Why Do So Many Autistic People Look Younger Than We Are? It’s something I’ve noticed in myself and in others in the neurodivergent community — we often get mistaken for being younger than we are. I’ll be working, joking around, or just smiling off into space, and someone will say, “You look like a kid again.” At first, I thought it was just me. But the more autistic people I met, the more I saw it wasn’t just a coincidence. There’s something deeper going on. So I started digging into it. Is it neurological? Is it sensory? Is it how we show up in the world? Turns out… it’s kind of all of the above. 🧠 Neurological Expression Autistic people often express emotions, tone, and body language differently. Our faces may be more neutral, animated, or expressive in ways that resemble younger people. Some of us smile big, use playful tones, or stim with joy — and neurotypicals read that as childlike. But really, it’s just authentic e...