Is there a difference between alters, fragments, and parts?

I was thinking more about how masks, fragments and alters all kind of blend in, but I'm starting to think that, maybe, the differentiation is just moot. It starts to sound like what most people talk about as 'masks' and 'masking' are just parts of the whole.

thank you for the links. We've been slowly making our way through the site, and just hadn't hit that part yet.

ViTheta wrote:
But all of this brings me/us to an actual question. How does autism impact DID? We've wondered if some of our parts started out as masks who eventually got used so much they went on to be fragments and even alters. I mean, it makes sense that someone who has autism also has DID would use masks constantly, but that the more that mask is out the more it might pick up traits, personalities and memories that might get split off from the rest.

But I would like to hear other people's opinions on this.

[KIT] I was the first to come on here I was researching Autism Masking but our 'others' I knew about seemed like more than how other people with autism explained their 'social masks' I thought it maybe must be 'Maladaptive Daydreaming' as I knew of the existence of Bobby and Phoenix although they did not have names and I did not know of the terms such 'Littles' and 'Fictives', 'Tulpa' etc

I was the one who 'found myself' in an Autism unit after the breakdown of 'social mask' or' Host Thea'. Practically everyone had more severe learning disabilities than us so certainly there was no-one able to verbalise if they did have masks or 'vast imaginary worlds inside' which I kept a secret as it seemed completely at odds with the highly logical and highly literal diagnosis of 'Autism'.

Back then there was no way for the average person to find this information without causing suspicion as to why you were asking those questions as I had no access to the internet. (which was still very new and very expensive for the home then). I just knew the dx autism was better than the diagnosis Schizophrenic which would have landed us in a very different kind of place!. I just focused on getting us out of there but stopped fronting once 'Maddie' evolved.

It was many years before I resurfaced regularly again (around 10) because 'Maddie' was having a complete breakdown due to onset of peri and the death of our eldest dog at the time who had been Maddie's assistance dog by her side 24 hours a day for 15 years, she never got over it and has never returned to the front since. Thea has never been since again either although we do have access to some of their memories for events during 'their era'.

This place is the only board I've found so many with autism talk about 'others' and 'inner worlds' and basically describing what we've kept secret our entire lives. It is 'more than' autism masking and different to 'Maladaptive Daydreaming'. I even looked into Pathological Demand Avoidance (a sub-type of Autism) but again the more I found out the less it fit for us.

DID/Autism combined is the only thing that explains 'our existence' and how we have become who we are.

"Pathological Demand Avoidance" is not exactly a sub-type of autism, but a trait often found in autism and AD(H)D alike. A common comorbidity, if you prefer.

I'll admit that it's been wonderful to talk to so many other people who have autism and DID. The DID has explained so much of why there's never been a pattern to certain aspects of our autism, and it's been because so many of us have different ways of expressing the autism. This forum has been so helpful to just our mental health.

I'd say an 'alter' was one with a fully formed 'sense of self' who feels they are a different identity to the physical body or who they see as 'the host'.

Parts and fragments ... a fragment suggests something left behind...like a past host's memories???

a part.... like an autopilot? that maybe comes out to perform one function 'as the host' but with no separate identity??? ..eg one that is always the driver when you get in a car? a scribe that auto does all typing and admin???
or just takes over any given situation (regardless of what the activity is) to be the host to get them home or somewhere safe?

Thank you everyone. This was helpful.