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The National Autistic Society defines Masking as ‘a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear non-autistic in order to blend in and be more accepted in society’.
Masking can take many different forms. Someone might rehearse conversations before having them, consciously monitor their facial expressions, force themselves to make eye contact, copy other people's mannerisms or suppress behaviours such as stimming.
For some people, masking can become so familiar that they may not realise they are doing it. This can be particularly relevant for autistic adults who have spent many years learning to navigate social situations.
Because masking can make autistic characteristics less visible, it may also contribute to some people receiving an autism diagnosis later in life or questioning whether their experiences could be related to autism.
In this article, we explore what autism masking is, common autism masking signs, examples of masking in everyday life, why autistic people may mask, and how masking can impact mental health.
If you are considering whether an autism assessment could help you understand your experiences, you can learn more about our adult autism assessment service here.
So what is autism masking?
Autism masking, sometimes referred to as autistic camouflaging or social camouflaging, describes strategies some autistic people use to appear less visibly autistic, or more neurotypical in social situations.
Masking isn’t necessarily a deliberate decision. Some people may consciously think about how they communicate and behave, while others develop these strategies gradually and use them automatically.
For example, a person with autism might learn that they are expected to make eye contact during conversations. They may therefore consciously remind themselves to look at someone’s, even though it feels uncomfortable or unnatural.
Another person might learn to copy the way their friends speak, gesture, or react to certain situations because they have noticed that these behaviours are considered socially appropriate or are received well by others.
Masking therefore involves a significant amount of observation, adaptation, and self-monitoring - often resulting in the person feeling exhausted or drained after a long period of masking (e.g. a day at school or work).
It is important to remember that experiences and ability to mask varies considerably between individuals, and a person’s ability to mask can depend on many different factors and will vary.
What does autism masking look like?
There is no single way that autism masking looks.
Someone may mask heavily in one environment but feel able to behave more naturally in another. For example, an individual might use extensive social masking at work but communicate very differently when they are at home with a trusted partner or close family member.
Some common examples of autism masking include the following:
Masking social communication
Social communication can involve considerable conscious effort for someone who is masking.
Some examples might include:
- Rehearsing conversations before they happen
- Preparing responses to common questions
- Scripting what to say in particular situations
- Copying other people’s conversational styles
- Monitoring tone of voice
- Deliberately changing facial expressions
- Copying gestures or body language
- Studying how other people interact and trying to replicate it
- Being conscious of or forcing themselves to use eye contact
Someone may appear confident and socially comfortable while internally concentrating intensely on how they should behave.
Masking autistic behaviours
Masking can also involve suppressing behaviours that might be perceived as unusual by other people.
For example, someone might:
- Suppress stimming
- Avoid repetitive movements in public
- Hide intense interests
- Stop themselves from talking extensively about subjects they enjoy
- Suppress sensory reactions
- Avoid visibly expressing distress
- Try to appear comfortable in situations that feel overwhelming
Stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviour, can be an important way for autistic people to regulate themselves. Suppressing it can be extremely difficult (or impossible in some cases), and can result in adverse consequences for the individual, such as extended recovery time.
Masking emotions and distress
Some people may also mask how they are feeling.
For example, someone may say that they are ‘fine’ despite feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or exhausted. They may not have the energy to explain how they are feeling, or may not fully understand the emotions they are experiencing.
They might continue to participate in a social event even when they need a break or want to leave, or appear calm at work despite experiencing significant exhaustion once they get home.
This can make it difficult for others to understand the level of effort involved in everyday situations.
10 signs you may be masking autism
If you have spent a long time adapting your behaviour around other people, you may recognise some of the following experiences.
- You rehearse conversations before having them.
- You might mentally prepare what you’re going to say, particularly before unfamiliar or important social situations. This is called ‘scripting’.
- You consciously monitor your facial expressions.
- You may think about whether you are smiling correctly, look interested enough, or if you are responding in the ‘right way’.
- You force yourself to make eye contact.
- Eye contact may feel uncomfortable, distracting or unnatural, but you have learned that it is expected.
- You copy other people’s behaviour.
- You might imitate the way other people speak, gesture, laugh or respond during conversations.
- You suppress stimming.
- You may stop yourself from moving, fidgeting, or engaging in other repetitive behaviours around other people.
- You hide your interests.
- You may avoid discussing subjects that you are deeply interested in because you worry about how others will respond or what they will think.
- Socialising feels like performing.
- You may feel that you are playing a role rather than simply being yourself.
- You need significant recovery time after social situations.
- Even enjoyable interactions may leave you feeling mentally or physically exhausted.
- Changing yourself depending on who you are with.
- Noticeably adapting your personality, communication style, interests, or behaviour to mirror or fit in with the people you are with.
- Appearing to cope better than you actually do.
- Receiving comments such as ‘you don’t seem autistic’, or ‘you seem to cope really well’, despite experiencing significant difficulties behind the scenes.
These experiences can be associated with autistic masking, but they do not establish an autism diagnosis on their own. Similar experiences can occur for a variety of reasons.
If these experiences are longstanding and you are wondering whether autism could explain some of your difficulties, an assessment with an appropriately qualified professional may help provide greater understanding.
You can find out more about our adult autism assessments here.
So, why do autistic people mask?
There isn’t one single reason why someone may mask autism.
Masking can develop in response to a person’s experiences and the environments they spend time in. For some people, it may begin with a desire to fit in. For others, it may develop after repeated experiences of being told that their natural behaviours are unusual or inappropriate.
Social expectations
People are often expected to follow unwritten social rules. These can include knowing when to make eye contact, how long to speak for, how to show interest in another person’s conversation and how to respond to humour or small talk. An autistic person may learn these rules through observation and consciously apply them.
Fear of rejection or misunderstanding
Someone may mask because they want to avoid being judged, excluded or misunderstood. If a person has previously experienced negative reactions to their behaviour, they may become particularly conscious of how they present themselves to others.
Learning to fit in
Masking can develop over many years. Children and young people may observe their peers and learn which behaviours receive positive social responses. Over time, these strategies can become habitual. By adulthood, someone may have developed highly sophisticated ways of navigating social situations without necessarily how much effort they require.
Work and education
Workplaces and educational environments often involve expectations around communication, behaviour, and social interaction. Someone may therefore mask more heavily in these environments than they do at home. For example, an autistic adult might spend an entire working day carefully monitoring conversations, meetings, and interactions with colleagues, only to feel completely exhausted afterwards.
Autism masking in adults
Autism masking in adults can be particularly difficult to recognise because adults may have had many years to develop strategies for navigating social situations.
Someone may have learned how to make eye contact, maintain conversations, understand common social expectations and respond in ways that other people perceive as typical.
This does not necessarily mean that social interaction (or masking) is effortless.
An adult might appear highly capable in a professional environment while privately experiencing significant exhaustion from the effort involved in maintaining that presentation.
This is one reason it can be useful to consider a person’s experiences across different environments rather than relying solely on how they appear during a single interaction.
Autism masking in women
Autism masking is sometimes discussed in relation to autistic women and girls because some research and clinical observations suggest that women with autism may be more likely to use masking strategies, and are often very good at doing so.
Many women who have developed strong social shopping strategies therefore reach adulthood without having considered that some of their experiences could be related to autism.
Masking and mental health
Constantly monitoring behaviour, suppressing natural responses and trying to meet social expectations can be exhausting.
For some autistic people, prolonged masking is not sustainable and has been associated with:
- Increased stress
- Emotional exhaustion
- Anxiety
- Reduced self-esteem
- General fatigue
- Feeling disconnected from one’s identity
- Difficulty recognising or communication personal needs
- Burnout
This doesn’t mean that masking will automatically cause mental health difficulties. People’s experiences are different, and there can be many factors affecting mental health.
However, understanding the amount of effort someone is putting into appearing comfortable or socially confident can be an important part of understanding their overall wellbeing.
Masking and Autistic Burnout
The term autistic burnout is used to describe periods of significant exhaustion and reduced capacity that some autistic people experience. For some individuals, sustained social demands, sensory demands and the effort involved in masking may form part of the wider picture.
Someone experiencing burnout might find that activities they previously managed become much harder. They may need considerably more time alone, become more sensitive to sensory input or find everyday responsibilities increasingly difficult.
Understanding whether masking is contributing to exhaustion can therefore be useful when considering ways to reduce unnecessary demands and provide appropriate support.
The impact of masking on Autism assessments and diagnosis
One of the most common questions about masking is whether it can make autism harder to recognise.
The answer is that masking can make autistic characteristics less obvious to other people.
For example, someone may have developed strategies that help them navigate conversations, maintain eye contact or manage social situations. During an assessment they may therefore appear more socially comfortable than they feel internally.
This is why a high-quality adult autism assessment should look beyond how a person may present during a single appointment. At Phoenix Mental Health Services, we take a comprehensive, gold-standard approach to assessment, considering all aspects of an individual’s presentation, including developmental history, social communication, behaviour, sensory experiences, and the difficulties they may experience across different areas of life.
Our clinicians are highly trained and experienced in adult autism assessment, including recognising the subtle differences in communication, behaviour, social interaction and body language that may not be immediately apparent. We understand that some people may consciously or unconsciously mask or compensate for autistic traits, particularly in an assessment setting. Our thorough, multi-faceted approach is designed to identify these subtleties and ensure that masking or compensation does not prevent an accurate and well-informed diagnostic formulation.
At Phoenix Mental Health Services, our adult autism assessments include clinical consultation, in-depth interviews with an informant and detailed consideration of an individual’s experiences across their life. This allows us to build a comprehensive picture rather than relying solely on how someone presents on the day of their assessment.
What happens when an autistic person stops masking?
The concept of ‘unmasking’ has become increasingly prevalent within autistic and neurodiverse communities.
For some people, reducing masking may mean allowing themselves to communicate more naturally, stim when they need to, acknowledge sensory needs or stop forcing themselves to follow social behaviours that are uncomfortable.
This may feel relieving for some people. However, for others, it can feel confusing. Some autistic people describe feeling ‘lost’ or not knowing who they really are after discovering that they are autistic, and may have been masking for such a long time.
If you are finding things difficult following your diagnosis, the National Autistic Society provides helpful information about what you may experience after diagnosis, as well as guidance on accessing further support. You can find their post-assessment support information here.
How to support someone who is masking autism?
If you think someone in your life may be masking, here are some practical ways to help create a supportive environment.
- Listen without judgement
- Don’t assume someone is fine because they appear fine
- Respect communication differences
- Allow sensory needs to be communicated
- Avoid forcing conventional social behaviours
- Ask them what support would help
Final Thoughts on Autism Masking
Autism masking can take many forms, from rehearsing conversations and consciously monitoring eye contact to suppressing stimming or hiding interests.
For some autistic people, masking becomes a familiar part of everyday life. While it can help someone navigate certain social environments, maintaining a mask can also require considerable effort and may affect wellbeing for some individuals.
Most importantly, appearing socially confident does not necessarily tell the full story of someone's experience.
If you have spent years feeling that social interaction requires conscious effort, that you behave differently around different people, or that you are constantly trying to work out how you are "supposed" to behave, it may be worth exploring these experiences further.
An autism assessment cannot be replaced by an online article or checklist, but it can provide an opportunity to explore your experiences in greater depth.
If you're considering an assessment, find out more about Phoenix Mental Health Services' adult autism assessment.