Understanding Autistic Identity in a Social World
Autistic identity is rarely formed in isolation. It develops through daily encounters with a social world that often misreads difference and quietly sets limits on what is considered acceptable. In this episode of The William Gomes Podcast, William examines how autistic people come to understand themselves within these constraints, often long before they have the language or framework to make sense of their experience.
Rather than presenting identity as a fixed outcome, the discussion treats it as something shaped through interaction, expectation and adaptation. Early messages about behaviour, communication and belonging can leave lasting impressions, influencing self perception well into adulthood.
Diagnosis, Recognition and Self Understanding
Diagnosis is explored not as a starting point, but as a moment of reorientation. For some, it offers clarity and validation. For others, it brings mixed emotions as past experiences are revisited through a new lens. William reflects on how diagnosis can illuminate patterns that were previously misunderstood, while also exposing the emotional weight of years spent navigating without understanding.
The episode resists simplistic narratives of diagnosis as either rescue or burden. Instead, it acknowledges its complex role in identity formation, shaped by timing, context and the surrounding support or lack of it.
Masking and the Cost of Fitting In
Masking is discussed with particular care, framed as a response to social pressure rather than a personal choice or flaw. William considers how many autistic people learn to hide aspects of themselves in order to stay safe, avoid scrutiny or gain acceptance. Over time, this can blur the boundary between adaptation and erasure.
The episode invites listeners to reflect on what is lost when authenticity is traded for survival, and how unmasking is often less about revelation and more about recovery.
Strength, Narrative and the Right to Complexity
Autistic strengths are addressed without romanticising or minimising difficulty. William challenges deficit driven narratives that dominate public understanding, arguing that they flatten autistic lives into narrow stereotypes. Strength, insight and creativity are presented as inherent aspects of autistic experience, not compensations for perceived lack.
By reframing how ability and value are discussed, the episode opens space for a more honest and humane understanding of autistic identity.
Community, Belonging and Wellbeing
Community emerges as a quiet but powerful force in shaping identity. Finding others with shared experiences can transform self understanding, replacing isolation with recognition. William reflects on how belonging supports wellbeing not by fixing difference, but by affirming it.
This episode offers a grounded and compassionate exploration of autistic identity, centred on dignity, understanding and the need to be seen as fully human.
Listen to the Episode
YouTube
https://youtu.be/ui-K7bdj35s?si=uOlI9OpM6jcGq8Jh
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7MuDyB9572nQxk0BeRjyf2?si=8f5f3855bdfb4fb0
