Autism and Mental Health: Shifting the Lens Through Lived Experience recap
On December 16, 2025, The Boston Foundation and the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE) hosted a webinar, Autism and Mental Health: Shifting the Lens Through Lived Experience, exploring the intersection of autism and mental health through a neurodiversity-affirming lens. The event brought together funders, advocates, clinicians, and autistic individuals to examine how mental health outcomes are shaped not by autism itself, but by the systems, assumptions, and environments autistic people must navigate.
Candace Burton, Senior Program Officer, Support for the Social Safety Net at The Boston Foundation, opened the event by grounding the conversation in both values and personal experience. She challenged persistent misconceptions that frame autism as a problem to be cured, stating unequivocally, “Autistic people are wonderfully, wonderfully made. There is nothing to fix.” Drawing from her family’s story, Burton illustrated how mental health can deteriorate when people lack appropriate support, and how it can improve when dignity, stability, and care are restored. Her remarks set the tone for a conversation focused on belonging rather than normalization, and on changing systems rather than changing people.
Janet Barbieri, Deputy Director of AANE, followed with a presentation that provided context for understanding autism and mental health. She explained her intentional use of identity-first language as part of an effort to de-pathologize autism and affirm it as a form of human neurodiversity. Barbieri emphasized the urgency of the topic with data, noting that “as many as 73 to 81% of autistic adults have one mental health diagnosis,” a rate far higher than that of the general population.
Rather than viewing these outcomes as inevitable, Barbieri traced them to systemic failures: misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, trauma within behavioral health systems, and care models that prioritize masking and compliance over well-being. She described how deficit-based approaches erode self-trust and increase risk, particularly when autistic people are pressured to suppress regulating behaviors or conform to neurotypical norms. In contrast, she described affirming care as an approach in which individuals leave feeling seen, understood, and validated, emphasizing that “a neurodiversity-affirming approach promotes authentic autistic living.”
Moderated by Becca Lory Hector, Director of Training at AANE, the panel centered autistic and neurodivergent perspectives on navigating mental health systems. Hector framed the discussion by naming a long-standing gap: “Too often, conversations about mental health and care happen without the input of those most affected.” The panelists were invited to reflect on what it has meant to live, and seek support, within systems not built with them in mind.
Maggie Bowlby, Assistant Director of Individual and Family Services at AANE, described how affirming care begins when providers relinquish the role of sole expert. Reflecting on therapeutic experiences, she shared that feeling supported meant hearing, “You know yourself better than I know you… you’re the expert in yourself.” For Bowlby, being believed and having broader social forces acknowledged created space for trust and healing.
Candace Burton, Senior Program Officer, Support for the Social Safety Net at The Boston Foundation, opened the event by grounding the conversation in both values and personal experience. She challenged persistent misconceptions that frame autism as a problem to be cured, stating unequivocally, “Autistic people are wonderfully, wonderfully made. There is nothing to fix.” Drawing from her family’s story, Burton illustrated how mental health can deteriorate when people lack appropriate support, and how it can improve when dignity, stability, and care are restored. Her remarks set the tone for a conversation focused on belonging rather than normalization, and on changing systems rather than changing people.
Janet Barbieri, Deputy Director of AANE, followed with a presentation that provided context for understanding autism and mental health. She explained her intentional use of identity-first language as part of an effort to de-pathologize autism and affirm it as a form of human neurodiversity. Barbieri emphasized the urgency of the topic with data, noting that “as many as 73 to 81% of autistic adults have one mental health diagnosis,” a rate far higher than that of the general population.
Rather than viewing these outcomes as inevitable, Barbieri traced them to systemic failures: misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, trauma within behavioral health systems, and care models that prioritize masking and compliance over well-being. She described how deficit-based approaches erode self-trust and increase risk, particularly when autistic people are pressured to suppress regulating behaviors or conform to neurotypical norms. In contrast, she described affirming care as an approach in which individuals leave feeling seen, understood, and validated, emphasizing that “a neurodiversity-affirming approach promotes authentic autistic living.”
Moderated by Becca Lory Hector, Director of Training at AANE, the panel centered autistic and neurodivergent perspectives on navigating mental health systems. Hector framed the discussion by naming a long-standing gap: “Too often, conversations about mental health and care happen without the input of those most affected.” The panelists were invited to reflect on what it has meant to live, and seek support, within systems not built with them in mind.
Maggie Bowlby, Assistant Director of Individual and Family Services at AANE, described how affirming care begins when providers relinquish the role of sole expert. Reflecting on therapeutic experiences, she shared that feeling supported meant hearing, “You know yourself better than I know you… you’re the expert in yourself.” For Bowlby, being believed and having broader social forces acknowledged created space for trust and healing.
AGENDA
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Candace Burton, Senior Program Officer, Support for the Social Safety Net, The Boston Foundation
Presentation
Janet Barbieri, Deputy Director, AANE
Panel Discussion
Maggie Bowlby, Assistant Director of Individual & Family Services, AANE
Jay Eveson-Egler, Senior Manager of Individual and Family Services, AANE
Ryan Walsh, Individual and Family Services Support Specialist, AANE
Moderator: Becca Lory Hector, Director of Training, AANE
Jay Eveson-Egler, Senior Manager of Individual and Family Services at AANE, spoke candidly about misdiagnosis, trauma, and the barriers autistic people face when accessing care. They emphasized the need for trauma-informed approaches, observing that “the neurotypical society does not produce un-traumatized autistic people.” Eveson-Egler described how being listened to and included as an active participant in care, rather than a passive recipient, made a profound difference in their mental health journey.
Ryan Walsh, Individual and Family Services Support Specialist at AANE, reflected on the frustration of having autism dismissed or sidelined in clinical settings. He explained, “There was kind of an unintentional denial of service… I wasn’t being communicated with in the way that I wanted to be communicated with.” Walsh emphasized the importance of flexible communication, neurologically informed care, and the freedom to express distress without judgment.
Throughout the discussion, panelists highlighted the central role of community, peer connection, and interdependence. Several noted that their most affirming experiences occurred not in therapy rooms, but in relationships and communities where masking was unnecessary. Eveson-Egler captured this sentiment, stating, “Interdependence is the goal, and you can’t meet interdependence without finding community.”
In closing, Becca Lory Hector and Candace Burton thanked the panelists and participants, encouraging attendees to continue learning from autistic voices and to seek out affirming community. The event concluded with a clear message: improving mental health outcomes for autistic people requires listening deeply, valuing lived experience, and reshaping systems so that autistic people can belong and thrive as they are.
Ryan Walsh, Individual and Family Services Support Specialist at AANE, reflected on the frustration of having autism dismissed or sidelined in clinical settings. He explained, “There was kind of an unintentional denial of service… I wasn’t being communicated with in the way that I wanted to be communicated with.” Walsh emphasized the importance of flexible communication, neurologically informed care, and the freedom to express distress without judgment.
Throughout the discussion, panelists highlighted the central role of community, peer connection, and interdependence. Several noted that their most affirming experiences occurred not in therapy rooms, but in relationships and communities where masking was unnecessary. Eveson-Egler captured this sentiment, stating, “Interdependence is the goal, and you can’t meet interdependence without finding community.”
In closing, Becca Lory Hector and Candace Burton thanked the panelists and participants, encouraging attendees to continue learning from autistic voices and to seek out affirming community. The event concluded with a clear message: improving mental health outcomes for autistic people requires listening deeply, valuing lived experience, and reshaping systems so that autistic people can belong and thrive as they are.