A Guide to Autism Masking Symptoms

Many people feel like they sometimes wear a ‘mask’ of sorts in social situations, or feel like they have to adapt their behaviour to fit in with certain kinds of people. This might feel a little nerve-wracking or wearing at times, but tends not to be required too often.

For people with autism however, a lot of the social cues and conventions that many people take for granted can feel very difficult to understand and adopt, which can make social situations much more difficult. Some of the typical behaviours that autistic people exhibit are also not always deemed as ‘socially acceptable’, which adds another consideration whilst interacting with others.

Masking in autism is the result of trying to minimise certain behaviours and copy others in order to better navigate interactions and feel more like you ‘fit in’. In this article, we’re going to explore what autism masking symptoms are, what the negative impact of this behaviour can be, and how you can help support people who experience autistic masking. 

What is Masking in Autism?

Masking in autism is the process of hiding or suppressing certain behaviours to appear more ‘normal’ and functional. It happens as the result of social pressure not to appear ‘different’ from others, which may be obviously enforced or unconsciously encouraged.

There is a wide range of behaviours linked to autism and masking tends to minimise these so that an individual’s autistic traits are less noticeable. Autistic masking is often done to blend in with allistic (non-autistic) people and often begins when someone is young and particularly motivated to fit in with their peers.

Not everyone with autism exhibits masking behaviour, and some autistic people might mask more than others. Typically, although not always, masking tends to impact females with autism more than men, as there is more social pressure and social conditioning for them to fit in. It’s also often experienced more by people with other aspects of their identity that may cause discrimination, such as BIPOC or transgender people, who already put more effort into adapting their behaviour to meet dominant social norms.

Often, masking in autism might happen without someone really realising that they’re doing it, as it’s often a process that is learned incrementally. It can make it easier for people with autism to feel like they belong in a group, which can be beneficial, but the long-term impact of masking can also have a negative effect.

What Does Autism Masking Look Like?

A 2019 study by Laura Hull looked at the impact of social camouflaging behaviours, like masking, as reported by people with and without autism. The study groups masking behaviour into three main categories:

• Strategies and behaviour to make social situations easier (Compensation)
• Hiding autistic traits and behaviours (Masking)
• Adopting behaviours to fit in with others (Assimilation)

Examples of compensation revolve around strategies that allow autistic people to mimic ‘typical’ behaviour in order to navigate social interactions more easily. This might include copying the way that someone speaks, using a scripted conversation to make small talk, practising what you’re going to say during an interaction beforehand, forcing yourself to make eye contact when someone is speaking, or mimicking body language during a conversation. These behaviours may not feel natural, but they happen because they feel necessary to a situation.

Behaviour categorised as masking involves repressing and minimising autistic traits. A common example is avoiding stimming whilst in social situations, or minimising this behaviour so it’s more socially acceptable. 

Masking behaviour often comes from a very conscious awareness of how you want to act and how you feel you should act, which may lead to someone being very critical of their behaviour and over-analysing what they’re doing and saying. Again, it can lead to doing things that don’t feel natural but are understood as necessary to ‘fit in’, such as making yourself adopt certain body language or repressing the need to ask questions or highlight mistakes.

Assimilation in masking behaviour is highly influenced by the people around you and involves copying what others say and do in order to blend in with the group. Examples of this include mimicking how people respond, copying the tone and language of people around you, and participating in interactions that can feel unnatural or like you’re ‘performing’.

All of the types of masking in autism come from the need to try and blend in and feel accepted, involving both outward changes of behaviour and a strict internal awareness. Not only are you having to repress behaviours and responses when you’re masking, but you’re also having to participate in interactions and activities which may feel very unnatural or not make sense.

From an external perspective, masking might not ‘look’ like an autistic person is doing anything different from their peers. Without having a proper understanding of how someone is feeling, autism masking symptoms may go unnoticed. Often, it is not the masking in autism that becomes apparent, but the impact of this masking behaviour.

The Impact of Masking in Autism

As awareness of autism and masking has grown, so has our understanding of the impact that it has on the people who do it. There’s the immediate impact of having to try harder to control your behaviour, but there are also longer-term consequences that we’ll explore in more detail below.

Burnout

Autistic burnout is defined by the National Autistic Society as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic life stress and a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate support”. It’s something that can affect people with autism who become overwhelmed with the additional challenges and effort involved in their experience of living with autism.

Masking is a significant contributor to feelings of burnout, especially if someone feels required to mask for a large percentage of their day-to-day life. Controlling your impulses, monitoring your behaviour and feeling like you have to ‘perform’ in social situations all require a lot of energy, and the prolonged impact of this is that autistic people can be left feeling very burned out simply from trying to get through the day.

Mental Health Impact

Various studies have found that there are higher rates of mental health conditions in people who have autism, with depression and anxiety being two of the most common. Whilst there isn’t concrete evidence for whether autism and poor mental health are connected, it is easy to understand how autism masking symptoms can contribute to feelings of depression.

The motivation behind masking behaviour is the desire to fit in, and whilst this does often work and helps autistic people to feel more included, the behaviour required in masking can feel unnatural. This awareness of how social norms and cues don’t come naturally can increase feelings of ‘being different’ for people with autism, which can contribute towards feelings of depression.

In line with the link between masking and burnout, repetitive masking and the internal scrutiny and control that comes with it are very mentally draining. When you’re already lacking in mental energy, it’s a lot harder to counteract negative and catastrophic thoughts, which could contribute to increased symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Delayed Diagnosis

The purpose of autism masking behaviour is to hide autistic traits. A consequence of this is that people with autism might become so good at masking that their symptoms are much harder to identify, which could mean that it takes longer for them to get a diagnosis.

The impact of an autism diagnosis varies as much as people’s individual experiences with autism. Whilst some people simply find it affirming to have an official diagnosis and then carry on with their lives, it can mean that others can access support and benefits which make it easier for them to navigate life as an autistic person.

A delay in an autism diagnosis therefore can have a negative impact on someone because it prevents them from being able to utilise services and support which can have a positive impact on their quality of life. Women with autism in particular tend to be diagnosed later in life because the majority of them mask their symptoms more, so they are disproportionately affected by this.

Some people might go through a lot of life without realising that they’re masking their autistic behaviour, and instead feel like there's something wrong with them because they’re having to put more effort into navigating social interactions. Receiving an autism diagnosis can therefore not only help to provide coping strategies but also provide a sense of understanding and identity affirmation. If masking prevents this, someone could end up spending a lot of their life feeling misunderstood without knowing why.

How to Support Autistic Masking

Supporting someone who exhibits masking behaviour can be difficult, especially if they’re unaware that they’re doing it or they’re doing it because they’re trying to fit in with others. But the impact that masking can have on a person can be severe, so it is worth making an effort to support the impact of autistic masking.

Firstly, you can help someone who is masking to protect their energy and avoid burning out by supporting them and encouraging them to properly recharge. Make sure that they have access to the things they need to unwind and mentally refresh themselves, whether that’s by giving them uninterrupted time alone or helping them to take care of themselves when they’re feeling drained.

You should also make an effort to let the person know that they don’t need to exhibit masking behaviour when they’re with you. Tell them that you like and accept them for who they really are and that they don’t need to suppress any behaviours when they’re around. It might take a whale, but this should help them to feel like they can stop autistic masking around you at least, which is a good thing.

In a wider context, you can support anyone dealing with autism and masking by helping to create inclusive spaces where people feel like they can be their true selves. In a work context, this could involve improving awareness of autism and other neurodivergent conditions that can cause masking and making it clear that these differences should be accepted and celebrated instead of shunned. If you notice people at work exhibiting masking behaviours or seeming particularly exhausted after certain interactions, consider asking them how best you can support them and encourage them to ‘unmask’ where possible.

FAQs

Is masking only for autism?

‘Masking’ is a behaviour that is commonly seen in people with autism, but is also common in other neurodivergent people as a way of trying to manage symptoms and better navigate social situations. Most people ‘mask’ to an extent in that they adapt how they behave based on the people they’re with and the context they're in, but people with autism experience it much more frequently and can also suffer the negative impact of masking to a greater extent.

What is high-masking autism?

High-masking autism is a type of autism where someone masks and adapts their behaviour almost all of the time, to the extent that sometimes they don’t realise that they are doing it. People with high-masking autism might not receive an autism diagnosis until later in life because of their success with masking, but may also suffer more from the negative impacts of constant masking, such as burnout. 

Is autism masking bad?

Masking in autism isn’t inherently a bad thing. After all, many neurotypical people also ‘mask’ to some extent as part of the behaviour required to navigate different social situations. But what can make masking a bad thing is when it has a negative impact on the person doing it.

Someone with autism might feel the need to mask so that they fit in more with their peers, which not only makes socialising or simply functioning at work or with friends difficult, but it also can make them feel like they don’t belong or that there’s something wrong with them. Everyone deserves to feel like they can be themselves, and masking can be a barrier to this.

Summary

Autistic masking can have a significant impact on someone if they do it regularly for a long time, with the strain of controlling and analysing their behaviour mounting and combining with a sense of not fitting in. Social situations will always involve some element of assimilation, even for neurotypical people, but we can all help to relieve the strain of autistic masking by creating spaces that are more educated and accepting about autism and masking and helping people who mask to properly recover after tiring social situations.

If you’d like to learn more about autism and masking, our online ‘Autism Awareness Course’ is a great resource for anyone who wants to educate themselves on what autism is and how it affects people. If you work with individuals who have autism, ‘An Introduction to the Autism Spectrum’ is more catered towards what you need to know about supporting people on the autism spectrum.