Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Dr. Devon Price (2022) is the book that newly diagnosed autistic adults pass to each other like contraband. Price, a social psychologist and an autistic adult themselves, wrote what is functionally the late-diagnosed-adult Bible — the book that names what masking is, what it costs, who masks the most, and how to begin unmasking safely.

What the book is

Price walks through masking — the daily, often unconscious suppression of autistic traits to pass as neurotypical — as a phenomenon and a cost. They use their own diagnosis story alongside research literature and dozens of interviews with autistic adults across identities, backgrounds, and presentations. The book covers how masking emerges in childhood, how it intensifies through adolescence, how it interacts with race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status, and how it leads to autistic burnout in adulthood.

Why the book lands so hard for late-diagnosed adults

Late-diagnosed autistic adults have often spent decades being told they are anxious, depressed, perfectionistic, "highly sensitive," "introverted," or "shy" — when the underlying neurology was autism that they had been masking too well for anyone (including themselves) to see. Unmasking Autism names this experience in a way the mainstream literature has not. It validates the exhaustion. It explains why standard therapy often misses the point. It opens the door to a different way of living.

What the book offers practically

  • Frameworks for recognizing your own masking patterns — what to notice, how to track it, how to differentiate masking from regular social effort.
  • Strategies for unmasking safely — graduated, context-aware, sustainable. Not "stop masking everywhere immediately."
  • Discussions of the costs — autistic burnout, mental-health impacts, identity grief.
  • Specific attention to intersectionality — masking presents differently for autistic women, autistic people of color, autistic LGBTQ+ adults, and autistic adults with overlapping marginalizations. Price handles this with care.
  • Therapist guidance — what to look for in a neurodiversity-affirming therapist who can support unmasking work.

Who should read it

Any adult who suspects they may be autistic. Any newly diagnosed autistic adult. Any parent of an older child who is starting to mask heavily. Any therapist working with autistic clients. The book also works as an introduction for a partner or spouse who wants to understand what their autistic partner is navigating.

The pairing

Unmasking Autism reads well alongside our Autism Acceptance World piece on masking for additional Las Vegas-family context, and alongside our adult diagnosis pathway tool if you are still navigating the evaluation question.

Where to find it: Available everywhere books are sold. The audiobook is narrated by Price themselves, which many readers prefer.

Source briefs (internal): webearish-audit-2026-05.md

Disclaimer: educational content from autistic adults and the autism family community. Not medical or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for medical and legal decisions specific to your situation.