, we’re joined by Charlotte Bachelor a LD AuDhder writer and speaker from Detroit, MI.

Her work centers the voices and experiences of Black Disabled Women and Girls 🩷🤍
📺 Premieres tomorrow at 6 PM EST on YouTube
youtu.be/fhIbB4TFYVc?...

Phenomenally autistic wearing a pink ‘support squad’ shirt her hair is curly with 2 tiny pink ribbons and she is smiling & holding her hands in a heart shape

Wearing pink to host my podcast Black Girl Diagnosed today in support of all who have been affected by breast cancer 💕 #supportsquad #nobodyfightsalone

I think it's also important to note that meltdowns in black women may look different because it is not *safe* to display signs of your "average" meltdown. Suppression of, avoidance, and isolation during a meltdown is taught/learned.

Masking helps us survive, but it’s not sustainable. It’s dangerous to keep hiding pain just to be seen as “acceptable.”
We deserve to be safe as we are

So some of us, we hold it in.
Until we're alone 👌🏽
Then come the burnout, the exhaustion, the delayed meltdowns.
Masking keeps us going but at a high cost

Black autistic women often mask their distress to avoid being judged, punished, or labeled. We learn early that showing our true emotions isn’t always safe.

He found out from a family friend that he had a baby girl so for payment of his absence of my birth because he was at Dunkin Donuts he owes me free coffee for life 😅

No grudges here thanks for drink pops 😂❤️🫶🏽

Phenomenally autistic in a car drinking iced coffee she has in a black blazer with a white t shirt underneath the coffee is Dunkin’ Donuts the straw is orange & the cup is clear

My dad was at Dunkin Donuts when I was born instead of the hospital I don’t know I guess his nerves were bad you know he was young 😆 or maybe he had the munchies 🙃

In this case I’m basically saying I’m not doing anything else today 😂 I need all my mental & emotional energy for tomorrow

If you care about justice for autistic people, start here: 1) Amplify Black autistic women’s voices. 2) Demand bias training in schools/clinics/workplaces. 3) Push for accessible, culturally competent supports. Small changes save lives. Share one action you’ll take today

If we want real equity, we must listen, believe, and adapt systems (healthcare, schools, workplaces) to meet people where they are