Three-part series: Part 1: Camouflaging and Masking in Autism: Are These Really the Same?

When you immerse yourself in the lived experiences shared within the neurodiversity movement, you quickly encounter the terms 'masking' and 'camouflaging'. They are frequently used to describe how autistic individuals navigate a world largely designed by and for neurotypical people. A common question arises, both in academic circles and personal conversations: Are they just different words for the same thing?

The short answer is: Not exactly, but they are deeply intertwined and often overlap significantly. Let's delve deeper into these complex, effortful, and often exhausting strategies.

Understanding the Drive: Why Mask or Camouflage?: Before dissecting the terms, it's crucial to understand why these behaviours emerge. Autistic individuals often learn, implicitly or explicitly, that their natural ways of communicating, interacting, processing, and regulating (think stimming, direct communication style, intense interests, sensory sensitivities) can lead to negative social consequences. These might range from confusion and misunderstanding to outright bullying, exclusion, discrimination, or even professional repercussions.

Masking and camouflaging are essentially survival strategies. They are adaptive responses developed to minimise harm, gain acceptance, build connections, or simply get through the day in environments that aren't inherently accommodating to autistic ways of being.

What is Masking?

Masking, in the context of autism, typically refers to the conscious or subconscious suppression of autistic traits and the performance of neurotypical behaviours. It's often about actively hiding the signs of autism.

Think of it like wearing a specific, often heavy, 'mask' to cover one's authentic self. Examples include:

• Forcing eye contact: Despite it being uncomfortable, overwhelming, or unnatural.

• Suppressing stimming: Actively stopping repetitive movements (hand flapping, rocking, vocal stims) that help regulate emotions or process information.

• Mimicking neurotypical social cues: Copying facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language observed in others, even if it feels unnatural.

• Scripting conversations: Mentally rehearsing interactions or relying heavily on pre-planned phrases.

• Hiding intense interests: Downplaying or avoiding discussion of special interests for fear of being seen as obsessive or odd.

• Enduring sensory discomfort: Tolerating overwhelming sensory input (loud noises, bright lights, textures) without visible reaction.

The primary goal of masking is often concealment – to not appear autistic.

What is Camouflaging?: Camouflaging is perhaps a slightly broader term, often used in research literature. While it encompasses masking, it also includes compensatory strategies. Camouflaging involves actively learning and applying strategies to compensate for social communication difficulties and blend into social situations.

It's less about just hiding autism and more about actively managing social interactions. Examples include:

• Intellectual compensation: Using intellect to figure out social rules and apply them logically, even without intuitive understanding.

• Developing a social 'toolkit': Learning specific phrases, jokes, or responses for common situations.

• Observational learning: Intensely studying neurotypical peers to learn how to act in various scenarios.

• Strategic imitation: Like masking, but perhaps with a more conscious goal of 'performing' social competence rather than just hiding difference.

Some researchers view camouflaging as an umbrella term with two main components:

Masking (hiding/suppressing traits) and Compensation (using strategies to navigate social deficits).

So, What's the Difference? A Subtle Distinction: While the behaviours often look identical from the outside, the nuance might lie in the intent and scope:

1. Focus: Masking often feels more focused on hiding the autistic self, driven by fear of stigma or negative judgment related specifically to being autistic. Camouflaging might be seen as more broadly focused on navigating social situations successfully, regardless of whether autism itself is the primary concern being hidden. It's about passing as socially adept.

2. Internal vs. External: Masking can feel like an internal battle to suppress natural inclinations. Camouflaging might feel more like deploying an external toolkit of learned behaviours.

3. Totality: Masking can sometimes feel like an attempt to present an entirely different persona. Camouflaging might involve selectively using strategies in specific situations (like a job interview or a party) without necessarily feeling like a complete erasure of self.

However, this distinction is subtle, and for the individual experiencing it, the lines blur completely. An autistic person forcing eye contact could be masking (hiding their discomfort/autism) and camouflaging (performing a learned neurotypical behaviour to fit in). The terms are often used interchangeably in everyday language, and that's perfectly valid because the experience and impact are often profoundly similar.

The Profound Cost: Regardless of whether we call it masking or camouflaging, these strategies come at a significant cost:

• Exhaustion and Burnout: The constant monitoring, suppression, and performance are incredibly draining, leading to autistic burnout.

• Mental Health Impacts: Increased rates of anxiety, depression, and stress are strongly linked to sustained masking/camouflaging.

• Loss of Identity: Constantly hiding or performing can lead to a disconnection from one's authentic self, sometimes described as feeling like an imposter.

• Delayed Diagnosis/Support: Effective masking/camouflaging, particularly in individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB), can hide autistic traits from clinicians, parents, and educators, leading to missed or delayed diagnosis and lack of appropriate support.

• Physical Health: Chronic stress from these efforts can impact physical well-being.

Conclusion: Beyond the Labels: So, are camouflaging and masking the same? While technically distinguishable in some academic frameworks, in practice, they represent a spectrum of related, overlapping strategies driven by the need to navigate a neurotypical world. Both involve immense effort and carry significant costs.

Instead of getting too caught up in the precise definition, the more critical conversation is about why these strategies are so prevalent. They highlight the societal pressure on autistic individuals to conform rather than be accepted for who they are.

As a society, fostering environments where autistic people feel safe and valued enough to be their authentic selves – reducing the need for constant, exhausting masking and camouflaging – is the goal. Understanding these concepts is the first step towards building that more inclusive and accepting world.