Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity

In Unmasking Autism, ableism is addressed as the discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities. This concept is critical in understanding how societal attitudes and structures often disadvantage or marginalize individuals with disabilities, including those who are Autistic. Price likely discusses ableism in the context of challenging societal norms that view neurotypical behaviors as the standard, thereby creating barriers for those who are neurodivergent.

Alexithymia is a condition often associated with Autism, in which an individual has difficulty identifying and describing their emotions. Price contends that this condition may arise in Autistic individuals because they aren’t given the proper tools to understand their emotions and because they are conditioned to put others’ needs above their own.

The term “allistic” is used to describe individuals who are not on the Autism spectrum. In Unmasking Autism, Prices also uses the term neurotypical, but clarifies that allistic is a more specific term, one that describes someone who is not Autistic, and so a person could be allistic while also being neurodivergent.