One word, one meaning
The National Autistic Society puts it plainly. To mask or camouflage means to hide or disguise parts of yourself to fit in with those around you.
Researchers use both words for the same thing. So do the people who do it.
If a video or a post used the word and it fitted, that is a reasonable place to have started. You do not need to have read a paper to recognise your own day in it.
Source: NAS: masking
Where the idea came from
In 2017, UK researchers asked 92 autistic adults to describe it. Three things came out of those answers.
First, why. People masked to fit in and to connect with others.
Second, how. Some of it was hiding, such as holding still or keeping quiet. Some of it was compensating, such as learning rules by heart to get through a situation.
Third, what it cost. People described exhaustion, and a feeling that they no longer knew where the act ended.
Source: Hull et al. 2017
Three kinds of hiding
The same research team later built a questionnaire to measure it. It was tested with 354 autistic adults and 478 non-autistic adults. It sorts masking into three strands.
- Compensation. Learning scripts, rehearsing conversations and copying expressions that do not come naturally.
- Masking. Suppressing what you would otherwise do, such as stimming or looking away. Holding a face that is not the one you have.
- Assimilation. Forcing yourself into situations that do not fit, and performing your way through them.
Many people recognise all three. Which one dominates tends to depend on the room.
Source: Hull et al. 2019
Not a flaw
A 2021 analysis by two autistic researchers argues that masking is a response to stigma, not a personal choice. People learn early that some parts of themselves are unwelcome. Hiding those parts is what anyone would do.
The National Autistic Society says the same. Masking uses up resources that could go elsewhere, and it is exhausting.
So the tiredness is not weakness. It is the bill for a job you have been doing for years.
Sources: Pearson & Rose 2021, NAS: masking
Who does it
The research began with autistic people, and most of it still centres them. A 2021 review of 29 studies found a consistent pattern. People who report more autistic traits report more masking, and more masking goes with worse mental health.
It does not stop at autism. A 2024 Dutch study compared 105 adults with ADHD, 105 autistic adults and 105 without either diagnosis. Adults with ADHD masked more than the comparison group, and less than autistic adults.
Non-autistic people mask too. A 2021 study asked 144 autistic adults, 49 non-autistic neurodivergent adults and 45 neurotypical adults about it.
Everyone described exhaustion and a sense of disconnection from themselves. Only autistic people described suppressing sensory responses, such as pain from loud sound.
You do not need to know which group you belong to before you ask for help with it.
Sources: Cook et al. 2021, van der Putten et al. 2024, Miller et al. 2021
Somewhere to go next
The National Autistic Society writes about masking too, and we cite them above. One free tool sits outside both of us.
A free app of tips and evidence-based resources, created by and for the autistic community.
Not a helpline, and not a substitute for support.
What this page is not
It is not a test, and it does not tell you whether you are autistic or have ADHD. Nothing on this site does.
If you want to know, the waiting for an assessment page explains the route. If you do not, the masking without a diagnosis page is written for you.
Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment.
Ready to talk about the performing?
We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit.
- I rehearse conversations before I have them
- I copy how other people talk and act
- I hold still when I want to fidget
- A video called this masking and it fitted
References
- National Autistic Society (2022). Autistic people and masking. Link
- Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M.-C. & Mandy, W. (2017). "Putting on my best normal": social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5
- Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P. & Petrides, K. V. (2019). Development and validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3792-6
- Cook, J., Hull, L., Crane, L. & Mandy, W. (2021). Camouflaging in autism: a systematic review. Clinical Psychology Review. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102080
- Pearson, A. & Rose, K. (2021). A conceptual analysis of autistic masking: understanding the narrative of stigma and the illusion of choice. Autism in Adulthood. doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0043
- Miller, D., Rees, J. & Pearson, A. (2021). "Masking is life": experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic adults. Autism in Adulthood. doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0083
- van der Putten, W. J., Mol, A. J. J., Groenman, A. P., Radhoe, T. A., Torenvliet, C., Agelink van Rentergem, J. A. & Geurts, H. M. (2024). Is camouflaging unique for autism? A comparison of camouflaging between adults with autism and ADHD. Autism Research. doi:10.1002/aur.3099
