Camouflaging Traits in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
Camouflaging is a technique to hide oneself from others for security purposes. This technique is used by individuals with
ASD to hide the discernibility of their autistic traits in front of others and pretend not to be suffering from any disability.
This mixed method QUAN-qual study was designed to find out whether individuals with ASD use different camouflaging
strategies in their social settings or not, their feelings & perceptions about the use of camouflage, and the reasons for
using these techniques. Through the help of a convenient sampling method, the data was collected from mild to moderatelevel adults with ASD and Asperger's (N=90, aged=17 years & above), who were observed through the CAT-Q tool.
Results: The results showed that adults with ASD used compensation, masking, and assimilation strategies to hide their
autistic traits from society and there is a gender difference that exists in using camouflage strategies. Thematic analysis
also showed that adults with ASD camouflage themselves in front of others; they mostly feel more active, depressed, and
stressed in their inner self after performing camouflaging strategies which affects their mental health, though very few
feel comfortable in performing these activities. However, most of them recommend others for the camouflage strategies
to avoid stigma & labeling. The findings of the research are helpful to explore why adults with ASD used to camouflage
themselves in front of others and what are the reasons behind that. Adults with ASD hide their autistic traits to minimize
the visibility of autism in front of others, because they want to fit themselves in those settings without stigma and labeling.
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