Comment by sleight42

Am AuDHD.

To be direct: this is a recipe for failure in a neurotypical world.

I agree with you with regard to the resulting personal relationship quality. However, there is a *massive* practical/economic cost.

I worked in Tech for 30 years. Burned out hard. Then I got my autism diagnosis.

I lived sincerely. I was punished for it.

I then tried to conform—masking before I quite knew what it was. I just knew that it required enormous effort to remain "composed".

Nope, still punished. The mask wasn't good enough.

Not only that, I began to loathe who I was becoming because of the mask. And I saw the added cost of how it was wrecking my marriage.

I'm now into year 3 (2.33) into unemployment with no idea what's next. I just know that it can't involve any masking whatsoever.

And that, in of itself, means I will be far "less successful" in this neurotypical world.