What is autistic masking, and why can autism go unnoticed?

Autistic masking, also called camouflaging, is the conscious or unconscious suppression of autistic behaviours in order to be seen as neurotypical. That means hiding things such as stimming, sensory reactions or special interests. It is described as a learned coping strategy in response to minority stress, and it can help someone avoid stigma, which is part of why autism can go unnoticed: if relevant symptoms are suppressed or compensated for, they may not be visible to a clinician.

People give reasons for masking that are easy to understand: social acceptance, the need to hold a job, and avoiding ostracism or abuse. Research also shows that masking is frequently reported as physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting, and it is linked with stress, anxiety and depression. One autistic person quoted in the research described keeping "a repertoire of roles", all of them "edited versions" of themselves.

Masking may conceal a person's need for support and can complicate a diagnosis. It has been hypothesised that masking helps explain why autistic women are less often recognised than men, an idea Lorna Wing proposed as early as 1981 and that the 2022 text revision of DSM-5 recognises. The idea is debated: critics call part of the reasoning circular, and gender studies of masking give inconsistent results.