Unmasking Together: Identity, Burnout, and Autistic Partnership

Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook groups (see below), organically contributing to a growing autistic culture.

Dr. Roger Jou

Join us for a chill chat about juggling burnout, identity, and what it’s like when autistics people support each other.

Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY, ethnography project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes) is delighted to welcome Dr. Ali Perkinson on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 12-1 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. CDT, 9 a.m. PDT, 5 p.m. BST, 6 p.m. CEST). There is no cost to attend, and international participants are welcome.TITLE: Unmasking Together: Identity, Burnout, and Autistic PartnershipDESCRIPTION: Autistic and ADHD adults often find themselves navigating the complex terrain of masking, burnout, and identity while also building relationships, families, and careers. This session explores how neurodivergent adults experience partnership — in love, in community, and in culture. Drawing from both clinical expertise and lived experience, Dr. Ali Perkinson will share strategies for supporting identity development, reducing masking costs, and honoring autonomy in neurodiverse relationships. Participants will leave with practical tools for understanding executive function, communication differences, and the cultural contexts that shape autistic adulthood.BRIEF BIO: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alexandra-arena/" title="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alexandra-arena/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Ali Perkinson</a> is passionate about social cognition, language processing, executive functioning, and building meaningful relationships across romantic, friendship, and family contexts. She describes herself as an interpersonal detective, identifying patterns that increase connection in relationships, workplaces, and parent-child dynamics. She is both a Speech-Language Pathologist and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and holds a doctorate in educational leadership, with additional coursework toward licensure as an educational psychologist. Her work is grounded in a neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed lens, shaped in part by her doctoral research on the dating experiences of autistic adults. She believes social support is a biological necessity and is committed to helping neurodivergent individuals achieve holistic, sustainable communication.View her brief talk for our <a href="https://youtu.be/U1eXUoaFAGs" title="https://youtu.be/U1eXUoaFAGs" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">2025 Summer of Self-Care</a>ABOUT Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dawn.princehughes" title="https://www.facebook.com/dawn.princehughes" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes</a> is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook groups, organically contributing to a growing autistic culture: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4ckbyut7" title="http://tinyurl.com/4ckbyut7" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">CASY Cultural Autism Studies at Yale</a> (recommended for autistic adults) and <a href="http://tinyurl.com/mrxnxmnc" title="http://tinyurl.com/mrxnxmnc" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY FOR AUTISM</a> (recommended for allies, professionals, and family members).CREDITS: The preparation of this material was financed under an agreement with the <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/ctcdd" title="https://portal.ct.gov/ctcdd" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities</a> (CTCDD). CASY Sparks membership and events are free. CASY Sparks is sponsored in part by <a href="https://djfiddlefoundation.org/" title="https://djfiddlefoundation.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation</a> <a href="https://tinyurl.com/4rfftxmu" title="https://tinyurl.com/4rfftxmu" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Adult Autism Research Fund</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRogerJou" title="https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRogerJou" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Roger Jou</a>𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒙 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒀𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆 <a href="https://tinyurl.com/supportcasy" title="https://tinyurl.com/supportcasy" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://tinyurl.com/supportcasy</a>

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Unmasking Together: Identity, Burnout, and Autistic Partnership

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Unmasking Together: Identity, Burnout, and Autistic Partnership

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