Unmasking Autism with Devon Price, PhD

Unmasking Autism with Devon Price, PhD

From But For Real by Valerie Martin & Emerson Ryder

May 13, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 44

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of masking in autism and neurodivergence, discussing the journey of self-discovery and authenticity.

What if the version of you most of the world knows… isn’t actually *you*? In this episode of But For Real , we’re sitting down with Devon Price, PhD—social psychologist, author of Unmasking Autism (+ several other books!), and badass autistic human—to get really REAL about something that is kinda the opposite of that: Masking. That pattern of adaptation that’s helped you survive… but can slowly erode at your sense of self. 🫠 In this conversation, we get into what it actually means to “mask” as an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent person (hell, even just as a people-pleaser living in a capitalist society): how it shows up, why so many of us do it without even realizing, and what happens when you finally start to take that mask off. If you’re one of MANY people who was diagnosed with autism later in life, you know it can feel like a huge relief… but it can *also* feel like grief, anger, and even a full-on “who TF am I actually?” era. We’re talking about what it’s like to spend decades performing “normal,” only to realize you’ve been white-knuckling your way through life—and what it takes to rebuild something that actually fits. And we keep coming back to this: You don’t just…

People in this episode

Hosts: Valerie Martin, Emerson Ryder

Guest: Devon Price

Topics covered

  • autism
  • masking
  • neurodivergence
  • self-identity
  • mental health
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • autism
  • masking
  • neurodivergent
  • self-identity
  • mental health
  • personal growth
  • Devon Price

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Unmasking Autism

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