“I wish they could understand — Autism isn’t what you think.”

An excerpt from Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

When Crystal was young, she exhibited many behaviors psychologists today would recognize as traditionally Autistic: she lined up toys in rows instead of playing pretend with them, chewed on her blanket while staring at the wall…