Hey! My name is Gracie, im 18f and I have Kanners Syndrome ASD, diagnosed in first grade along with ADHD. And it’s something that my parents honestly kept secret from me for so long that when I did find out, I felt even more abnormal than I already did. But I want to know how to unmask myself, if that makes any sense. I’m not good socially so I don’t really know how to word this but almost all my life I have been gathering bits and pieces of what ‘normal’ looks like from people I interact with everyday and I put that into the way I project myself to others. And I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’ve been trying to let go of all my learned behaviors but it’s so difficult seeing as I don’t know what is masked and what isn’t. Have any of you ever dealt with this feeling? I feel foreign to myself and it’s affecting me pretty heavily, especially in my line of work. I work with special needs children who have similar disabilities as myself. I can’t keep feeling this way if I want to help prevent other children from ever feeling like this. I’d appreciate any advice anyone has to offer