Autistic Therapist

In discussing SZA's autism diagnosis, Natasha Nelson "compared [autistic] masking to 'code-swiching,' a strategy used by marginalized people to adjust how they present themselves in different contexts.

"'We’re taught to code switch from birth,' Nelson said. 'We’re taught to mask from birth as a person of color and so it just becomes automatic.'" Article by Sara Luterman at The 19th, and includes insights from Dr. Desi Jones.

tinyurl.com/SZAautism19th

[image: Screenshot of a 19th article.

Text at the top reads, "SZA’s autism diagnosis is a familiar story for many autistic Black women
Black women and girls on the spectrum have long been under-diagnosed and overlooked. A diagnosis arrives late for many of them — or not at all."

Underneath is a photo of SZA, a Black woman with long curly reddish-brown hair.]