Autistic Masking at Home
Supporting children who hold it together at school

Your child holds it all together at school, then comes through the front door and falls apart. That isn’t a sign that home is the problem. More often, it’s a sign that home is where they finally feel safe enough to stop masking. This session for parents and carers of autistic children explains what masking costs and why the bill so often arrives at home. It then follows the day from your side of the front door: nothing time after school, what to say (and what to leave unsaid) when things fall apart, letting go of the evening demands that aren’t worth what they cost, a bedtime that helps a busy head switch off, weekends and holidays that leave room to recover, and words that help school see the child you see at home.

You’ll come away knowing:

• Why autistic children often fall apart at home, and why that’s a sign of safety
• How to set up nothing time so the first hour after school costs everyone less
• What to say, and what to leave unsaid, when the mask comes off
• How to sort evening demands into those worth keeping and those that can wait
• How to spot the quiet signs your child is running low, and tell when rest is enough
• How to describe what you see at home so school can see it too