What is masking?
Masking — also called camouflaging — refers to the strategies autistic people use to hide or suppress their autistic traits in social situations. It is partly conscious, partly unconscious, and develops gradually over time as a response to environments where autistic differences are not accommodated or understood.
Research by Dr Laura Hull and colleagues (2017, 2019) identified three core components of camouflaging:
- Assimilation — learning social rules by observing others, developing scripts, researching social norms
- Compensation — using deliberate strategies to cover social communication difficulties, such as consciously decoding facial expressions or preparing conversation topics in advance
- Masking — actively concealing autistic traits, such as suppressing stimming, forcing eye contact, or mimicking others' expressions and mannerisms
What masking looks like in practice
Masking can be visible in many day-to-day behaviours that seem "normal" but are in fact performed at significant cognitive and emotional cost:
- Forcing eye contact even when it feels uncomfortable or painful
- Scripting conversations before social interactions
- Watching others and copying their body language and facial expressions
- Suppressing stimming (rocking, hand movements, making sounds) in public
- Laughing or smiling in response to social cues rather than genuine feeling
- Pretending to understand something when you don't
- Performing emotions that others expect rather than what you actually feel
- Switching off your real personality and replacing it with a "social version"
Why do autistic people mask?
Masking develops in response to real social pressure. Autistic children who behave differently often face bullying, exclusion, and criticism. They learn — quickly — that hiding their autistic traits reduces these negative responses.
Over time, masking becomes habitual and often unconscious. By adulthood, many autistic people have been masking for so long that they've lost a clear sense of what their "unmasked" self actually looks or feels like.
Masking is also strongly influenced by environment. Many autistic people mask far more heavily in professional settings, with new acquaintances, or in formal social situations — and mask less or not at all at home, or with people they trust deeply.
Who masks most?
Research consistently finds that autistic women and girls mask significantly more than autistic men and boys. This is a major reason why autism is so systematically missed in women — they appear to cope socially in ways that lead clinicians to conclude they don't meet criteria.
People from marginalised communities who face additional social pressures (due to race, class, sexuality, or other factors) may also mask more heavily. The intersection of autism with other identities significantly shapes how and how much a person masks.
Do you think you might be masking?
Our free assessment includes a dedicated Social Strategies section that measures masking and camouflaging — the same dimensions identified in published research.
Take the free assessment →The cost of masking
Masking is not free. The cognitive, emotional, and physical energy required to maintain a non-autistic presentation in every waking moment is enormous — and the consequences are well-documented.
Autistic burnout
The most serious consequence of sustained masking is autistic burnout — a prolonged state of physical and mental exhaustion, loss of skills, and withdrawal. Unlike typical tiredness, autistic burnout can last months or years. It is directly linked to the cumulative effort of masking without adequate rest or accommodation.
Mental health
Autistic people who mask heavily are significantly more likely to experience anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and eating disorders. The psychological impact of constantly performing a self that isn't yours — and the shame that comes from feeling fundamentally different — is severe.
Late and missed diagnosis
Masking directly contributes to diagnostic delay. Autistic people who mask well often don't receive a diagnosis until their coping strategies collapse — in their 30s, 40s, or later. In clinical assessments, high-masking individuals may not present as autistic even when they are.
Unmasking — what it means and how to start
Unmasking doesn't mean abandoning all social behaviour. It means gradually reducing the performance of a non-autistic self, and finding spaces and relationships where you can be more fully yourself.
Unmasking is a process, not an event. For people who have been masking since childhood, finding the "real self" underneath can take time. Many autistic adults describe a period of profound uncertainty during this process — not knowing who they are without the mask.
Therapy with a therapist who understands autism and masking can be invaluable. Connecting with other autistic adults — in person or in communities like r/autism — can also provide a powerful sense of recognition and permission to be yourself.
Masking and diagnosis
If you mask heavily, it's worth mentioning this explicitly in any diagnostic assessment. Some assessors are not well-trained in identifying autism in people who mask, and your high social functioning in the assessment room may not reflect your day-to-day experience. Bring descriptions of how you feel in social situations — not just how you appear.
For guidance on seeking an autism assessment, see our guide to autism diagnosis in the UK.