All children are different, but if they change character when they go from school to home, or go into meltdown, or appear exhausted, it might be a sign that they are masking in public.
Masking may involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations.
Masking is a word used to describe something seen in many children with ASD – when they learn, practice, and perform certain behaviours and suppress others in order to be more like the people around them.
It's critical to understand what's going on because camouflaging is associated with many adverse outcomes in autistic individuals, like higher anxiety and depression. We are seeing studies that show masking in girls as young as 7 or 8 years old on the school playground.
The current study examined experiences of masking across different neurotypes, including both autistic and nonautistic adults. We found that masking is not limited to autistic people, which is consistent with theory on identity and stigma management.
Share what you see and hear at home but don't feel you have to talk to your child or ask them directly about masking. Many children will not know they are doing it or may not want to talk about it. Often families can be the first people to notice that their child might be masking.
Some studies have documented the reason why girls with autism mask; results suggest that it is motivated by the need to avoid being bullied, the feeling that it is an obligation to mask, and the fear of being ostracized for being autistic.
Mild autism is level 1 autism spectrum disorder. It means a person does not have severe symptoms and needs a lower level of support than someone else with autism. People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others.
Neurodivergent masking refers to masking by people whose brains function differently from the norm. This includes people with learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. They may conceal or control their natural responses and behaviors in order to avoid calling attention to themselves.
Masking is a common ADHD coping mechanism. (Masking, to be clear, isn't exclusive to ADHD; it is closely related to neurodivergence, and most often thought of in connection to autism.1)
Masking is more common in girls, although many boys also present with this behaviour. Children feel safest at home with their parents, so it makes sense that they feel more able to release their anxieties at home. Many parents describe how their child is like a “shaken up coke bottle” when they return home from school.
Masking describes the act of hiding or suppressing symptoms of a mental health condition. People usually mask in situations and environments where they are expected to act in a socially normative way — like at school or work, or when meeting new people.
Studies have estimated that up to 94% of people with autism have or will attempt to mask their symptoms at some point during their lives, which can lead to long-term impacts on those living with the condition.
Girls in particular can be very good at 'masking' their worries and anxieties. They will smile, laugh and joke with the other children, appear to be getting on with their school work and have lots of friends. However, the strain of trying to keep this up all day can be huge.
While ADHD can make it difficult to focus, sit still, or control impulses, autism can limit a person's scope of interests or affect social skills and learning abilities. ADHD and autism often share symptoms, like difficulty communicating or concentrating. Additionally, it's possible that the conditions are connected.
Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder refers to behaviors and/or strategies that mask the presentation of autism spectrum disorder features in social contexts in order to appear "non-autistic" (Attwood, 2007).
Unmasking requires non-autistic people to be more inclusive and welcoming of their neurodivergent peers – whether they are autistic, have ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, dyslexia or anything else. Here are two important ways to be an ally: Communicate as clearly as possible and avoid turns of phrase.
When regularly done, masking can lead to autistic burnout. Autistic burnout is the extreme fatigue — mental, physical and emotional exhaustion — that results from constantly hiding your natural traits.
Being autistic can make fatigue and burnout more likely, due to the pressures of social situations and sensory overload. If your child or the person you care for is experiencing fatigue or burnout, helping them to manage their energy levels is essential, as this guide explains.
The 'autism accent'.
Professionals would describe this as abnormal speech patterns. I'm not sure what specifically is different about our voices, but some autistic people find that they are often asked about their voice or accent. I have been. In primary school other kids used to mock my voice.
Main signs of autism
finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own. seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to.