Em Rusciano has explained why her autism and ADHD are more visible since she was formally diagnosed with a developmental disability.
In a video shared on Instagram Stories Friday, the podcaster says she’s spent her life “masking” her autistic behavior and finally feels free to express her true self.
“If you’re late diagnosed with ADHD, autistic, you may run into people saying you suddenly act more autistic or act more ADHD,” the 44-year-old said in the clip. .
“I’m going to give you a reason for that. So all our life there have been two planes that we have existed on. What actually went on in our heads and what we did with our bodies to mask and fit in,” Em continued.
“And that’s what makes us so exhausted and unwell. So when we get this diagnosis, we realize we don’t want the two planes. We want our mind and body to match.
Em Rusciano (pictured) has explained why her autism has become more visible since she was formally diagnosed with a developmental disability and ADHD
So we started giving ourselves permission to drop that mask and close the gap between our bodies and our heads. And that’s why you suddenly start behaving more like you really feel.
“And you’re not actually performing an act, you’re actually more yourself than ever in your life,” the singer concluded.
It comes after Em shot down false claims earlier this year that she was ‘faking’ autism for attention.
In a lengthy statement on Facebook, Em outlined how “heavy-duty masking” of her symptoms helped her cope, but also made it less obvious to outsiders that she was struggling.
The statement came after media personality Meshel Laurie falsely suggested that the comedian was “faking” her autism diagnosis.
In a video shared on Instagram Stories Friday, the podcaster says she’s spent her life “masking” her autistic behavior and finally feels free to express her true self
“The truth is that having spent my entire life developing coping techniques to try to fit in, I became an expert at appearing ‘fine’, but in reality my apparent competence was actually a heavy masking,” she wrote. Em.
“That’s how it is for most late-diagnosed women. I now know that so many of my mental health problems were because I was trying to force my brain into neurotypical structures and systems that weren’t designed for me.”
Em continued, “I just didn’t understand why life was so damn exhausting, but then I found out it was because I had to spend all my time pretending I found certain parts of it easy.
“I didn’t know that everyone else just knew how to make the right amount of eye contact when talking to a stranger.
“I have a great attention to detail because I spent hours painstakingly googling everything I do in case there’s a mistake and someone realizes I’m not really up to the task.
“We started giving ourselves permission to drop that mask and close the gap between our bodies and our heads. And that’s why you suddenly start behaving more like you really feel,” Em told fans
“I monitor myself in social interactions, I work really hard not to interrupt the person who is talking, not to take over the conversation and dump five minute information because they mentioned a topic I know everything about . When I’m excited, tired or anxious, I stimulate.’
At the time, Em received unwarranted backlash online after revealing she planned to potentially use the “sensory inclusivity room” at Marvel Stadium at a Harry Style concert in Melbourne.
‘I’m extremely sensitive to light and sound and textures. Sensory overload and burnout happens to me five or six times a week, which is why I was excited when I saw that the Marvel stadium had a sensory room,” she explained after being criticized.
These are just a few examples of how my ASD manifests itself, but I don’t need to explain myself. But this week I found myself putting up with people debating whether I’m autistic enough or not at all. How is that okay?’
The former radio star also called the questions surrounding her autism ‘limiting and ableist’ and that neurodivergent women, whose symptoms can present themselves slightly differently from those in men, are often left out of the conversation.
Em shot down false claims earlier this year that she was “faking” autism for attention
“The only examples of ADHD and autism I’d seen were the male presentation. But that’s the whole point, that’s why representation is important. More women like me need to be seen and heard so we can change the perceptions and narratives surrounding ADHD and ASD,” she said.
In a series of videos shared on Instagram Stories, Em also insisted that she has the “proof” and can provide medical reports if necessary proving that she has, in fact, been professionally diagnosed with the developmental disability.
“Every instinct in me wants to bury myself, and ironically my symptoms have been getting worse for the past few days, because I can’t regulate my emotions,” she began.
“All this stuff has made it clear why I can’t do that because representation matters, the only representation of me in the media is like Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man, the extremely masculine presentation (of autism).
“There should be more people like me women so other women who get diagnosed like me don’t have to hide it or face this kind of thing because know (sic) one has to face this kind of thing,” she continued. ,
It comes after media personality Meshel Laurie (pictured) doubled down on her false accusation that the comedian is ‘faking’ her autism diagnosis
“To accuse me of faking autism is kind of wild. I have a detailed report. I recorded the sessions so that I could remember. My friends and family were interviewed. When it comes down to it, I’ve got the receipts,’ Em insisted.
“It’s just so wild for someone to think it’s okay to say you’re faking because your life seems a certain way, because you function well.
“I’m actually pretty dysfunctional, I just learned how to survive. Just because you know one autistic person doesn’t mean you know all autistic people.
“I’m really blown away by the ignorance and the capable attitude, and it really scares me for my son, because he’s level two[autistic],” she concluded.
In a separate post on Twitter, Em wrote: “It shouldn’t come as a shock to people that someone with sensory issues needs a space in which they can regulate themselves.
“It’s not ok to tell someone they’re not autistic enough. Or that they lie. Or that they are choosing when they are ND. It’s breathtakingly f***ed. Really.’
The answer came after Meshel doubled down on her blistering tirade at Em after falsely accusing the comedian of “faking” her autism diagnosis.
“It’s just so wild for someone to think it’s okay to say you’re faking because your life looks a certain way, because you function well,” Em said.
The 49-year-old podcaster accused Em of “jumping on the bandwagon” for clout and refuses to back down despite being called out by thousands on social media.
She also took to Facebook to tell her fans that she is “tired” of celebrities posting “attention-seeking” posts about having autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“As the exhausted mother of a child with ASD, I stand by what I said about certain adults known for their attention seeking and their recent posts about their diagnoses,” she wrote.
“Next time you hear an adult celebrity say they’re on the spectrum, please whisper in your head, f*** you, you successful motherf*****. You’re clearly not far down the spectrum.
‘Our education only recognized this ten years ago and learned to deal with it. You’re lying,” she added.
Rusciano was diagnosed with autism last November, just a year after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Rusciano was diagnosed with autism last November, just a year after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
