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. 2017 Aug;47(8):2519-2534.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5.

"Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions

Laura Hull  1   2 , K V Petrides  3 , Carrie Allison  4 , Paula Smith  4 , Simon Baron-Cohen  4 , Meng-Chuan Lai  4   5   6 , William Mandy  7
Affiliations

"Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions

Laura Hull et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Camouflaging of autistic characteristics in social situations is hypothesised as a common social coping strategy for adults with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Camouflaging may impact diagnosis, quality of life, and long-term outcomes, but little is known about it. This qualitative study examined camouflaging experiences in 92 adults with ASC, with questions focusing on the nature, motivations, and consequences of camouflaging. Thematic analysis was used to identify key elements of camouflaging, which informed development of a three-stage model of the camouflaging process. First, motivations for camouflaging included fitting in and increasing connections with others. Second, camouflaging itself comprised a combination of masking and compensation techniques. Third, short- and long-term consequences of camouflaging included exhaustion, challenging stereotypes, and threats to self-perception.

Keywords: Autism; Camouflaging; Coping; Gender; Sex; Social adapation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Thematic map of the three stages (motivations, camouflaging, and consequences) of the camouflaging process. Themes are indicated by rectangles; subthemes by ovals
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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