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Camou aging Behaviours Used by Autistic Adults

During Everyday Social Interactions

Julia Cook� (  julia.cook.18@ucl.ac.uk )

University College London https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8984-6656

Laura Crane�

University College London

Laura Hull�

University College London

Laura Bourne�

University College London

William Mandy�

University College London

Research

Keywords: Autism , Camou aging, Masking, Social Behaviour

Posted Date: October 23rd, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-96362/v1

License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. �

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CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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Camouflaging Behaviours Used by Autistic Adults During Everyday Social Interactions

Julia Cook, Laura Crane, Laura Hull, Laura Bourne, William Mandy

University College London, UK

Author Note

Julia Cook https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8984-6656

Laura Crane https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4161-3490

Laura Hull https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8289-2158

William Mandy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3564-5808

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Julia Cook, Research

Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-

19 Torrington Place London WCIE 6BT, UK. Email: Julia.cook.18@ucl.ac.uk

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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Abstract

Background

Autistic people may modify their innate autistic social behaviours in order to adapt to,

cope within, and/or influence the predominately neurotypical social landscape. We term such

modified or changed behaviour “camouflaging behaviour.” Conceptualisations and

definitions of camouflaging behaviours are in their infancy. Existing qualitative research

examining camouflaging behaviours relies solely on retrospective accounts of camouflaging

experiences.

Methods

Using Interpersonal Process Recall methodology (Kegan, 1969), 17 autistic adults (8

women, 6 men, and 3 agender/gender neutral) participated in a brief social task designed to

replicate a common day-to-day social situation. Participants then watched a video of their

interaction with a researcher, actively identifying and describing camouflaging behaviours.

Interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Detailed descriptions of 37 camouflaging behaviours were generated. These

behaviours were grouped into four categories: masking (hide particular behaviours and/or

aspects of one’s identity); innocuous engagement (facilitate passive, conservative, and

superficial engagement in social interactions); neurotypical communication (involve

communicating in line with non-autistic norms and preferences); and active self-presentation

(facilitate active, open, and reciprocal participation in social interactions).

Limitations

Given the IPR methodology utilised in the study, the results may not generalise to all

social environments or autistic individuals.

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Conclusions

This study extends the current understanding of camouflaging by generating novel,

specific, and detailed information about camouflaging behaviours. These camouflaging

behaviours are discussed with reference to literature concerning interpersonal research and

theory within and outside the field of autism.

Keywords: Autism, Camouflaging, Masking, Social Behaviour

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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Camouflaging Behaviours Used by Autistic Adults During Everyday Social Interactions

During social interactions between autistic and non-autistic people, factors

contributing to communication, reciprocity, and rapport problems are both numerous and

complex (Double Empathy Problem; Milton, 2012). Autistic and non-autistic people differ in

their use of, for example, pragmatic language (e.g., de Villiers et al., 2007; Sng et al., 2020),

eye gaze (e.g. Papagiannopoulou, et al., 2014), facial expressivity (Faso et al., 2015), and

gesture (e.g., de Marchena & Eigsti, 2010). Just as autistic people have difficulties in

inferring non-autistic mental states, understanding non-autistic social communication, and

maintaining social reciprocity with non-autistic people (e.g., American Psychiatric

Association 2013; Baron-Cohen et al., 1997; Frith & Happ�, 1994), non-autistic people

likewise experience difficulties in inferring autistic mental states (Edey et al., 2016),

identifying autistic facial expressions (Sheppard et al., 2016), and effectively sharing

information and building rapport with autistic (compared to non-autistic) peers (Crompton et

al., 2020). Moreover, non-autistic people demonstrate an ingroup preference for their

interpersonal style; forming more negative judgments about and less positive behavioural

intentions towards individuals displaying autistic behaviours than individuals without autistic

behaviours (e.g., Campbell et al., 2004; Morison et al., 2019; Sasson et al., 2017; Sasson &

Morrison, 2019). Such issues likely contribute to poor functional and interpersonal outcomes

for autistic people in domains such as social participation and relationships (Billstedt et al.,

2011; Orsmond et al., 2013), employment (Howlin et al., 2004), and mental health (Lever &

Geurts, 2016).

An emerging line of research concerned with social coping examines ways in which

autistic people camouflage during neuro-diverse social interactions (e.g. Dean et al., 2017;

Hull et al., 2017; Lai et al., 2017; Schuck et al., 2019). Conceptualisations, definitions, and

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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measures of camouflaging are in their infancy. Here, we conceptualise camouflaging as the

dynamic process through which autistic individuals modify their innate autistic social

behaviour in order to adapt to, cope within, and/or influence the predominately neurotypical

social environment. Autistic people commonly encounter negative reactions to their personal

characteristics and behaviours during social interactions (e.g., Kinnear et al., 2016; Milton,

2012; Milton et al., 2018; Sasson et al., 2017; Sasson et al., 2019). As a result of such

reactions, some autistic people modify their innate or instinctive social behaviour (Hull et al.,

2017; Lawson, 2020; Livingston 2019b). In modifying their behaviour, autistic people likely

engage multiple cognitive functions involving monitoring the social environment, monitoring

of personal behaviours and social reasoning (or proxy social reasoning via non-social

cognitive routes; Livingston et al., 2019b). However, the extent to which an individual

consciously engages in a process of behaviour change or is even aware of behaviour change

may vary widely (Lawson, 2020). This modified social behaviour (i.e., camouflaging

behaviour) may hide autistic characteristics, minimise the visibility to social difficulties, or

signal neurotypical social competence (Hull et al., 2017).

Camouflaging is one means through which autistic people attempt to overcome social

challenges within neuro-diverse social interactions to secure employment and education,

develop friendships and romantic relationships, and even avoid harassment and victimisation

(Cage & Troxell-Whitman, 2019; Hull et al., 2017). Qualitative research about autistic

experience suggest that camouflaging positively influences the reactions and behaviours of

non-autistic people towards autistic people (e.g., Hull et al., 2017; Livingston et al., 2019b).

Yet the act of camouflaging is cognitively effortful and taxing; prone to breakdown under

increased social demands and complexity and/or psychological distress; and associated with

increased mental health difficulties (Beck et al., 2020; Cage & Troxel-William, 2019;

Cassidy et al., 2018; Lai et al., 2017; Livingston et al., 2019a, 2019b). Thus, in seeking to

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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improve the overall wellbeing of autistic people, it is important to understand the

mechanisms through which camouflaging may lead to disparate social, functional, and health

outcomes. Currently, very little is known about the extent to which camouflaging affects

neuro-diverse social interactions and, in turn, impacts social and functional outcomes for

autistic people.

The way in which an individual is perceived and treated by their social partner/s

during any given social interaction depends on a complex interplay of factors related to both

the individual and their social partner/s as well as the circumstances of the social interaction

(Cuddy et al., 2008; Morrison et al., 2019; Xie et al., 2019). Nevertheless, individuals

influence, and are influenced by, the behaviour of their social partner/s (De Jaegher, 2013;

Forgeot d’Arc & Soulieres, 2019). Research with non-autistic people suggests that distinct

subtypes of verbal and non-verbal behaviours function within specific interpersonal situations

to invite distinct interpersonal reactions and behaviours from others. For example,

experimental studies demonstrate that: individuals who disclose more personal information

during getting-to-know-you conversations are rated as more likeable (Sprecher et al., 2013);

individuals who ask more follow-up questions during speed dating situations are more likely

to elicit agreement for a second date (Huang et al., 2017); and individuals who smile less

during job interviews are rated as more suitable candidates for roles associated with a serious

demeanours (Ruben et al., 2015). In the case of camouflaging, a detailed description and

understanding of both camouflaging behaviour as well as the immediate interpersonal

consequences of such behaviours is required to delineate relationships between camouflaging

and various social and functional outcomes. The development of such an understanding is

impacted by the complex and nuanced nature of camouflaging and the associated challenges

this poses in using established methodological paradigms and psychological measures to

investigate it.

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One line of research, using an existing diagnostic observational measure, has

demonstrated that in clinical settings, some autistic individuals are rated as appearing less

autistic and more normatively socially skilled than would be expected given their autistic

traits and social cognition differences (i.e., Lai et al., 2017; Livingston et al, 2019a;

Rynkiewicz et al., 2016). However, this approach, based on an observational assessment

designed to measure the presence or absence of behaviours for the expressed purpose of an

autism diagnostic assessment, is limited in describing the full range of camouflaging

behaviours exhibited by autistic people in more naturalistic social environments. Other

observational based research has documented the camouflaging behaviour of autistic children

in school playgrounds, using both a structured observational assessment of social engagement

and qualitative observer descriptions (Dean et al., 2017). Whilst this approach goes further in

describing camouflaging behaviours in a more naturalistic setting, descriptions of behaviours

collected from a distance by neurotypical observers may be both imprecise and constrained

by neurotypical conceptualisations of social behaviour.

A further line of research, focused on investigating the phenomenology of

camouflaging, has identified and described components of the camouflaging process based

on autistic adults’ responses in qualitative questionnaires (Hull et al., 2017; Livingston et al.,

2019b). Based on this research, a self-report measure of camouflaging (Camouflaging

Autistic Traits Questionnaire; Hull et al., 2019) and a checklist of compensation strategies

(Compensation Checklist; Livingston et al., 2020) have been created. This approach, based

on the real-life experiences of autistic people, promotes the development of an ecologically

valid description of camouflaging that is not unduly biased by the preconceptions of

researchers and clinicians. However, given camouflaging behaviours as well as the social

interactions in which these behaviours occur are often numerous and complex, it may be

difficult for participants to retrospectively free-recall all their camouflaging behaviours.

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Further, camouflaging behaviours that are more immediately accessible in participants

memories may be selectively reported over less accessible behaviours, particularly those that

are pre-verbal or not-verbalised (Larsen et al., 2008; Omodei et al., 2005). Overall, given

these methodological limitations, we suggest further investigation is required to develop a

detailed description and understanding of camouflaging behaviour.

The Current Study

The aim of the current study was to identify and describe camouflaging behaviours

exhibited by autistic adults during everyday social interactions through the use of

Interpersonal Process Recall methodology (IPR: Kegan, 1969). Specifically, participants took

part in a short, quasi-everyday social interaction with a stranger and then completed a semi-

structured interview whilst viewing the audio-visual recording of their earlier social

interaction. During the interview, participants actively identified and described instances of

camouflaging.

Whilst new to the field of autism, IPR methodology has been used in psychotherapy,

education, and health research to systematically investigate interpersonal interactions and

processes (e.g., Bartz, 1999; Burgess et al., 2013; Larsen et al., 2008; Marsh, 1983). IPR is

designed to address limitations associated with qualitative research retrospectively exploring

individuals’ experiences of interpersonal interactions weeks, months, or years after they have

occurred (Larsen et al., 2008). In the case of camouflaging, interviewing participants

immediately after a camouflaging experience may allow participants to easily and vividly

recall camouflaging behaviours. The use of video during the interview may also cue

participants to recall camouflaging behaviour that wouldn’t otherwise be recalled unassisted

(Omodei & McLennan, 1994; Omodei et al., 2005). Finally, the slow pace of the IPR

interview may allow participants more time to recall and verbalise nuanced, complex, or

infrequent camouflaging behaviours. Through the novel use of IPR methodology, we aim to

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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identify and describe camouflaging behaviours not previously reported in existing

camouflaging research.

Methods

Participants and Recruitment

Participants were 17 autistic adults recruited via social media and through London-

based autism support groups. Inclusion criteria were (1) aged over 18 years; (2) formally

diagnosed with autism by an appropriate health care professional and/or multidisciplinary

team; (3) without an intellectual disability (i.e., having an estimated IQ at/above 70) and (4)

engaged in camouflaging (i.e., self-identifying as ‘engaging in camouflaging in their

everyday lives’ and having a score of 100 or above on the Camouflaging Autistic Traits

Questionnaire [CAT-Q]; Hull et al., 2019). Five additional autistic adults enrolled in the

study however their incomplete data were not analysed; one did not meet eligibility criteria,

one withdrew before attending the lab, and three attended the lab but did not complete the full

experimental procedure. Demographic characteristics of included participants are in Table 1.

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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Table 1

Participant Characteristics

Women

Men

Agender/gender-

neutral

N

8

6

3

Age (mean years)

39.88 (11.46) 54.67 (5.72)

36.67 (11.37)

Age range

27-58

47-63

24-46

Age at diagnosis (mean years)

37.25 (10.69) 52.17 (6.10)

32.67 (12.86)

IQ

111.75 (3.92) 112.33 (6.50)

114.67 (2.10)

AQ

43.63 (2.33)

34.17 (5.81)

40.33 (5.69)

CAT-Q

138 (21.13)

121 (11.63)

141.67 (8.51)

Ethnicity

White British

4 (50%)

6 (100%)

2 (66.6%)

White other

2 (25%)

-

1 (33.3%)

Mixed (other mixed background) 1 (12.5%)

-

-

Hispanic

1 (12.5%)

-

-

Highest Level of Education Achieved

PhD

-

-

1(33%)

Master’s degree

4 (50%)

2 (33%)

1(33%)

Bachelor’s degree

4 (50%)

3 (50%)

1 (33%)

A-levels (16-18 years)

-

1 (17%)

-

Current day activity

(categories not mutually exclusive)

Working full-time

3 (38%)

3 (50%)

-

Working part-time

4 (50%)

1 (16.6%)

2 (66.6%)

Voluntary employment

1(12.5%)

-

1 (33.3%)

Caring duties

-

1 (17%)

-

Student

2 (25%)

1 (17%)

1(33.3%)

Unknown

-

1(17%)

-

Current living circumstances

Lives independently

8 (100%)

6 (100%)

3 (100%)

Note. Percentage may not sum 100% because of rounding. Mixed Other = mixed ethnicity

other than Asian and White or Black and White; White Other = White ethnicity other than

White British or Irish.

Procedure

Ethical approval was obtained from the University College London Research Ethics

Committee. Interested individuals were provided with information sheets and given the

opportunity to discuss the study with the experimenter (JC). Participants then provided their

informed written consent and completed a demographic questionnaire, as well as self-report

measures of autistic traits (Autism Quotient; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) and camouflaging

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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(Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire; Hull et al., 2019) online. Eligible participants

were then invited to attend the laboratory to complete the testing session.

During the approximately 90-minute testing session, participants completed a brief

measure of intellectual ability (Test of Premorbid Functioning- UK Version; Wechsler, 2009)

and, where possible (in 16 cases), provided written confirmation of their autism diagnosis.

Participants additionally completed a ten-minute controlled social task comprising an

introductory conversation with a stranger (modelled on the “Getting Acquainted” social task;

Inderbitzen-Nolan et al., 2007; Plasencia et al., 2011; Taylor & Alden, 2010). They then

completed a semi-structured IPR interview whilst viewing an audio-visual recording of their

earlier social task. During the interview, participants were asked to stop the video each time

they observed themselves engaging in camouflaging or thinking about engaging in

camouflaging. When necessary, the experimenter asked the participant clarifying questions

to clearly establish observable instances of camouflaging (i.e. descriptions of behaviours

exhibited, altered, or avoided by participants). Following the participant’s lead, the

experimenter then asked the participant follow-up questions about their internal (e.g. their

thoughts, emotions, and motivations) and past experiences (e.g. how the participant learnt the

behaviour) related to their behaviour. As a result, participants spontaneously identified

additional examples of camouflaging strategies they used in other everyday social

interactions.

Analysis

Qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts was conducted (Elo & Kyng�s,

2008; Graneheim & Landman, 2007). Content analysis was chosen because it is considered to

be a systematic means of describing and quantifying phenomena for the purposes of building

a model or conceptual system/map (Krippendorff, 1980). Qualitative content analysis has

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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been utilized in previous research to identify, describe, and categorise behaviours

documented in various data (e.g., H�man et al., 2017; Paxling et al., 2013).

Qualitative content analysis was conducted following the approach described by

Graneheim and Landman (2007). Analysis focused on identifying manifest (i.e. surface level)

meanings in the data following an inductive approach (Elo & Kyng�s, 2008; Kondracki et al.,

2002). The interview transcripts were read several times by JC. All descriptions of observable

camouflaging behaviours (i.e., camouflaging behaviours participants reported engaging in

during the social task and/or during other social interactions) were considered meaning units.

If a behaviour was described multiple times within a single interview transcript, these

descriptions were conjoined into a single meaning unit. JC conducted an initial coding of the

interview transcripts by abstracting meaning units and labelling each with a code, reviewing

and refining codes then conducting a second coding of the interview transcripts. To ensure

credibility, these codes were checked and evaluated by LH who conducted an independent

coding of the interview transcripts. Both coders agreed on the final codes and code

frequencies. Codes were then compared on the basis of similarities and differences and

grouped into subcategories and categories. All authors reviewed and agreed upon the final

subcategories and categories.

Note: a thematic analysis was also conducted to detail processes underlying these

outward camouflaging behaviours and to capture the experience of camouflaging in autistic

individuals during everyday social situations. These results are reported elsewhere (see Cook

et al., under review).

Results

Descriptions of behaviours exhibited, altered, or avoided by participants whilst camouflaging

were categorised into 37 codes. As detailed in Figure 1, and described next, these codes were

further clustered in to four main categories and seven subcategories: (1) masking; (2)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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innocuous engagement (including passive encouragement, centering social partner,

deferential engagement and reduce social risk); (3) modelling neurotypical communication;

and (4) active self-presentation (including reciprocal social behaviours, risky social

behaviours, and comfortable and familiar social behaviours). Descriptions of camouflaging

categories, along with the number of participants who referenced each code (i.e.

camouflaging behaviour) at least once, are provided in Table 2. Example quotes for each

code are provided in the Supplementary Materials.

Figure 1

Camouflaging Behaviour Categories and Subcategories

Category 1: Masking

Participants reported concealing information about their personal characteristics or

circumstances and/or supressing their innate/autistic behaviours. Participants most frequently

reported avoiding or limiting personal disclosures (64.7%); avoiding or supressing autistic or

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

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otherwise atypical hand/arm movements (47.2%); and avoiding sharing factual, detailed, or

precise information (41.2%). Some participants also described: reducing body movements

(17.7); specifically choosing not to disclose their autism diagnosis or speak about autism

(11.9%); or changing their appearance (5.9%).

Category 2: Innocuous Engagement

Participants described using passive, conservative, and/or superficial social

behaviours. Many spoke of using relatively passive verbal and non-verbal social behaviours

including eye contact (64.7%), mirroring (47.2%), smiling (35.3%), minimal verbal

encouragers (29.4%), and laughing (17.6%). Most participants also centred their social

partner during interactions by guiding discussion to, or maintaining discussion on, topics

related to their social partner (53%) or alternatively allowing their social partner to guide the

conversation (23.5%). Some participants reported engaging with their social partner in a

deferential manner by apologising or providing excuses for their perceived social errors or

poor social performance (23.5%); seeking approval, permission, or validation (22.2%); or

avoiding confrontation/complaints or being cooperative/respectful/agreeable (11.8%).

Participants described avoiding social behaviours or conversational topics involving social

risk. Some avoided or limited their use of honest or direct statements (23.5%). Some tried to

avoid the appearance of being knowledgeable or certain about specific topics or information

(11.8%). One participant also avoided using humour (5.9%). Some participants reported

keeping conversation at a superficial level by discussing traditional “small talk” topics

(35.3%) whilst others avoided potentially controversial topics (11.8%) and/or more intimate

topics related to others’ personal or private lives (23.5%).

Category 3: Modelling Neurotypical Communication

Participants spoke of using communication behaviours in line with neurotypical

norms and preferences. Many participants reported altering their communication to appear

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

15

more neurotypical including altering use of their gestures (70.6%), body language (42.2%),

facial expressions (29.4%), or tone of voice (23.5%). Many participants ensured their verbal

communication was clear by rephrasing or slowing their speech, purposefully wording

comments, or providing clarifying comments (42.2%).

Category 4: Active Self-Presentation

Active Self-Presentation encompasses reciprocal, open, and well-practiced social

behaviours. Participants described using reciprocal social behaviours involving asking

questions (82.4%); commenting and providing elaborating information (64.7%); establishing

and discussing points of similarity (64.7%); keeping a balance between talking and listening

(52.9%); and sharing factual information (41.2%). Some participants used more risky social

behaviours involving using jokes and/or humorous anecdotes (29.4%), disclosing personal

information (23.5%), and discussing weaknesses (11.8%). Most participants also chose

conversation topics that they were comfortable discussing or knowledgeable about (70.6%),

as well as pre-planned or practiced phrases, comments, questions, or anecdotes (52.9%).

[Insert Table 2 here]

Discussion

Some autistic people modify their innate autistic social behaviour in order to adapt to, cope

within and/or influence the predominately neurotypical social environment. In modifying

their behaviour, autistic people may engage multiple cognitive functions involving

monitoring the social environment, monitoring of personal behaviours (Cook et al., under

review), and social reasoning (or proxy social reasoning via non-social cognitive routes;

Livingston et al., 2019b). However, the extent to which an autistic individual consciously

engages in a process of behaviour change or is even aware of behaviour change may vary

widely (Lawson, 2020).

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

16

In the current study, we term such changed or modified social behaviour

“camouflaging behaviour.” With the assistance of video-cued recall, participants identified

and described instances of themselves exhibiting camouflaging behaviours during a specific

quasi-everyday social situation. Participants then spontaneously described additional

examples of camouflaging behaviours they used in other everyday social interactions.

Through this novel use of IPR methodology we report detailed and specific descriptions of

everyday camouflaging behaviours that are unconstrained by neurotypical conceptualisations

of social behaviour. We also address limitations of previous qualitative research

retrospectively exploring autistic people’s experiences of camouflaging, days, weeks,

months, or even years after such experiences have occurred (Bargiela et al., 2016; Hull et al.,

2017; Livingston et al., 2019). Consequently, many of the precise and detailed descriptions of

camouflaging behaviours reported in the current study have not previously been documented

in camouflaging research.

Camouflaging behaviours identified by participants were grouped into four categories

based on the manner in which they operated within interactions: masking (hide particular

behaviours and/or aspects of one’s identity); innocuous engagement (facilitate passive,

conservative, and superficial engagement in social interactions); neurotypical communication

(involve communicating in line with non-autistic norms and preferences); and active self-

presentation (facilitate active, open, and reciprocal participation in social interactions). Next,

we examine each of these four categories of behaviours with reference to both existing

camouflaging research as well as broader literature on interpersonal behaviour.

Masking

Masking involves concealing information about personal characteristics or

circumstances and/or supressing one’s innate/autistic behaviours. Aspects of masking

behaviours identified by participants are similar to masking strategies reported in prior

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

17

camouflaging research. Specifically, camouflaging behaviours involving altering or reducing

hand, arm, and body movements (i.e. stimming, fidgeting, rocking) reported by our

participants may be related to masking strategies involving supressing “atypical behaviours”

on the Compensation Checklist (Livingston et al., 2020) and relaxing the face and body on

the CAT-Q (Hull et al., 2019). Similarly, the camouflaging behaviour involving altering

one’s physical appearance identified by one participant is similar to the masking strategy

involving “superficial assimilation” on the Compensation Checklist (Livingston et al., 2020).

However, other masking behaviours involving avoiding or limiting talking about oneself or

disclosing personal information generally; discussing autism or one’s autism diagnosis; and

sharing factual, detailed, or precise information were newly described in the current study.

People with concealable stigmatised identities, that is people who bear a stigmatised

characteristic that is not visible unless revealed (e.g. a mental illness diagnosis or minority

sexual orientation) may minimise or prevent prejudice and discrimination by concealing

personal information related to their stigmatised characteristic (Goffman, 1963; Jones et al.,

1984). In the case of autism, stigma may be more associated with autistic interpersonal

behaviours than a concealable autism identity or label (Perry et al., preprint). As such,

suppressing autistic behaviours such as hand flapping or body rocking during social

interactions could be understood within a stigma framework, as an attempt to minimise or

prevent prejudice and discrimination.

Hiding personal information about oneself during a social interaction may, equally,

have negative interpersonal and intrapersonal consequences. Experimental research

demonstrates that hiding (versus revealing) information about a stigmatised characteristic

during an interaction is associated with reduced non-stigma-related self-disclosure and, in

turn, external observers rate individuals and their interactions less positively (Newheiser &

Barreto, 2014). Moreover, for the stigmatised individual, actively concealing stigma related

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

18

information is associated with decreased cognitive resources (Critcher & Ferguson, 2014;

Smart & Wegner, 1999), decreased feelings of belonging and authenticity (Newheiser &

Barreto, 2014), and increased emotional strain (Barreto et al., 2006).

Research in the field of social anxiety similarly demonstrates the negative intra and

interpersonal consequences associated with hiding aspects of the self during social

interactions. Socially anxious individuals attempt to prevent feared negative evaluations or

social outcomes by engaging in “safety behaviours” (Rapee & Heimberg, 1997). Some of

these safety behaviours involve hiding aspects of the self through, for example: avoiding

talking about oneself, asking questions, or talking altogether; censoring one’s speech; trying

not to attract attention; or keeping still (Gray et al., 2019; Hirsch et al., 2004; Plasencia et al.,

2011). Experimental research suggests conversational partners and independent observers

rate individuals engaging in hiding behaviours as more anxious, less likeable, less enjoyable

to interact with, and less desirable as a future social partner compared to controls (Gray et al.,

2019; Plasencia et al., 2011). In terms of intra-personal costs, use of safety behaviours

including hiding/avoidance behaviours is also associated with increased anxiety and belief in

social fears, as well as poorer self-reported perception of social performance (McManus et

al., 2008).

Innocuous Engagement

Innocuous engagement behaviours (encompassing passive encouragement, centring

social partner, deferential engagement, and reduce social risks) are conservative, passive, and

superficial social behaviours. These behaviours facilitate surface level engagement in social

interactions and centre autistic people’s social partners by prioritising their enjoyment,

comfort, and preferences. At the same time, these behaviours minimise the likelihood of

controversy, disagreement, and negative evaluation. Aspects of passive encouragement and

centring social partner behaviours described by participants are reflected in masking and

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

19

shallow compensation strategies in the Compensation Checklist (Livingston et al., 2020) as

well as masking and compensation strategies in the CAT-Q (Hull et al., 2019). However, the

specific passive encouragement behaviours involving using laughter and minimal

encouragers are newly identified by participants in the current study. Similarly, most

camouflaging behaviours involving deferential engagement (i.e., justifying, apologising, and

seeking permission) and minimising social risks (i.e., avoiding controversy, direct

communication, discussing others’ personal lives, humour etc.), reported by participants in

the current study, have not previously been reported within camouflaging research.

Innocuous engagement behaviours are conceptually similar to another category of

safety behaviours used by socially anxious individuals involving “innocuous sociability”

(Leary, 1995; Schlenker & Leary, 1982). Innocuous sociability involves a self-protective

interpersonal style characterised by safe and innocuous social behaviours (e.g., engaging in

more smiling, nodding, and minimal verbal acknowledgements; asking more questions;

avoiding interrupting others; and making less factual statements; Leary & Jongman-Sereno,

2014; Leary & Kowalski, 1995a; Leary, Knight, & Johnson, 1987; Patterson & Ritts 1997).

These behaviours serve to keep an individual engaged in an interaction whilst simultaneously

shifting focus away from them and minimising risks to their image. It is suggested that in the

case of social anxiety, this interpersonal style may protect an individual from blatant negative

evaluation but at the same time is unlikely to result in a particularly positive social

impression.

Innocuous engagement involving excessive accommodation of others’ enjoyment,

comfort, and preferences may, however, be associated with harmful interpersonal

consequences. In the non-autistic population, unassertive and submissive interpersonal

behaviours are consistently linked to negative outcomes across the lifespan, including

increased social isolation (Rubin & Burgess, 2001), workplace bullying (e.g., Zapf &

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

20

Einarsen, 2003), and sexual assault (Ullman, 2007). This potential link is of significant

concern given that autistic people report high levels of bullying and victimisation (Weiss &

Fardella, 2018).

Modelling Neurotypical Communication

Modelling neurotypical communication behaviours identified by participants involved

altering verbal and non-verbal communication so as to conform with neurotypical

conventions and preferences. Similar examples of autistic people copying or mimicking the

verbal and non-verbal communication behaviours of neurotypical others are found

throughout camouflaging literature (e.g., Hull et al., 2019; Livingston et al., 2019b;

Rynkiewicz et al., 2016).

As is to be expected, reports of neurotypical people altering their communication

behaviours to appear more neurotypical do not appear in broader literature on interpersonal

behaviour. However, in general using the normative expressions of the culture, subculture, or

family one is interacting with likely improves clarity and ease in communication

(Halberstadt, 2001). Given the difficulties non-autistic people experience identifying and

understanding autistic social communication, autistic people using more neurotypical

communication behaviours may be more readily understood during everyday social

encounters (Jaswal & Akhtar, 2019; Sheppard et al., 2016). Likewise, as non-autistic people

often perceive neurotypical social communication behaviour as communicating social

motivation, they may engage more with autistic people exhibiting such behaviour (Jaswal &

Akhtar, 2019).

Active Self-Presentation

The active self-presentation behaviours (including reciprocal, risky, and comfortable

and familiar social behaviours) described by participants appear to more directly influence

interpersonal elements of social interactions compared to other camouflaging behaviours.

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

21

Reciprocal behaviours initiate, build, and maintain interpersonal exchanges within

interactions. Reciprocity is further facilitated by the use of accessible, comfortable, pre-

planned or practiced phrases, questions, anecdotes, or conversational topics as well as

humour and exchange of personal information.

The comfortable and familiar social behaviours reported by participants appear to be

related to shallow compensation strategies in the Compensation Checklist (Livingston et al.,

2020) and compensation strategies in the CAT-Q (Hull et al., 2019). However, behaviours

described by participants involving reciprocal, authentic, and open engagement (e.g.,

maintaining and building conversation; finding and discussing points of commonality;

disclosing personal information; using humour etc.) represent sophisticated and potentially

beneficial means of influencing neuro-diverse social interactions, not previously described

within camouflaging research.

Considerable research suggests perceived similarity with a social partner in terms of,

for example, attitudes, personality traits, and hobbies, is strongly associated with increased

feelings of liking and/or attraction for that social partner (e.g., Hampton et al., 2019; Montoya

et al., 2008). For non-autistic people, self-disclosure appears to facilitate perceived similarity

(Collins & Miller, 1994; Laurenceau et al., 1998; Sprecher, 2014). In the case of

camouflaging, autistic people’s attempts to adapt their interpersonal style by concealing

autistic behaviours, engaging in neurotypical social niceties, and exhibiting non-autistic

social communication (i.e., masking, innocuous engagement, and neurotypical

communication behaviours) may signal a level of similarity to non-autistic social partners.

However, active self-presentation behaviours involving disclosing personal information, as

well as actively searching for and exploring commonalities, are likely more effective in

establishing similarities with non-autistic social partners.

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

22

For non-autistic people, responsiveness to others’ disclosures during an interaction is

also associated with positive perceptions and social relatedness (Butler et al., 2003; Forest &

Wood, 2011). As such, active self-presentation camouflaging behaviours focused on

maintaining reciprocity during an interaction may also foster positive reactions and

behaviours from non-autistic social partners. At the same time, compared to other

camouflaging behaviours, active self-presentation behaviours involving disclosing personal

information, responding to others, sharing opinions, and using humour involve an element of

social risk. Thus, if unsuccessfully deployed, they may increase the likelihood of negative

evaluation.

Consequences of Distinct Camouflaging Behaviour Subtypes

Whilst the above discussion suggests distinct subtypes of camouflaging behaviours

may differentially facilitate interpersonal and intra-personal outcomes, a number of caveats

must be considered. The effect of camouflaging behaviours on interpersonal outcomes,

whether beneficial or harmful, is dependent on the manner in which these behaviours are

implemented. Social cognition differences in autism likely result in qualitative differences in

the camouflaging behaviours of autistic people compared to the social behaviours of non-

autistic people. Equally, the manner in which autistic people employ specific camouflaging

behaviours during social interactions is likely to vary widely in accordance with differences

in gender, age, social experiences, and various cognitive abilities. Although we highlight

potential interpersonal advantages of particular camouflaging behaviours, there is not yet

enough evidence to suggest that such camouflaging behaviours should be universally

encouraged. The intra-personal consequences of camouflaging behaviours and neurotypical

social behaviours may be dissimilar, due to differences in the origins and functions of these

behaviours as well as the cognitive skills that produce them. Thus, further experimental

research is now required to better delineate the in-situ influence of distinct camouflaging

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

23

behaviours in relation to both non-autistic people’s evaluation and treatment of autistic

people as well as autistic people’s cognitive resources and psychological distress.

Self-Presentation, Camouflaging, and Neurotypical Social Behaviour

Our findings suggest some autistic people may exhibit camouflaging behaviours

which are similar, or perhaps identical to, behaviours shown by non-autistic people with

stigmatised identities and social anxiety. Self-presentation explanations of interpersonal

behaviour may provide a framework through which to understanding such findings. Self-

presentation approaches posit that people are generally motivated to make desirable social

impressions and avoid undesirable social impressions because they are rewarded, via the

positive reactions and treatment of others, for doing so (Goffman, 1963; Leary, 1995). In

promoting a desirable social impression, people (1) exhibit behaviours they believe will lead

others to perceive them in a desirable manner; (2) monitor others’ reactions to these

behaviours; and (3) strategically adjust their behaviour when they believe others are

perceiving them in an undesirable manner (Leary, 1995). People experience anxiety when

they are motivated to make a desirable social impression, but they doubt their ability to do so

(Leary & Kowalski, 1995a; Leary & Kowalski, 1995b; Schlenker & Leary, 1982). Further,

people who believe others consistently form undesirable impressions of them develop and

utilise repertoires of interpersonal behaviours to minimise the impact of perceived threats to

achieving desirable social impressions. People with stigmatised identities who believe others

form undesirable impressions of them because they possess a particular stigmatised

characteristic may develop similar repertoires of self-presentational behaviours to minimise

the impact of their stigmatised characteristic on others' perceptions of them (Miller & Kaiser,

2006). Socially anxious people who perceive that others form undesirable impressions of

them may similarly utilise specific self-presentational behaviours to protect or enhance their

social impression (Leary & Jongman-Sereno, 2014). There are both individual differences

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

24

and group level similarities in these repertoires of interpersonal behaviours. Through this

framework, camouflaging could be conceptualised as a repertoire of self-presentational

behaviours used by autistic people to achieve a desirable social image and promote positive

reactions from others.

According to the self-presentation framework, autistic and stigmatised people (as well

as those with social anxiety disorder) will commonly experience anxiety when they are

motivated to make a desirable social impression in a particular interaction, but they doubt

they will successfully be able to do so (Leary & Jongman-Sereno, 2014). Autistic and other

stigmatised people who believe they can successfully reduce threats to achieving a desirable

social impression by using a repertoire of self-presentational behaviours will experience less

anxiety compared to those who use similar behaviours yet remain uncertain or doubtful.

Self-presentation approaches further suggest that whilst the specific type of desirable

social impression an individual is motivated to convey can vary, such motivations are heavily

influenced by social context. People generally wish to make common types of desirable

impressions (e.g., as friendly, competent, ethical, attractive etc.) and avoid other common

types of undesirable impressions (e.g., as unfriendly, incompetent, unethical, unattractive

etc.; Leary, 1995). In this regard, autistic and non-autistic people existing within a

predominately neurotypical social context are likely motivated to make similar neurotypical

desirable impressions and avoid similar neurotypical undesirable impressions because they

are similarly rewarded by the reactions and treatment of others for doing so. Thus, a degree

of overlap is to be expected in the type of self-presentation behaviours utilised by autistic and

non-autistic people in achieving desirable impressions and avoiding undesirable impressions.

At the same time, some camouflaging behaviours are unique to autism because they minimise

autism specific threats to creating a desirable impression (e.g., hand flapping may represent

an autism specific threat to being perceived as competent). Similarly, the cognitive processes

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

25

used by autistic and non-autistic people to produce similar self-presentation behaviours may

vary, for example, non-autistic people may utilise social reasoning whilst autistic people may

utilise proxy social reasoning via non-social cognitive routes (Livingston et al., 2019b).

Further, some camouflaging behaviours are unique to individuals because they minimise

more individualistic threats to creating a desirable impression (i.e., they are developed in

response to idiosyncratic social experiences, reasoning, or beliefs) or they represent

individualistic solutions to minimising common group level threats.

Diversity in Camouflaging Strategies

In line with previous camouflaging research, our findings suggest autistic people

utilise a diverse range of behaviours to adapt to and cope within the predominately

neurotypical social environment (e.g., Hull et al., 2017; Livingston et al., 2019b). These

behaviours vary on many dimensions, particularly in terms of openness, engagement, and

sophistication. At one end of the continuum, masking behaviours may represent a rather

protective, reserved, and superficial means of coping within social interactions. At the other

end of this continuum, active self-presentation behaviours involve an open, active, and

sophisticated means of adapting to and engaging in social interactions. The large number of,

and diversity in, camouflaging behaviours and strategies reported here and elsewhere within

the literature reflects heterogeneity in individuals’ social environments, social experiences,

and autism characteristics, as well as the idiosyncratic and individualistic manner in which

camouflaging skills are developed and utilised.

Camouflaging is most often conceptualised as a means of coping or “succeeding” in

social interactions by hiding and/or compensating for autistic characteristics (e.g., Hull et al,

2017, 2019, 2020). However, our findings suggest some autistic people also utilise autistic

strengths (i.e., sharing factual information) as well as authentic and open behaviours (i.e.,

disclosing personal information, discussing points of commonality, and using humour) to

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

26

cope within neuro-diverse social interactions. These authentic, open, and strength based

coping strategies may promote more beneficial mental health and wellbeing outcomes for

autistic people compared to ‘true’ camouflaging strategies. As such it is important for future

research to examine a wider range of social behaviours in investigations of social coping in

autism.

Strengths and Limitations

Conceptualisations, definitions, and measures of camouflaging are in their infancy.

This study extends the current understanding of camouflaging by generating novel, specific,

and detailed information about camouflaging behaviours. However, it is important to

acknowledge that, given the methodology utilised in the study, the results may not generalise

to all social environments or autistic individuals. The current study focused on camouflaging

behaviours used by autistic adults in everyday social encounters, autistic adults likely vary

their camouflaging behaviours in line with their immediate social context. Equally, IPR

interviews explore conscious experience and thus cannot identify camouflaging behaviours

operating outside of conscious awareness. Further, IPR is only suitable for use with verbally

fluent individuals who have a relatively high level of insight into their camouflaging

behaviours. Thus, the camouflaging behaviours reported in the current study may not be

representative of the camouflaging behaviours utilised by less verbally fluent individuals or

those with an intellectual disability whom may also camouflage but in potentially different

ways.

Conclusions

The current study identifies and describes camouflaging behaviours used by a sample

of autistic adults in everyday social interactions. Participants’ descriptions of camouflaging

behaviours suggest some camouflaging behaviours may be common to both autistic and non-

autistic socialising whilst others are unique to autistic socialising. Camouflaging-type

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

27

behaviours may be similarly used by autistic and non-autistic people to make desired social

impressions and elicit positive reactions and treatment from others. For non-autistic people

distinct subtypes of interpersonal behaviours are associated with different interpersonal and

intra-personal consequences. Future research is needed to examine if distinct camouflaging

behaviours may facilitate disparate social, functional, and mental health outcomes for autistic

people.

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

28

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants for their time and insights. We would also like to

thank Tony Attwood for his advice in conceptualising the study.

Funding

Julia Cook is funded by a doctoral scholarship from University College London.

Author Contributions

JC, WM, and LC were responsible for the conception and design of the project. JC led on

participant recruitment, data collection, transcription, and data analysis. LB made a

substantial contribution to data collection. LH, LC, and WM made substantial contributions

to analysis and interpretation of data. JC led on drafting the manuscript which LC, WM, LH,

and LB revised for critically important intellectual content.

Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Corresponding Author

Correspondence to Julia Cook.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical clearance was granted by the University College London Research Ethics Committee.

All participants gave informed consent prior to participation.

Consent for Publication

Consent was sought from participants who were informed their data may be used in a

publication.

Data Availability

Raw qualitative data cannot be shared due to ethical restrictions. Anonymised quantitative

data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

29

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Table 2

Description, and frequencies of, camouflaging codes

Behaviour

Description

Frequency

N (%)

Masking

Avoid or limit discussion related to

oneself

Avoiding or limiting time speaking about oneself or disclosing personal information

(e.g. information about one’s relationship, financial status, daily activities, special

interests, or hobbies).

11(64.7%)

Alter or reduce hand or arm

movements

Reducing the frequency or minimising the visibility of non-gesture hand movements,

including fidgeting movements and stimming hand movements.

8(47.2%)

Avoid specific facts and detailed

information

Avoiding sharing factual, detailed, or precise information.

7(41.2%)

Reduce body movements

Reducing repetitive movements involving the torso, legs, or entire body including

rocking and fidgeting.

3(17.7%)

Avoid autism

Avoiding disclosing one’s autism diagnosis or discussing the topic of autism.

2(11.8%)

Appearance

Altering physical appearance to appear more conventional or typical.

1(5.9%)

Innocuous Socialising

Passive Encouragement

Eye contact

Maintaining eye contact or maintaining the appearance of eye contact (i.e. looking at

a social partner’s forehead, nose, or mouth).

11(64.7%)

Mirror

Mirroring another person’s verbal (e.g. accent) or non-verbal behaviours (hand

movements, body language, smile, or facial expressions).

8(47.1%)

Smile

Smiling at others when speaking or listening.

6(35.3%)

Verbal minimal encouragers

Using verbal minimal encouragers (e.g. “oh really,” “yes”, “yeah”, and “okay”).

5(29.4%)

Laugh

Laughing after one’s own or others’ statements.

3(17.6%)

Centring Social Partner

Focus on social partner

Guiding discussion to or maintaining discussion on topics of conversation that are

related to one’s social partner or that may be of interest to one’s social partner.

9(53%)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

45

Social partner guides conversation

Allowing or relying on one’s social partner to guide topics of conversation.

4(23.5%)

Deferential Engagement

Apologise for/justify social

performance

Apologise or provide excuses for perceived social errors or poor social performance.

4(23.5%)

Seek approval/permission

Seeking approval, permission, or validation from one’s conversational partner.

4(22.2%)

Be cooperative

Avoiding confrontation or complaints and/or being cooperative, respectful, and

agreeable.

2(11.8%)

Reduce Social Risks

Avoid causing offence or distress

Avoiding words or remarks that could be perceived as rude, offensive, distressing, or

patronising.

6(35.2%)

Small talk

Discussing typical ‘small talk’ topics such as the weather, commuting, or weekend

activities.

6(35.3%)

Avoid or limit honest, direct

communication

Avoiding or limiting honest or direct statements.

4(23.5%)

Avoid discussion of others’ personal

and private lives

Avoiding questions or topics of conversation related to more personal or private

aspects of others’ lives (e.g. relationships, social activities, or general life outside of

work).

4(23.5%)

Avoid controversy

Avoiding or limiting discussion on topics of conversation that may generate

controversy or debate.

2(11.8%)

Avoid appearing knowledgeable

Avoiding appearing knowledgeable about specific topics or information.

2(11.8%)

Avoid jokes

Avoid making jokes

1(5.9%)

Modelling Neurotypical Communication

Gestures

Altering communicative gestures so these appear more like neurotypical gestures or

increasing use of conventional gestures.

12(70.6%)

Body Language

Altering body language so this appears more like neurotypical body language.

7(42.2%)

Clear verbal communication

Rephrasing or slowing speech, purposefully wording comments, or providing

clarifying comments.

7(41.2%)

Facial expressions

Altering facial expressions so these appear more similar to neurotypical facial

expressions.

5(29.4%)

Speech Intonation

Changing the tone of one’s voice or the emphasis placed on words to sound more

conventional or typical.

4(23.5%)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

46

Active Self Presentation

Reciprocal Social Behaviours

Ask questions

Asking one’s social partner questions.

14(82.4%)

Maintain and build conversation

Commenting, providing elaborating information, or otherwise talking in a way that

builds or maintains a conversation.

11(64.7%)

Find and discuss points of

commonality

Establishing and discussing points of commonality with one’s social partner.

11(64.7%)

Keep balance between listening and

talking

Keeping an even balance between talking and listening.

9(52.9%)

Share factual information

Sharing factual information (unrelated to oneself) with others.

7(41.2%)

Risky Social Behaviours

Jokes and humours anecdotes

Making jokes or sharing humorous anecdotes.

5(29.4%)

Disclose personal information

Disclosing information about ones’ education, employment, daily activities, or

relationships status.

4(23.5%)

Disclose weaknesses

Discussing one’s perceived weaknesses, vulnerabilities, or feelings of inadequacy.

2(11.8%)

Comfortable and Familiar Social Behaviours

Comfortable topics

Discussing topics of conversations that one is knowledge about or interested in, finds

easy or is comfortable discussing, or have been received well by others in the past.

12(70.6%)

Scripts

Use an established repertoire of phrases, comments, questions, or anecdotes that are

pre-planned or practiced, or have previously been well received by others.

9(52.9%)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

47

Supplementary Materials

Table 3

Example Quotes

Behaviour

Example Quote

Masking

Avoid or limit discussion related

to oneself

That’s something that I do often to avoid talking about myself. (Male, 50-54 yo)

Alter or reduce hand or arm

movements

I think that is a form of self-soothing behaviour I have definitely noticed me doing that before- ringing

hands. I would say it is a slightly more socially acceptable form of stimming. My natural stimming

would be hands out and kind of like the bouncing of the hands but that is less socially acceptable.

(Female, 30-34 yo).

Avoid specific facts and detailed

information

I read an article talking about the fact that yeah tomorrow is gonna be, they, it’s predicted to be really

hot and it’s predicted to break records so I think immediately I thought about that article but I didn’t

want to bring it up because I thought, “Okay maybe it’s too specific.” (Female, 25-29 yo)

Reduce body movements

As soon as I first [start] rocking, “Oh woah calm down,” and “I need it to stop, like stop, doing this.”

(Female, 55-59 yo)

Avoid autism

I would leave the autism out of the conversation all together. (Female, 50-54 yo)

Appearance

Participant: …I do try and appear a bit more neurotypical visually.

Interviewer: Oh okay, can you tell me a bit what you mean by that?

Participant: Well I mean since my diagnosis, actually yeah since, actually I have tried to appear less

quirky.

Interviewer: And what do you

Participant: I don’t know if you agree with that?

Interviewer: What do you mean visually?

Participant: I just mean in the way I dress myself. (Male, 45-49 yo)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

48

Innocuous Socialising

Passive Encouragement

Eye contact

I think I definitely noticed, not just here but throughout the whole conversation my eye contact. So I

find the back and forth eye contact difficult sometimes so I tend to, in order to camouflage I look at the

person’s mouth. (Female, 30-34 yo)

Mirror

I remember me being very conscious of what [the social partner] was doing with her hands and trying

to do something similar with my hands. (Female, 30-34 yo)

Smile

I was smiling at that point. (Male, 50-54 yo)

Verbal minimal encouragers

Saying OK. (Agender/gender neutral, 45-49 yo)

Laugh

And then I always laugh. (Agender/gender neutral, 40-44 yo)

Centring Social Partner

Focus on social partner

Although I am genuinely interested, at an early stage of a conversation I try to ask about their own

interests and about their career and that is the conversational strategy that I always try to employ over

anything else. (Male, 50-54 yo)

Social partner guides conversation There you can hear that, I was very much relying on [the social partner] to ask the questions rather

than me initiate. (Female, 55-59 yo)

Deferential Engagement

Apologise for/justify social

performance

Well it’s kind of an apology for not being able to answer what seems like a simple question. (Male, 50-

54 yo)

Seek approval/permission

If people actually ask what I do as my job, that’s the kind of question that I have trouble answering. So

yeah, I’m also actually trying to say I think in all of this, as far as I’m concerned, you know I hope

that’s acceptable to you. (Male, 50-54 yo)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

49

Be cooperative

If I couldn’t avoid people, to stay in the background, to be as un-intrusive as possible. If that wasn’t a

practical solution then to be as cooperative, as friendly, as undemanding and as amenable as possible

with other people. (Male, 60-64 yo)

Reduce Social Risks

Avoid causing offence or distress Then I get frustrated and then I will check myself to try and say, so I don’t say something

inappropriate like, “Are you stupid? You know I have just said this.” (Male, 55-59 yo)

Small talk

Just making small talk. (Agender/gender neutral, 45-49 yo)

Avoid or limit honest, direct

communication

I would much rather talk about academic subjects with people. Really, I don’t care really what they

are you know, what their children or their families, or if their grandmother. You know someone

wanted to show me a picture of their grandchildren, happened to me yesterday, “Do you want to see a

picture of my granddaughter?” Oh, she didn’t really ask, “Oh I have got a picture of my

granddaughter here,” gets her phone. Couldn’t care less. But I’m aware don’t say, “Couldn’t care

less about your grandchildren.” So, if they say would you like to see a picture of my children? “Love

to!” I wouldn’t - I’d hate to but you know. (Male, 55-59 yo)

Avoid discussion of others’

personal and private lives

I generally do my best to steer very clear of anything that is a bit person and it might have been a

personal topic and I am not sure. (Male, 50-54 yo)

Avoid controversy

I know that you avoid politics, I know you avoid religion, unless you trust someone. Probably cos

otherwise you go down this debate that’s not a good idea. So I tend to find neutral topics to talk about.

(Female, 35-39 yo)

Avoid appearing knowledgeable I know maybe too much too well so just pretend you don’t know that much that well. (Female, 55-59

yo)

Avoid jokes

A lot of the time if I think something’s funny, other people don’t, so I tend not to say. (Female, 35-39

yo)

CAMOUFLAGING BEHAVIOURS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS

50

Gestures

So I was nodding. (Agender/gender neutral, 45-49 yo)

Body Language

Just, just looking at the video like I was trying to focus on sort of being relaxed and sitting sort of

normally. (Agender/gender neutral, 20-24 yo)

Clear verbal communication

Slowing my voice down and trying to sound, speak more clearly, speak less fast. (Agender/gender

neutral, 20-24 yo)

Facial expressions

I try to make sure that my facial expressions are a little bit more extreme now so if I am trying to

express something I’ll just exaggerate it a little bit more then feels comfortable to make sure that I am

getting my point across and they understand what I am trying to say. (Agender/gender neutral, 40-44

yo)

Speech Intonation

Okay so I would change my tone and I would make it more variant. (Male, 45-49 yo)

Active Self Presentation

Ask questions

I’m always worried about what people think about me [that’s] probably why I ask them lots of

questions because I thought that was the way to be nice. (Female, 50-54 yo)

Maintain and build conversation

I think in there, so she asked me, “How was your journey?” so I said “It’s okay” and I would normal-

I don’t- I think normally I would stop at that but I carried on like adding comments such as, “Oh it’s

close to work”. (Female, 25-29 yo)

Find and discuss points of

commonality

The reason I’m talking about that is, that is our point of connection. (Female, 25-29 yo)

Keep balance between listening

and talking

I can keep it in a kind of controlled you to me to you to me exchange. (Agender/gender neutral, 40-44

yo)

Share factual information

Right, she might not know who L.S. Lowry is, most people I talk to will know the name but she might

not so I provided that information quite deliberately. (Male, 55-59 yo)

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Note: To aid with readability minor speech errors have been correct. Each example quote is accompanied by text in parenthesis indicating the

participants’ gender and age range.

Jokes and humorous anecdotes

I mean sometimes I might sort of camouflage [in] the meeting in a sort of like one liner in a sense like

a joke or something you know. (Female, 50-54 yo)

Disclose personal information

Maybe I shouldn’t have perhaps launched in to the fact that I’m actually sort of like a lot of my time is

taken up caring for me Mum cos it might have given [the social partner] the impression that I was just

here to sort of off load and so on you know but by the same token I just wanted perhaps for her to

understand what’s most important in my life. (Male, 55-59 yo)

Disclose weaknesses

One of the ways to make people feel at ease is to talk about a weakness that they can relate to.

(Agender/gender neutral, 40-44 yo)

Comfortable topics

So this is where, so the mention of [retracted] to try and redirect the conversation on to a topic that I

feel safe on and can talk about and therefore avoid the weird pauses. (Female, 30-34 yo)

Scripts

A rehearsed one liner there. (Male, 45-49 yo)

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Figures

Figure 1

Camou aging Behaviour Categories and Subcategories