Masking means hiding parts of yourself to fit in with the people around you. The National Autistic Society uses the word for autistic people. Many people with ADHD, and many people with no diagnosis at all, recognise it too.
It looks like rehearsing a conversation before you have it. Copying a colleague's tone. Holding your body still when it wants to move.
It is effort, and it adds up. These pages cover what it is, what it costs and how to find a professional who works with it.
You do not need a diagnosis
Masking is not a condition. It is something people do, and it is often the reason someone arrives here before any assessment.
We are a connecting service, not a clinical one. We do not assess anyone and we do not diagnose anyone. You can tell us about the performing without deciding what sits behind it.
Where to start
If you want the word explained, start with what masking is. If you are wrung out by the end of every day, the burnout page is the honest one.
If you have no diagnosis and do not want one yet, that page is written for you.
Finding a Professional Who Works With Masking
What to look for, what to ask before you book and how our conversation names masking in its own right, so you are not sent to the wrong person.
Masking Day to Day and at Work
Rehearsing the meeting, copying a colleague's tone, holding still at your desk. How masking shows up across a day, and why work is the hardest room.
Masking Without a Diagnosis
Most autistic adults in England have no diagnosis, and masking is part of why. You can get help with the performing without deciding what sits behind it.
Masking, Burnout and Identity
Wrung out by the evening, losing skills you used to have, unsure who you are when you are not on. What autistic burnout is, and what recovery looks like.
What Masking Is
Masking, or camouflaging, means hiding parts of yourself to fit in. Here is how researchers and autistic people describe it, and why it is not a flaw.
