Find a therapist to help with autism

Masking and social camouflage are associated with short-term success and a long-term mental health impact.

Traditional efforts to teach social skills may encourage inadvertent masking of autistic traits.

Family and professionals can support autistic people by openly discussing masking and socializing options.

While masking can be harmful, it can also be adaptive and beneficial when used intentionally and sparingly.

As scientific investigations continue to explore and debunk suspected environmental contributors to autism, and unsubstantiated vaccine theories resurface, we risk diverting attention away from a critical public health question: How do we best support the millions of autistic children and adults living in our communities today?

For decades, autism intervention efforts have pursued a noble goal: help autistic people fit into a world that was not set up for them. Yet efforts to teach individuals “socially appropriate” behaviors have had unintended consequences. An autistic person may learn a social script, make more eye contact, or become better at navigating a conversation. On the surface, these changes look like success. But when social support becomes focused primarily on appearing less autistic, we risk teaching something else entirely – that one’s autistic identity must be actively suppressed if they want to be successful in life.

This process is commonly referred to as masking or social camouflage. It involves the act of concealing or compensating for behaviors that others perceive as socially undesirable while adopting behaviors that more closely conform to neurotypical (i.e., non-autistic) expectations.

All people engage in some degree of impression management. We monitor what we say, adjust our behavior across settings, and sometimes suppress natural impulses to achieve a social goal. Anyone who has tried to make a good impression on a first date or during a job........

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