Taking Off the Mask: A Field Guide for Neurospicy Brains

By Shaun E Poland

You look capable. Maybe even successful.

But if you're an autistic or ADHD adult who has been masking for years, you might also be exhausted.

Taking Off the Mask: A Field Guide for Neurospicy Brains explores autism, burnout, late diagnosis, and the hidden cost of passing as "normal." If you've ever felt like life is on hard mode while everyone else seems to glide through it, this book was written for you.

After my own late autism diagnosis and the start of therapy, I began asking questions that wouldn't go away:

Why does everything take so much effort?Why does my brain never fully quiet down?Why do "normal" expectations feel heavier for me than they seem to for everyone else?

Most books I found felt either too clinical or too personal without explanation. I needed something honest and direct -- something that explained the why without becoming a textbook.

So I wrote the book I needed.

This is not a diagnostic manual. It is not a promise to "fix" you. It's a field guide built from lived experience, research, therapy, and a lot of trial and error.

Inside, we explore:

Autism and ADHD maskingQuiet, high-functioning burnoutSensory overload and nervous system fatigueDopamine chasing and coping patternsWork culture and unrealistic expectationsTherapy, self-awareness, and late diagnosisRelationships, tone, and misinterpretationThe emotional cost of constantly passing as normal

This book is for:

Late-diagnosed autistic or ADHD adultsPeople questioning whether they might be neurodivergentBurned-out professionals who feel like they're running hot all the timeNeurotypical partners, friends, or coworkers who want to understand better

You don't have to read it in order. You don't have to agree with everything in it. You're not meant to copy my experience -- you're meant to notice what resonates and adapt it to your own life.

If this book does its job, you won't finish it feeling "fixed."

You'll finish it feeling understood. Less broken. A little more aware. And maybe a little kinder to yourself.

That's the point.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GHHYV51R
• ISBN13: 9798994373101
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Shaun E. Poland
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"