I have been able to hide my difficulties fairly well, and it has gotten better over the years. A lot of it is to do with faking or "going through the motions"...basically through observation and research I have learned the "correct ways" to position my eyes, use gestures, do body language etc, to the point where I give the appearance of an outgoing, confident NT: even when I'm at my most vulnerable, I plaster the fake, stupid smile on. It used to be incredibly exhausting for me when I first started gaining the skills, but now I've done them so much taht I simple can't erase these things away as most of these have become automatic. As for how I've learned this, I'm still trying to figure it out, but I was essentially forced/scared into it as I thought the only way I could be was NT.
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Given a “tentative” diagnosis as a child as I needed services at school for what was later correctly discovered to be a major anxiety disorder.
This misdiagnosis caused me significant stress, which lessened upon finding out the truth about myself from my current and past long-term therapists - that I am an anxious and highly sensitive person but do not have an autism spectrum disorder.
My diagnoses - social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
I’m no longer involved with the ASD world.