Two common words used amongst autistics (and in the autism literature) are 'masking' and 'camouflaging'. As a late-diagnosed adult Asperger's (on the autism spectrum), I had no idea what they meant except for their literal meaning. At the time of my (unofficially official) diagnosis in 2007 it was referred to as 'coping'. That superficially described it and I left it at that, continuing on in my own uniformed default way: coping.
In my post of 'coming out' as an older woman on the autism spectrum (Asperger's), I explained why I hid my diagnosis for 16 years. I spent five decades coping as a stranger in a strange land, constantly asking myself "Why am I so different?", and feeling very alone in my version of reality. But I had learned to cope for the most part. As I mentioned elsewhere, I felt fine most of the time. But don't know if that's because I've dealt with it, or if I've buried it. Now I know it was both.
I interpret masking as intentionally 'wearing a mask' to hide my weirdness (which I heard frequently). Camouflage to me was interpreted as subconsciously chosen or learned behavior. As a teen and early adult I used to call the former 'games' or 'playing games'. I learned the rules (expectations) and would intentionally pretend, or not, to follow the rules. Only in retrospect did I realize that in the past I was subconsciously learning and developing strategies to interact within the neurotypical world. It was somewhat Pavlovian.
The latter was pointed out to me during my diagnosis inquiry after I mentioned two key personal accounts: my father was also Asperger's (undiagnosed; there wasn't such a thing back then), as was my closest (ever) adult friend (also Asperger's).
I realized consciously by observation that my father was very different from other male adults/fathers: he had no social skills, no common sense, didn't like close contact, didn't talk much, had exceptional memory, and was a polymath. And I was aware of the consequences of his weirdness, such as coping with alcohol abuse and being ostracized. It was suggested that I learned some coping skills from that awareness without consciously understanding. My mother, on the other hand, picked up on it, confirmed by her frequent exasperations of "You're just like your father!!"
Decades later, a very close adult friend, 15 years younger than I, was Asperger's. We shared many personal 'secrets' about ourselves, during which I realized he was similar to my father's behavior. I recommended that he learn the same coping skills I had learned: observe and mimic neurotypical people. Unaware that I myself had done the same.
It was pointed out to me that I was sharing the same 'coping' mechanisms (masking and camouflaging) that I intentionally and subconsciously used for all those years. Because I was also Asperger's, which is highly inheritable.
Meeting a few other Autistics late in life has finally made me feel comfortable in my own skin. I've also been researching the biology, genetics, psychology, and sociology of being Asperger's.[1] One common trait in most (if not all) neurodiverse people is to 'mask' and 'camouflage.' They are common coping mechanisms to navigate in the dominant reality of neurotypical people. Or, the "process[es] of changing or concealing one’s natural personality in order to 'fit in', or perhaps more specifically in order to be perceived as neurotypical".[2]
But the terms still confused me.
Masking and Camouflaging
As a biologist, I understand camouflage in the context of other animals, such as the chameleon, cuttlefish, and many butterfly species. Not so much Homo sapeins, which is primarily social camouflage. Masking and camouflaging are used interchangeably in popular books and even some of the research on autism. I wasn't happy with the ambiguous usage so developed definitions as mentioned above based on my own experiences. Until I found a webpage discussion regarding more precise and technical definitions.
The CAT-Q
Recent research on autism and other neurodivergent behavior has developed distinct subsets of camouflage, in which masking is one. Eva Silvertant's webpage explains with detail and comments the subcategories -compensation, masking and assimilation- of camouflaging by neurodiverse people.
Based on conversations with family members and fellow autistics, the how and why of camouflaging is different based on individual perception. Several have pointed out that nearly everyone does it in some degree and fashion. Yes, that is true. But the degree and consequences are different for neurodiverse people. (I often use the colloquial "conforming to the norm." (But, you may ask, 'what is normal?', which is a long topic of itself.)
As Silvertant explains,
"Some extent of camouflaging is probably inherent to human interaction; we learn social skills to improve social interaction, we adhere to social conventions that may not make complete sense to us, and we adjust our behavior as the situation demands. For example, we tend to behave differently at work than at home. But for some people, the need to camouflage is a lot less superficial. Of course, the need to camouflage is proportional to how strange your behavior is perceived to be by your surroundings. And since autism is generally not very well understood by non-professionals—and even many professionals, honestly—it is us autistic people who find we often have a greater need to camouflage.
For other people camouflaging might mean acting, talking, and/or dressing a certain way in order to fit in with a social group of their preference. And while this probably pertains to autistic people as well, our need to camouflage tends to go deeper; because autistic people often have to camouflage their autistic behaviors, so as to minimize the visibility of one’s autism in social situations."
Silverton then discusses the how and why, and some of the consequences of camouflage for autistics. For example, when trying to explain to my family members why I can not handle hugs from people (other than my family) without suffering anxiety and emotional and physical recoiling, I realized they could not understand. What they did finally understand was why I apologetically make excuses to not attend big extended family gatherings and linger on the edges in social groups to avoid hugs. I now have decided to stop 'playing the game' and just politely tell people "I don't do hugs".
Researcher Laura Hall, et. al.[3] designed a questionnaire, the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), that helped them develop a model of camouflaging with three categories:
- Compensation — Strategies used to actively compensate for difficulties in social situations.
- Masking — Strategies used to hide autistic characteristics or portray a non-autistic persona.
- Assimilation — Strategies used to try to fit in with others in social situations.
The CAT-Q questionnaire was validated by others and it is purported by the researchers to be a "reliable self-report measure of adults’ social camouflaging behaviors, suitable for use in autistic and non-autistic male and female populations. It can be used in research settings to quantify camouflaging behaviors and compare between groups; in clinical settings as a potential screening tool for individuals who may be missed under current autism diagnostic criteria because they camouflage; and by autistic and non-autistic people to aid identification of beneficial or harmful behaviors they use in social situations." [3]
However important technical terms are in science communication, they can be confusing to the lay public. I can understand why using the two terms masking and camouflaging, rather than the three categories from the CAT-Q would be most efficient. Regardless, the CAT-Q terminology should be a standard in autism research and professional publications.
In common use, it may be helpful to define masking and camouflaging more narrowly than to be used interchangeably. Thus far, the only book I have read that distinguishes between the two is Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity, by Devon Price, PhD, autistic and a social psychologist.
Learning that many of my inherent differences and quirks in social communications and interactions are common amongst other neurodiverse people has more than explained my responses and behavior in the past. I regret my unwillingness to learn this earlier when I was in academia and where I experienced the most stigma about my neurodiversity. Now that I am retired and meeting more neurodiverse people on the autism spectrum and others like ADHD, I feel more free to be who and what I really am; a lot less masking and camouflaging, but also more relaxed when 'light masking'.
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1. That's part of my Asperger's: extremely focused on specific topics, mostly the living sciences. Which is why I became a scientist.
2. Silvertant, Eva, 2020/2023. Autism & camouflaging (pulled from the Internet 02/24/2024)
3. Hull, L, et al., 2018. Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
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