• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

“Camouflaging” of Autistic Traits (Masking) linked to internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression

Isadoorian

Welcomer of Newcomers
V.I.P Member
Link to Article by PsyPost.org

Article Transcript:
---
A study of autistic children and adolescents in Australia showed that those suffering from anxiety, depression or similar symptoms (apart from autism) showed a more pronounced tendency to try to mask their autistic traits in social situations. Adolescents were also more likely to camouflage their autistic traits than children. The study was published in Autism Research.

Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by communication and social difficulties, restricted interests and repetitive behavior. It is more common in boys than in girls. On the other hand, studies show that clinicians and teachers are less likely to detect autistic traits in girls than in boys.

Camouflaging of autistic traits has been identified as a potential barrier to early identification of autism. Camouflaging is a set of behaviors intended to hide or mask one’s autistic traits in social situations. It is a coping strategy applied in order to “fit in.” It first develops during childhood and adolescence. While camouflaging, children may deliberately copy body language of another person or mimic facial expressions, gestures, interests, and topics of conversation.

Research indicates that engaging in camouflaging is exhausting and may led to detrimental health outcomes, such as stress, anxiety and depression. While early researchers have often seen camouflaging as something positive, autistic people themselves describe it as “adaptive morphing” in response to social, emotional and physical risk of harm. It is a survival strategy.

Study author Alice Ross and her colleagues aimed to examine how much autistic children and adolescents engage in camouflaging. They expected that camouflaging would be higher in females than in males, that females will be rated by their parents — but not by clinicians — as more impaired than males, and that camouflaging will be associated with the intensity of internalizing symptoms (problems in the internal psychological functioning of a person, such as depression, anxiety, etc.).
Participants were 359 girls and 374 boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (age ranged between 4 and a bit below 18 years). The researchers used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule to assess social communication, social interaction, play and restricted and repetitive behaviors of participants.

Parents completed assessments of children’s social communication (the Social Responsiveness Scale) and of emotional and behavioral difficulties (the Child Behavior Checklist). Camouflaging was estimated as the difference between scores on assessment of difficulties given by clinicians and those given by parents. Parents reporting more difficulties than clinicians indicates that the child was camouflaging autistic traits while interacting with the clinician.

Results showed that parents of girls reported more communication difficulties for their children than parents of boys. There were no gender differences in assessments given by clinicians. Results also showed that children above 13 years of age had more pronounced camouflaging that children below 13.

Higher camouflaging scores were associated with more pronounced internalizing symptoms i.e., higher levels of depression, anxiety or similar symptoms. This association was independent of age, gender or intelligence of the person.

“This research provided evidence for the role of camouflaging in autistic children and adolescents, including the presence of gender differences in parent and clinician reports of autistic traits, and the relationship between camouflaging and internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. It also highlighted the potential impact of age on camouflaging, although further research is required to understand this in more depth,” the researchers concluded.

This study broadens scientific knowledge on the social functioning of children and adolescents with autism. However, it also has limitations that need to be considered. Notably, the study design does not allow for any cause-and-effect conclusions to be made. It remains unknown whether more extensive use of camouflaging leads to internalizing symptoms or vice versa.

Additionally, the study authors did not interview and assess the children themselves, but only analyzed data on these children that was available in the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative’s (SFARI) Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) database.

The study, “The relationship between camouflaging and mental health in autistic children and adolescents”, was authored by Alice Ross, Rachel Grove, and John McAloon.
 
 
This is very useful and helpful information for me, @Isadoorian, thank you for posting it. I can relate very much and it has been difficult to dissolve the mask despite the trouble it causes.
 
Our ability to camouflage is one of the primary reasons ASD is overlooked or misdiagnosed in females. It used to be 1 in 10 autistics were female, the gap has closed to 1 in 4. Realistically it approaching 1 in 2.

66% of the ASD population deals with depression. 80% have significant anxiety. 40 - 60% have a comorbidity with ADHD...

These results are nothing new to those of the ASD community. Especially those diagnosed later in life.
 
Last edited:
....children may deliberately copy body language of another person or mimic facial expressions, gestures, interests, and topics of conversation.
I remember actively doing this, from about age 13. Quite deliberately imitating other people and practicing for hours on end in front of a mirror.
 
Neurodivergent childs who lived in a mask free and trauma free enviroment could have way lower "symtoms", to the point that we should have to review the way to diagnose.

Im each day more convinced that most of the problems of our community comes from trauma and having to fit in this distopic society.
 
This topic has really got me thinking today, and I would like to share a little more because it has deeply impacted my life.

I have masked heavily throughout my life, but this has also been in combination with not understanding autism. Now, I am much more free to choose when to wear a mask, and when not to, and I am just beginning to understand what the differences are.

As a young girl, my experience was rejection and confusion from the world. Even if it wasn’t outright rejection and cruelty, as I did have a trauma free childhood, it was my perpetual status as being too sensitive, misunderstanding things, and not feeling the attachment to other people that get many people through difficult emotions.

As such, the mask developed on its own. The ability to camouflage and the reasons for doing so feel innate. I perceived the world around me as hostile, and so my survival instinct kicked in to become the chameleon. There is safety in not being noticed as opposed to being noticed as a problem or a defective child.

So the mask developed on its own in a way. And it was so effective for me that it persisted until I was in my late 30s. It was just a few years ago that I could even begin to understand that there was a difference in what was beyond the mask and that which is behind the mask.

It is difficult to begin to dissolve such a critical survival tool; it feels inherently dangerous to participate in the world as just me. I am proud of my survival skills to become the chameleon, but it has left me with a serious lack of true identity. It’s like Batman, donning his costume for too long, getting confused between who is Bruce and who is the Batman. I have spent my life in so many different personas and even though all of them were somehow a piece of authenticity, none of them were the whole, true picture. There was always yielding to others’ ways.

It takes great courage to open your eyes at 42 years old and begin the process of learning my identity as a young teenager would. I don’t know that I have this courage, but I do feel strengthened by my participation here on the forum. There is an awakening that needs to happen, a morning for chances lost that the real rodafina was crushed beneath the world. It’s just that the world wasn’t actively doing the crushing. It was more that I do not trust the world, and so I crawled beneath the biggest, safest boulders, and did the crushing myself.
 
This topic has really got me thinking today, and I would like to share a little more because it has deeply impacted my life.

I have masked heavily throughout my life, but this has also been in combination with not understanding autism. Now, I am much more free to choose when to wear a mask, and when not to, and I am just beginning to understand what the differences are.
You too? I was masking for several decades before I understood why.

Making figuring out just who and what I am all that more valuable. :cool:
 
Let me introduce you the smaller brothers of "Knowing yourself". They are called "Accepting yourself" and " loving yourself".

We have self work to do for years to come. :)
 
I've always been comfortable in my own company, an inherent, protective benefit of my introversion. There are very few people whose opinions and insights matter to me, but those who do carry weight know me quirks and all.

I have issues when people see and acknowledge what I can do, when my mask slips. I don't like being noticed or visible. I'm very, very good at passing unseen when I need or want to. Very hobbit like in certain aspects.
 
Neurodivergent childs who lived in a mask free and trauma free enviroment could have way lower "symtoms", to the point that we should have to review the way to diagnose.

Im each day more convinced that most of the problems of our community comes from trauma and having to fit in this distopic socie
 
Neurodivergent childs who lived in a mask free and trauma free enviroment could have way lower "symtoms", to the point that we should have to review the way to diagnose.

Im each day more convinced that most of the problems of our community comes from trauma and having to fit in this distopic society.
I fully agree as an Aspie ^_^ I have had a mostly stress free and very lucky life despite some really major things happening and I may have experienced some forms of trauma that have discouraged me from doing things that others don't have as much trouble with (e.g. social interaction, rules etc). At least I'm learning it all now ^^
 
I've always been comfortable in my own company, an inherent, protective benefit of my introversion. There are very few people whose opinions and insights matter to me, but those who do carry weight know me quirks and all.

I have issues when people see and acknowledge what I can do, when my mask slips. I don't like being noticed or visible. I'm very, very good at passing unseen when I need or want to. Very hobbit like in certain aspects.
Me too ^_^!!
 
This topic has really got me thinking today, and I would like to share a little more because it has deeply impacted my life.

I have masked heavily throughout my life, but this has also been in combination with not understanding autism. Now, I am much more free to choose when to wear a mask, and when not to, and I am just beginning to understand what the differences are.

As a young girl, my experience was rejection and confusion from the world. Even if it wasn’t outright rejection and cruelty, as I did have a trauma free childhood, it was my perpetual status as being too sensitive, misunderstanding things, and not feeling the attachment to other people that get many people through difficult emotions.

As such, the mask developed on its own. The ability to camouflage and the reasons for doing so feel innate. I perceived the world around me as hostile, and so my survival instinct kicked in to become the chameleon. There is safety in not being noticed as opposed to being noticed as a problem or a defective child.

So the mask developed on its own in a way. And it was so effective for me that it persisted until I was in my late 30s. It was just a few years ago that I could even begin to understand that there was a difference in what was beyond the mask and that which is behind the mask.

It is difficult to begin to dissolve such a critical survival tool; it feels inherently dangerous to participate in the world as just me. I am proud of my survival skills to become the chameleon, but it has left me with a serious lack of true identity. It’s like Batman, donning his costume for too long, getting confused between who is Bruce and who is the Batman. I have spent my life in so many different personas and even though all of them were somehow a piece of authenticity, none of them were the whole, true picture. There was always yielding to others’ ways.

It takes great courage to open your eyes at 42 years old and begin the process of learning my identity as a young teenager would. I don’t know that I have this courage, but I do feel strengthened by my participation here on the forum. There is an awakening that needs to happen, a morning for chances lost that the real rodafina was crushed beneath the world. It’s just that the world wasn’t actively doing the crushing. It was more that I do not trust the world, and so I crawled beneath the biggest, safest boulders, and did the crushing myself.
I think I've already figured out my mask, but I've still got a ways to go ^^ You're so strong and I'm so proud of you <3 Sounds like you've been through a lot especially as a four year old!!
 
 
We have several unique strengths that would make us valuable employees or professional leaders. The strengths most cited by these autistic women included empathy, capacity for deep focus, problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, exceptional attention to detail, and creativity.

With the above defined I just wish to comment: with steep competition to find jobs and then lack social skills or outgoingness in face of queen Bee and steering away as Google, follow trends and I question myself at work and being happy
 
Many men assume we just mask and this is my problem with creative job listing mentioneded above is that I would not like to work as interior designer just knowing the scene is what it is. A content writer is assuming we mask our written communication skills and is applicable to all of us female aspies.
There are job listing under problem solving but this is for brave who go to war for territory,
Years ago I attended a course for practicals in electrical engineering...I enjoyed welding and all aspects, my lecturer didn't, I had countless arguments over my grades. I'm doubtful he's actually an intelligent type of male, but for some it's not a consideration, he's entitled to be there and I've got to go to fight my way thru
 

New Threads

Top Bottom