“Masking Is Life”: Experiences of Masking in Autistic and Nonautistic Adults

Abstract

Background: Autistic masking is an emerging research area, and so far, research has suggested that masking has a negative effect on autistic people. Masking relates to general social practices (such as identity management) and is often driven by stigma avoidance. Many nonautistic people also experience stigma that might drive them to suppress aspects of their identity. In this study, we investigate similarities and differences in experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic people. Methods: We conducted an online survey about experiences and views of masking in autistic people (n = 144), neurodivergent people without an autism diagnosis (n = 49), and neurotypical people (n = 45) recruited via social media. We used thematic analysis to analyze responses to open-ended items about masking, using an inductive approach, at a semantic level, with a critical realist paradigm. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that some aspects of masking are shared across autistic and nonautistic people, such as utilizing mimicry of others as a social strategy or feeling exhausted from masking. All groups reported that masking made them feel disconnected from their true sense of identity and had a negative effect on them. Other aspects of masking seemed more specific to autistic people, such as sensory suppression, and masking leading to suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that many aspects of masking are experienced across different neurotypes and are likely related to outside perceptions of difference and stigma. It is likely that what we call ''autistic masking'' is similar to other forms of stigma management previously theorized. Some aspects of masking do seem more specific to the autistic neurotype (e.g., suppression of stimming) and should be explored further to provide support for autistic people recovering from the negative impact of masking.

Exploring Autistic Adults’ Psychosocial Experiences Affecting Beginnings, Continuity, and Change in Camouflaging Over Time- A Qualitative Study

“…and "automatic", resonating with experiences of autistic adults in other qualitative studies (Bradley et al, 2021;Cage & Troxell-Whitman, 2019;Miller et al, 2021). Many of our participants viewed this as an adaptive change from their earlier much more pressurising and taxing camouflaging efforts.…”

“…However, some autistic adults may not experience automatisation of camouflaging behaviours and may instead find it a constant struggle to know how to camouflage and do so successfully Livingston et al, 2019). Camouflaging may even become increasingly difficult with age (Miller et al, 2021), and some autistic individuals may have a reduced capacity to camouflage due to experiences of autistic burnout from accumulated life stressors (Higgins et al, 2021;Raymaker et al, 2020). Alternatively, for those who are able to camouflage automatically and unconsciously, this could potentially lead to a loss of sense of self when their 'masked' and true selves become so intricately intertwined with one another (Miller et al, 2021).…”

“…Camouflaging may even become increasingly difficult with age (Miller et al, 2021), and some autistic individuals may have a reduced capacity to camouflage due to experiences of autistic burnout from accumulated life stressors (Higgins et al, 2021;Raymaker et al, 2020). Alternatively, for those who are able to camouflage automatically and unconsciously, this could potentially lead to a loss of sense of self when their 'masked' and true selves become so intricately intertwined with one another (Miller et al, 2021). Integrating the above studies' findings with our own, there appears to be a large variation in autistic adults' camouflaging experiences and attitudes, with some viewing camouflaging as akin to impression management and able to get better at it with practice, but others finding it a continual challenge and/or detrimental to their identity.…”

Conceptualising Autistic Masking, Camouflaging, and Neurotypical Privilege: Towards a Minority Group Model of Neurodiversity

“…Cage et al (2018) also argue that social stigma against Autism contributes to anxiety and depression and creates significant pressure to mask and camouflage. Drawing upon sociologist Goffman's work on stigma, Pearson and Rose (2021;see also Milton, 2013;Sasson et al, 2017) found that Neurotypical stigma against visible Autistic behaviours is a social driver of Autistic masking, while Miller et al (2021) describes masking as a stigma response to minority group status.…”

Sonic bombardment, noise hypersensitivity and ethics: A response to Fodstad and colleagues: ‘Assessment and treatment of noise hypersensitivity in a teenager with autism Spectrum Disorder’

“…The suppression of a native response in favour of a non-native response is known as masking (Milton and Sims, 2016;Holliday-Willey, 2014;Pearson and Rose, 2021), camouflaging (Hull et al 2017), compensation (Livingston and Happé, 2017), concealment (Botha & Frost, 2020), and adaptive morphing (Lawson, 2020). Autistic people have reported that masking of a distress response to aversive sensory stimuli, and suppressing associated coping mechanisms such as stimming, have a negative impact (Kapp et al, 2019;Miller, Rees and Pearson, 2021). This is only one aspect of the broader deleterious effects masking has upon Autistic wellbeing (Mandy, 2019).…”