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Autism And Masking How And Why People Do It And The Impact It Can Have

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Understanding Autistic Masking

What Is Masking: Foundational Definitions and Distinctions

Masking refers to using strategies—consciously or unconsciously—to hide Autistic differences or find workarounds for Autism-related difficulties. The term encompasses camouflaging and compensation as used interchangeably in research literature. Examples include forcing eye contact, suppressing stimming behaviors (repetitive body movements that are calming or expressive), controlling facial expressions, adopting personas to appear non-Autistic, and developing compensatory strategies to work around specific difficulties.

The historical roots of Masking documentation trace to Liane Holliday Willey’s 1999 book Pretending to be Normal, which described undiagnosed Autistic experiences of learning to hide differences through observation and practice. Identity-first language (“Autistic person”) is preferred by most Autistic people as it reflects Autism as a central part of identity rather than something separate.

Critical Distinction from Non-Autistic Behavior

Non-Autistic people also engage in “impression management” or “self-presentation,” adjusting behavior based on context (acting differently with grandparents versus close friends). However, key differences fundamentally distinguish Autistic Masking:

  • Effort level: Autistic Masking requires substantially more effort
  • Scope: performed in nearly every situation so the true self is rarely revealed
  • Control: Autistic people often don’t consciously control it or aren’t aware of it

Non-Autistic adjustment is typically deliberate, collaborative, involves shifting between self-versions for limited periods, and feels relatively authentic even when more formal. For Autistic people, everyone else appears to be on the same team while they’re left out without understanding why.

Types and Manifestations of Masking

Four Primary Types by Development Pattern

  1. Instinctive Masking operates as a fear/freeze response—when sensing threat or danger, the Autistic person instinctively hides distress, similar to survival responses in other animals
  2. Subconscious Masking develops from life history and trauma, becoming so internalized the person doesn’t consciously think about it, often triggered by past negative experiences (e.g., being reprimanded for stimming)
  3. Ingrained Masking is a learned response that has become an embedded default reaction—what was once conscious choice becomes automatic, like polite social niceties non-Autistic people also employ
  4. Conscious Masking involves actively recognizing a situation as unsafe for authenticity, deliberately selecting Masking strategies to survive the situation until escape is possible, then processing and reflecting before strategic withdrawal

Major Masking Categories

Suppressing Natural Behaviors

Stopping yourself from doing things that seem Autistic or different includes:

  • Suppressing stimming (though people often substitute “acceptable” stims like fidget toys)
  • Hiding sensory responses by pretending noises don’t bother them despite pain
  • Hiding needs for Support or adaptations (one student paid to photocopy notes rather than accepting visible assistant help)
  • Hiding autism diagnosis entirely

Creating and Performing Characters

Many Autistic people describe Masking as “putting on a character”—developing a persona of someone who isn’t Autistic, sometimes based on real people they admire or TV characters. These personas change by situation based on perceived social needs.

Examples:

  • Cultivating a “bubbly and vivacious” but “dim” character as a partner’s girlfriend
  • Alternating between being “the alpha male” instructor or suppressing reactions entirely with a “blank mask” of emotional neutrality
  • Replacing everything with a calm, quiet mask at school while being upset and angry at home

Compensating for Specific Difficulties

A major Masking category involves identifying specific difficulties and creating workarounds.

Eye contact is frequently targeted—many Autistic people find it hard, painful, or don’t do it naturally, yet force themselves to look people in the eye or simulate eye contact without actually doing it.

Facial expressions often differ from non-Autistic patterns (appearing more or less expressive), and Autistic people spend hours practicing to look “right,” consciously working to smile, nod, or change expressions regularly.

Body language is controlled—holding oneself in “appropriate” positions, mirroring the other person’s Body language, or learning culture-specific gestures.

Sounding Different

Autistic people mask by controlling how they sound and what they communicate through multiple mechanisms:

Using Autistic Strengths to Mask

Many leverage natural strengths:

  • Those with excellent memories learn and memorize information about social interactions to apply in specific contexts
  • Observation (a common Autistic strength) allows watching others interact and identifying behavioral components to practice and use
  • One contributor describes “matching responses to studied and memorized patterns of NT behaviour informed by reading about human psychology”

Mimicry

Copying other people’s behaviors, voices, characteristics, or interests—not to mock, but automatically like mirror reflection—typically responds to being seen as different. Autistic people observe who gets positive responses and mimic those people.

Mimicry can be focused (copying someone’s laugh) or encompass entire personas. For women, makeup itself becomes part of the mask—providing a boundary between unmasked (no makeup) and masked (professional) selves, helping enter a persona.

Measuring Masking: Research Methods

The Discrepancy Method

Measures the difference between internal Autistic experiences (how Autistic someone feels inside) and external behaviors (how Autistic they appear). Studies by Meng-Chuan Lai compared self-reported Autistic traits with doctor-identified Autistic behaviors, finding greater discrepancy correlates with more Masking.

Advantages:

  • Measures Masking people aren’t aware of
  • Can measure broad Masking across situations or specific behaviors

Limitations:

  • Depends on accurate measurement of “true Autism” (which has no biological marker)
  • Measures only successful Masking

Self-Report Method

Uses questionnaires like the CAT-Q, developed by Laura Hull. The CAT-Q shows good reliability, includes formally diagnosed and self-diagnosed Autistic people, and initial research suggests accuracy.

Advantages:

  • Allows people to describe individual experiences
  • Identifies which Masking behaviors they use

Limitations:

  • Requires awareness and ability to communicate about Masking
  • People with limited language or intellectual disabilities may not be able to describe their Masking

Who Masks and Individual Variation

Prevalence

Up to 94% of Autistic people in online surveys report Masking at some point, though surveys only reach people who can complete them online. Many more likely mask without awareness. However, some Autistic people don’t mask at all—either because they don’t feel the need, have deliberately chosen not to, or don’t know how.

Very little research exists on Masking in people with intellectual disabilities or high Support needs, who may mask differently or find certain needs harder to mask.

Gender Differences

Research shows no clear overall differences in whether males and females mask—most studies find no difference when asked if they mask at all. However, some studies find gender differences in how or how much people mask specific behaviors.

Some research suggests Autistic women self-report more Masking than men, though other studies find no difference. Studies comparing behavior found Autistic women and girls show behaviors more similar to non-Autistic women/girls despite similar Autistic trait levels to men/boys.

Limited research on non-binary and fluid-gender people suggests they mask at similar or higher levels than women and girls.

Critically, Autistic men still mask significantly and experience mental health consequences. If gender differences exist, they’re relatively small. Masculine social norms (sports interest, pub culture) can provide natural camouflage for Autism, though this creates pressure to mask non-conformist sexuality or lack of sexual interest.

Individual Variation Exceeds Group Patterns

Different people mask different amounts for various reasons:

  • Gender norms create different social expectations
  • Personality affects Masking—some are more influenced by negative responses and mask more when called “weird,” while others don’t care as much
  • Social motivation varies (research suggests Autistic girls are more socially motivated than boys, potentially driving more Masking)
  • Neuroticism and anxiety correlate with Masking (Autistic people with higher emotional volatility and perception of the world as unsafe report greater Masking)
  • Extroversion shows small positive association with Masking
  • Executive function matters (Autistic teenagers who mask more tend to have higher Executive function abilities suggesting Masking requires these abilities)
  • Emotional intelligence showed no association with Autistic Masking (unlike non-Autistic people)

Individual variation far exceeds group patterns—many girls don’t mask while many boys do, and group conclusions often fail to capture individual meaning.

When Masking Begins and Life Course

Early Onset

Evidence shows Autistic girls demonstrate “linguistic camouflaging” from age 5, using filler words (“um,” “uh”) like female peers despite being more linguistically unique than non-Autistic boys—suggesting early awareness of social expectations.

Autistic girls age 5-8 play beside other children, appearing to fit in but actually struggling to integrate. Most Autistic people report Masking began in childhood or adolescence when realizing they were different or being told by others they acted differently.

Some began with drama lessons, watching TV/films, or observing other children—then practiced extensively before trying masks with others.

Developmental Trajectory

Masking generally increases through adolescence into early adulthood with life complexity and economic pressures (working, paying rent). Some older Autistic adults report Masking less with age (“I just don’t give as much of a crap any more”), consistent with general aging patterns. Over-50s report fewer CAT-Q Masking behaviors than younger groups.

Menopause can increase Sensory sensitivities and Meltdowns, making masks harder to maintain.

Diagnosis as Transformation

Diagnosis is profoundly transformative—many Autistic people who receive Diagnosis in adulthood report no longer feeling pressure to mask once they have explanation for their differences. Diagnosis correlates with:

  • Increased comfort with Autism
  • Stronger Autistic community connection
  • Better mental health
  • Reduced Masking

This suggests reducing Masking requires both external acceptance and internal identity integration.

Non-Masking Experience: Tabitha’s Story

Tabitha, diagnosed at age 47, describes not Masking before Diagnosis despite being aware she was different. From childhood she was “anxious, obsessive, highly strung” yet “gifted.” She was a tomboy uninterested in dolls or what other girls did, so felt no need to develop an alternative persona.

She had intense interests and made friends by inviting others into her interests (Wombles club for picking up litter, cat photo club, climbing club), never copying others to fit in or hiding stims.

Secondary school transition and puberty triggered inability to cope—bullying by girls interested in fashion and makeup led to anorexia nervosa Diagnosis at age 11. She withdrew due to depression and feeling nothing in common with peers, so Masking seemed pointless.

She never attempted to mask even when lonely at university, didn’t mask at her first lectureship (except during teaching like “many lecturers do”), and only after Autism Diagnosis at 47 chose to learn and practice Masking some traits.

Since Diagnosis, she’s deliberately masked when needed for superficial Social communication, helping her explain Autism to people and make genuine friends. She emphasizes her Masking is not elaborate and she tells people about her Autism.

Her life is “infinitely better” with real friends who know her authentic self—demonstrating that some Autistic people can thrive without extensive Masking, particularly when they have choice about when to mask.

Understanding Masking Patterns to Address Them

Identify Your Masking Behaviors

The first practical step is recognizing which specific strategies you use to mask. Do you force facial expressions? Suppress stimming? Use prepared scripts? Mimic others?

Keep a journal noting:

  • Situations where you feel you’re Masking versus authentic
  • What specific behaviors shift
  • How you feel afterward

This awareness enables informed choice about whether to continue Masking or seek alternative approaches.

Assess the Cost-Benefit of Masking

For each Masking behavior, evaluate honestly:

  • What do I gain by Masking this (acceptance, safety, inclusion)?
  • What does it cost me (energy, authenticity, mental health)?
  • Are there situations where Masking is genuinely necessary for safety versus situations where I’ve internalized that I should mask?
  • Are there ways to meet the underlying need (e.g., acceptance) without extensive Masking?

Find or Create Safe Unmask Spaces

Mental health outcomes improve dramatically when Autistic people have spaces where they don’t need to mask. This might mean:

Even small unmask spaces (an hour weekly with understanding friends) significantly improve mental health.

Strategic, Chosen Masking

If you decide to mask in specific situations, do so strategically and consciously rather than automatically. Approach it like method acting: “I’m going to use these specific strategies for this event, then decompress afterward.”

Set a specific time limit (“I’ll maintain this mask during the meeting, then take a break”). Plan recovery time—know how you’ll decompress afterward. This transforms Masking from an exhausting default into a conscious choice with clear endpoints.

Modify Environments Rather Than Just Masking Harder

Before defaulting to “I’ll just mask more,” ask whether the environment could be modified to reduce Masking pressure.

Can you:

  • Work from home some days (reducing office politics Masking)?
  • Attend social events for shorter periods?
  • Explain your Sensory needs to family rather than pretending they don’t bother you?

Environmental modification often requires less energy than intensive Masking while achieving similar goals.

Developing Authentic Communication in Different Contexts

At Work

If you haven’t disclosed your Autism, consider the pros and cons of disability disclosure with your manager and HR. Disclosure enables:

  • Formal accommodations (quiet spaces, flexible communication, adjusted meeting structures)
  • Explains why you work differently

If you disclose, use clear language: “I’m Autistic. I communicate most clearly with written instructions and need email confirmation of meetings.” Get accommodations in writing.

If you can’t disclose (unsafe workplace), limit Masking to work-specific contexts:

  • Use email heavily
  • Take breaks in private spaces
  • Plan social events carefully rather than spontaneously

One-third of Autistic adults never disclose; this is a valid choice.

In Relationships

Tell romantic partners and close friends about your Autism early and explicitly. Explain what Masking means: “I struggle with eye contact and small talk, but I’m working on being more authentic with you rather than performing.”

Share what you need: “I need some time alone to decompress after social events.” Authentic communication requires vulnerability but builds real intimacy.

In Social Situations

Use scripting strategically. Prepare questions and conversation topics in advance, but recognize this as a tool rather than a failure. Practice with lower-stakes situations (casual friends, online communities) before high-stakes scenarios.

When you say something “wrong,” remember that most people are focused on themselves and won’t judge as harshly as you fear. If someone does judge, they’re revealing their poor character, not your deficiency.

With Family

If family continues to pressure Masking after your Diagnosis, set boundaries: “I’m not going to force eye contact anymore. I can show you I’m listening in other ways.”

Educate them about Autism and Masking’s mental health costs. If family remains unsupportive, limit contact or reduce Masking around them even if they disapprove—your mental health matters more than their comfort.

Building Skills for Specific Masking Challenges

Eye Contact

If eye contact is painful or difficult, you have multiple options:

  • Look at the person’s nose or between their eyes instead (appears similar to eye contact)
  • Look at their mouth
  • Alternate looking away and briefly looking at eyes
  • Explain that you listen better without eye contact and ask if they’ll believe you anyway

Most people accept these explanations once they understand. In professional settings, non-Autistic colleagues also break eye contact regularly; you’re not as obviously different as you fear.

Facial Expressions

Practice smiling in front of mirrors if you find it helpful, but recognize practice has diminishing returns. People often detect forced smiles because parts of genuine expressions can’t be consciously controlled.

Instead of forcing, try:

  • Thinking of something genuinely pleasant before an interaction to generate authentic expression
  • Using “resting interested face” (slight smile, raised eyebrows) that reads as engaged without requiring constant adjustment
  • Accepting that your face might not match the expected expression and that this doesn’t mean you don’t care

Stimming

Stimming (repetitive body movements) is calming and healthy; suppressing it increases anxiety and eventual Meltdowns. Instead of suppressing, substitute with “acceptable” stims:

  • Fidget toys
  • Hand movements at desk height
  • Leg movements under tables
  • Twirling hair or jewelry

Many non-Autistic people also fidget; you’re not as obviously different as internalized shame suggests. If someone comments, you can say “I focus better when I move” (usually true). In safe spaces, let yourself stim freely.

Conversation Management

Prepare conversation reminders:

  • “Listen for at least one minute after asking a question”
  • “Notice if the person looks bored and switch topics”
  • “Ask about them more than you talk about yourself”

Use notes in your phone to remind yourself before social events. However, recognize these aren’t failures of your character—they’re compensations for different conversational processing. Many non-Autistic people also use social rules they learned; you’re learning the same way.

Key Takeaways

1. Masking Is Widespread, Early-Onset, and Largely Invisible

Up to 94% of Autistic people report Masking at some point, with evidence appearing as early as age 5. Most Autistic people mask without conscious awareness, making it difficult to recognize the toll until experiencing burnout or mental health crisis.

Despite its prevalence and seeming necessity, recognizing Masking is the first step toward managing it consciously.

2. Masking Involves Effortful, Diverse Strategies Requiring Constant Cognitive and Physical Effort

While hiding stimming is common, Masking encompasses:

  • Creating alternative personas
  • Studying social behavior from observation or media
  • Copying speech patterns and laughs
  • Forcing eye contact and facial expressions
  • Developing conversation rules
  • Preparing scripts

These strategies are simultaneously conscious and unconscious, active and automatic, and even successful Masking depletes emotional and cognitive resources across the day.

3. Masking Has Severe, Measurable Mental Health Consequences

Research links Masking to increased anxiety, depression, and dramatically increased suicidal ideation. Masking undermines authenticity and creates feelings of inauthenticity, unacceptance, and lack of belonging—precisely the opposite of human psychological needs.

Importantly, Diagnosis is transformative: Autistic people who receive Diagnosis in adulthood often report dramatically reduced Masking pressure and improved mental health once they can explain their differences to others.

4. Diagnostic Bias Creates a Vicious Cycle Where Successful Masking Prevents Diagnosis and Support

Women, people of color, and Autistic adults are underdiagnosed because Diagnostic tools and clinician expectations are based on male, childhood presentations. Undiagnosed Autistic people can’t access Support or tell others “I’m Autistic,” so they mask more intensely, making Diagnosis even less likely.

Getting diagnosed enables self-advocacy and authentic communication with others who understand.

5. Autonomy Over Masking Is Essential to Mental Health; Forced Masking Causes Lasting Harm

Autistic people who choose when/whether to mask and understand why have better outcomes than those forced to mask through punishment-based Therapy, authoritarian parenting, or situations where Masking feels like survival.

Autonomy connects to learned helplessness research: control equals hope and proactive behavior; no control equals despair. Even well-intentioned interventions that force unmasking result in higher PTSD rates in Autistic adults.

6. Masking Serves as a Rational Survival Strategy Against Real, Measurable Harms

Autistic people don’t mask for vanity—they mask because they face higher rates of unemployment, homelessness, bullying, sexual victimization, and negative mental health outcomes.

Mental health challenges are common responses to chronic rejection; around 40% of Autistic adults meet criteria for clinical depression. Masking becomes a logical response to hostile environment, even though it causes burnout.

Understanding this reframes Masking from “irrational social anxiety” to rational risk management.

7. Intersectional Identities Compound Masking Burden and Reduce Diagnostic Access

Black Autistic people navigate both racial stereotypes and Autism stereotypes, face police harm during Meltdowns, and must manage code-switching (racial Masking) alongside Autistic Masking.

Women face gendered social expectations combined with Autism stereotypes. People from cultures without Autism concept face family pressure to hide Autism.

These populations face harder Diagnostic roads and must mask more intensely because of heightened social penalties for visible difference.

8. Masking Fundamentally Differs from Non-Autistic Code-Switching in Requiring Exhausting Continuous Effort

Non-Autistic people adjust presentation while maintaining authentic self with minimal effort; Autistic people experience Masking as complete character transformation requiring exhausting conscious effort with profound post-social recovery needs.

The conference example starkly illustrates this: Helen experiences weeks of preparation anxiety, physical symptoms during the talk (churning stomach, muscle tension, eye pain, shallow breathing, frozen facial expressions), and requires full recovery days afterward; Laura feels naturally more formal while remaining authentic and requires only normal tiredness recovery.

9. Burnout from Sustained Masking Requires Complete Withdrawal from Masking-Demanding Situations for Recovery

Unlike workplace burnout, autistic burnout from Masking is culturally unrecognized, making it harder to access Support and therefore recovery is prolonged.

Burnout is characterized by:

  • Chronic exhaustion
  • Loss of previously-held skills
  • Reduced Sensory tolerance

Recovery requires complete break from the main stressor and often takes years. The smartphone analogy captures it: “When you’re wearing one of your masks it’s similar to having all apps open on your smartphone—the battery drains much quicker.”

10. Masking Invisibly Enables Abuse and Exploitation

Because Masking makes Autistic people appear more capable than they are, predators underestimate vulnerability while victims appear less credible to authorities.

Autistic people report dramatically higher sexual assault rates (up to 80% of Autistic women versus 1 in 4 for general population). Victims are doubly victimized—first by perpetrators, then by justice systems that dismiss victims who don’t match stereotypical trauma responses.

Police often disbelieve victims who remain calm and detailed rather than crying and incoherent.

11. Identity Dissolution Is a Direct Consequence of Long-Term Intensive Masking

Years of Masking to fit in can result in not knowing who you authentically are—a “mish-mash” of mimicked others with no stable sense of self. This identity fragmentation becomes its own mental health problem requiring therapeutic work to reconstruct authentic identity.

Autistic people diagnosed in adulthood often describe having spent their entire adult life without knowing their own preferences or identity separate from learned social performances.

12. Mental Health Support Must Address Masking Specifically Rather Than Treating It as an Irrelevant Social Behavior

Different mental health problems require different interventions—someone depressed from Masking needs Support reducing Masking, not just antidepressants; someone struggling to form friendships might need Support either developing Masking strategies OR finding unmask-friendly communities.

Healthcare providers must understand Masking as a treatment variable, and Autistic people need specific therapeutic Support for unmasking trauma and identity reconstruction.

Critical Warnings & Important Notes

Mental Health Crisis Risk: Masking Is Correlated with Suicidal Ideation

Research by Sarah Cassidy and colleagues identified Masking as one of the strongest predictors of suicidal thoughts in Autistic adults. The proposed mechanism: Masking reduces feelings of reciprocity in social interactions, making Autistic people feel inauthentic and unaccepted, leading to loneliness and lack of belonging.

This is a clinical-level warning: if you’re Autistic and experiencing suicidal ideation, assess whether intensive Masking might be contributing and seek immediate Support. Mental health treatment should explicitly address Masking patterns, not just symptoms.

Trauma Response: Unmasking Can Feel Like Losing Your Mind

Autistic people who have masked for decades sometimes experience unmasking as destabilizing and traumatic. They don’t know who they are without the mask; unmasking can feel like losing identity entirely rather than finding it.

Additionally, revealing your Autistic traits after years of hiding them can trigger shame—watching yourself stim freely or stutter or make “weird” facial expressions feels exposing and generates acute anxiety.

This isn’t a sign you should keep Masking; it’s a sign you need trauma-informed support for unmasking.

Ptsd from Forced Masking: Interventions Have Lasting Consequences

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and other forced Masking interventions are associated with higher PTSD rates in Autistic adults. If you’re a parent considering behavioral interventions to make your Autistic child “appear less Autistic,” understand this may cause lasting trauma.

If you’re an Autistic adult who underwent such interventions, recognize your struggles with self-worth and sense of agency may be directly connected to this trauma. Healing requires explicit attention to these wounds, not just symptom management.

Diagnostic Bias Means Many Autistic People Will Never Get Diagnosed

While Diagnosis is transformative for many, not all Autistic people will access Diagnosis. Systemic barriers prevent Diagnosis in women, people of color, adults, people with intellectual disabilities, people with minimal language, and people in cultures without Autism concepts.

If you suspect you’re Autistic but can’t access Diagnosis, self-identification is valid. Autistic communities accept self-identified Autistic people, and self-Diagnosis combined with reading about Autism can provide significant self-understanding and mental health benefits even without formal Diagnosis.

However, formal Diagnosis provides legal protections and accommodations access that self-identification doesn’t, so the inability to access Diagnosis is itself a barrier to Support.

Justice System Failures: Autistic Victims Are Frequently Not Believed

Autistic people report dramatically higher sexual assault rates (up to 80% of Autistic women). When victims seek justice, they face systemic barriers: police often disbelieve victims who remain calm and detailed rather than crying or incoherent (Autistic trauma presentation often differs from expected presentations).

Autistic victims are often perceived as less credible because they have difficulty maintaining eye contact, may struggle with rapid question-answering, or may not show “normal” emotional affect.

Additionally, Masking’s invisibility means Autistic victims appear more capable than they are, and perpetrators exploit this by claiming victims “gave signals” or “seemed willing.”

Only 1 in 60 rape cases lead to charges in England and Wales; Autistic victims face even lower justice rates. This is a warning: if you’re Autistic and experiencing abuse, understand that the justice system is inadequate for Autistic victims and seek Support from disability-specific victim advocacy organizations rather than expecting standard victim Support to understand your needs.

Burnout Recovery Takes Years: There Is No Quick Fix

The only published research on Autistic burnout (Raymaker et al., 2020) found recovery requires complete withdrawal from the main stressor and often takes years. If you’re experiencing burnout from sustained Masking, understand that rest and medication alone may not be sufficient; you may need to make substantial life changes (changing jobs, relocating, restructuring relationships).

Burnout recovery is unpredictable and slow; some people recover capability over months while others require years. If you’re supporting someone in burnout, recognize that reducing demands and enabling unmasking are more important than “pushing through” or positive thinking.

Resources and Support

Professional Resources

  • Psychological Therapy for Autistic Adults (Stark et al., 2021) — Free guide on adapting cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Autistic adults, specifically addressing Masking in therapeutic contexts
  • Autism Education Trust — Provides resources for teachers at early years, primary, secondary, and post-16 levels
  • National Autistic Society — UK-based organization with resources, including YouTube channel with videos about Autism in school (“Autism: What I Wish My Teachers Knew”)

Training and Education

  • University of Bath FutureLearn Course: “Good Practice in Autism Education” — Free online course on Autism-informed educational practice
  • Training Courses: “Autistic Masking: The Basics & Beyond” (Kieran Rose & Jodie Smitten) and “Understand Autistic Masking” (Creative Education) — Specific training on Masking topics
  • Authentistic Research Collective — Research and resources focused on Autistic perspectives and experiences

Community Support

Crisis and Mental Health Support

If you’re experiencing mental health crisis or suicidal ideation related to Masking:

  • Contact local crisis services immediately
  • Seek therapists specifically experienced with Autistic clients
  • Look for Support groups that understand Masking and Neurodivergent experiences
  • Remember that Masking-related distress is valid and treatable with proper Support