asd

An autistic person wearing headphones, overwhelmed by the crowds, screens, and conflicting signs at VivaTech

An autistic shutdown can occur when an accumulation of sensory, cognitive and social stimuli exceeds a person’s processing capacity. The brain then slows down abruptly: speaking becomes difficult, even the simplest decisions become impossible, and the body may keep moving on autopilot. In June 2026, VivaTech was held in Paris—a kind of French mini-CES. I had been looking forward to it, hoping to hand out résumés and potentially land a job. I had not counted on a massive shutdown beginning before I even entered the exhibition.

Illustration of a psychological consultation in which a professional observes an autistic person through a magnifying glass, symbolizing a reductive view of their lived experience

Autism

When professionals get autism wrong: a critical look at common misconceptions

07/26/2026 No Comments

Outdated ideas about autism remain widespread, including among some professionals. Recently, a psychologist subjected me to an interrogation that dismissed my lived experience as an autistic person by comparing me with “severely” autistic people—in her own words. What she said was particularly violent. For nearly thirty minutes, she questioned my diagnosis and my experience using a very dubious line of reasoning built on a whole collection of misconceptions. I am going to examine them in this article.

Illustration of a person removing their mask

Autism

Autistic masking: definition, signs, and consequences

Updated on 07/26/2026 No Comments

Masking, sometimes called social camouflaging, consists, for autistic people, in compensating for their difficulties across every affected area of their lives in order to blend more easily into society. In practice, it means making their difficulties—and therefore their differences—invisible. A significant number of autistic people rely on these mechanisms—plural, because there are many of them. Often from a young age. Sometimes from early childhood. That was my case.

A man standing in front of a mirror, with his reflection looking off to the right

Autism Bipolar disorder

I’m autistic, I have bipolar disorder: why the words matter

Updated on 07/17/2026 No Comments

Should you say “I’m autistic” or “I have autism spectrum disorder”? And should you say “I’m bipolar” or “I have bipolar disorder”? These questions regularly spark debate. Yet over the years, the way I talk about both has changed completely. It evolved alongside the way I came to see them. For years, I said I was bipolar. Today, I say I have bipolar disorder. A subtle but important difference. Likewise, I rarely say I have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I’m autistic. Another subtle distinction. Behind these different ways of speaking lies a fundamentally different way of viewing two realities: a psychiatric illness and a neurodevelopmental condition. For me, this shift happened gradually and almost naturally.

Illustration of an autistic woman laughing heartily.

Autism

Autistic laughter: why does it seem so different?

Updated on 07/17/2026 No Comments

People often told me my laugh was “strange” throughout my school years. Muffled, choppy, sometimes almost out of breath. Years later, during my autism assessment, I began to wonder whether my laughter might be atypical too. The answers I found were far more nuanced than I had imagined.

Illustration of a woman finally breathing again after recovering from her autistic burnout

Autism

Autistic burnout: how can you recover?

Updated on 07/26/2026 No Comments

Today, more and more definitions of autistic burnout can be found online. Researchers are beginning to take an interest in it as well. Yet the question most often asked by the people experiencing it is rarely addressed: how do you recover from it? I asked myself this question after my diagnosis, and I have seen it raised countless times on social media. It therefore seemed natural to explore it in detail.

Illustration of an overstimulated woman wearing a mask vs. a woman buried under sensory stimulation

Autism

Autistic masking: when the mask leads to burnout

Updated on 07/26/2026 No Comments

Many autistic people spend years appearing to function normally in the eyes of others. Yet this apparent normality often relies on an invisible effort: autistic masking, also known as social camouflaging. This mask can sometimes help a person adapt more easily to the outside world, but it comes with an often underestimated cost: chronic fatigue, overload, and sometimes autistic burnout. In this article, I explain what masking really is, why it appears so early for some people, and how it can eventually become a trap.

Illustration of aggressive symbols and critical speech bubbles on a harsh red background

Autism Neurodiversity

Ordinary criticisms #1: when I’m criticized for being autistic

Updated on 07/26/2026 No Comments

Autistic people are often confronted with the same criticisms: lack of empathy, avoiding eye contact, bluntness, meltdowns, rigidity… In this article, I look back at these common remarks and what they actually feel like when you are autistic.

Illustration of a euphoric person in the midst of an extreme creative flow

Autism Bipolar disorder

Double-edged creativity: when autism and bipolar disorder intertwine

Updated on 07/17/2026 No Comments

This article follows the one describing graphorrhea. In August 2019, the manager of Nintendo-Master.com (which I had completely redesigned and then left five years earlier) calls me for help: the site is collapsing in terms of traffic, plagued by a whole range of bugs, and needs another overhaul. I have just been hospitalized for the first time and have developed a full manic episode. Out of love for the site, I jump at the opportunity: it’s time to put my skills to use again. En garde!

Autism

Journey #3: the diagnosis of autism

Updated on 07/20/2026 No Comments

My autism diagnostic journey began relatively early: the first atypical signs were spotted by my mother’s doctor when I was 18 months old. Apparently, I was sorting and organizing toys instead of playing with them in his waiting room. He then told my mother to keep an eye on me. And then… nothing for 20 years, before I received my bipolar diagnosis, was identified as very highly gifted thinking it explained my atypicalities, and finally discovered the missing piece — autism — at age 25.

asd

Autistic shutdown: five minutes at VivaTech, fourteen hours to recover

When professionals get autism wrong: a critical look at common misconceptions

Autistic masking: definition, signs, and consequences

I’m autistic, I have bipolar disorder: why the words matter

Autistic laughter: why does it seem so different?

Autistic burnout: how can you recover?

Autistic masking: when the mask leads to burnout

Ordinary criticisms #1: when I’m criticized for being autistic

Double-edged creativity: when autism and bipolar disorder intertwine

Journey #3: the diagnosis of autism

Vous avez raté

Autistic humour: absurdity, irony, literalness and dark humour

Autistic shutdown: five minutes at VivaTech, fourteen hours to recover

When professionals get autism wrong: a critical look at common misconceptions

Autistic masking: definition, signs, and consequences

Oh, hi there ?

Just a letter — from me to you.

Oh, bonjour ?

Juste une lettre, de moi à toi.