Summary
Peer-reviewed qualitative study (PMC/NIH) investigating similarities and differences in masking experiences between autistic adults, other neurodivergent adults, and neurotypical adults. Used thematic analysis of online survey responses from 238 participants. Key finding: many aspects of masking are shared across neurotypes (exhaustion, identity disconnection), but some are specific to autistic people (sensory suppression, suicidal ideation from masking).
Key Points
- Survey: 144 autistic adults, 49 neurodivergent (non-autistic) adults, 45 neurotypical adults; recruited via social media.
- Shared masking experiences across all groups: using mimicry as a social strategy; exhaustion from sustained masking; feeling disconnected from “true self”; negative emotional impact.
- Masking experiences more specific to autistic adults: sensory suppression (hiding discomfort with loud sounds, textures, etc.); stimming suppression; masking linked to suicidal ideation (only autistic group reported this).
- The paper positions autistic masking as a form of stigma management — similar in structure to how other marginalized groups manage visible or invisible stigmatized characteristics.
- Masking is defined broadly as the “suppression of aspects of self and identity to ‘fly under the radar’ or ‘appear normal’” — conscious or unconscious.
- Sample limitation: more women than men/nonbinary participants; some “non-autistic” respondents may be undiagnosed autistic people.
- Supports the neurodiversity paradigm: frames masking not as a deficit but as an adaptive response to external stigma.
Newsletter Angles
- The cross-neurotype finding is significant: if masking is fundamentally a stigma-management behavior, then everyone in a stigmatized category masks, not just autistic people. This reframes autistic masking as a specific instance of a universal human experience — with uniquely severe consequences for autistic people.
- The suicidal ideation finding only appearing in the autistic group (not other neurodivergent or neurotypical groups) is the sharpest clinical distinction. What is it about autistic masking specifically that produces this outcome?
Entities Mentioned
- None specific; academic study
Concepts Mentioned
- Autistic Masking — primary subject; cross-neurotype comparison study
- Neurodiversity — the theoretical framework informing the study design
Quotes
“Our findings suggest that many aspects of masking are experienced across different neurotypes and are likely related to outside perceptions of difference and stigma.”
“Masking is the process of intentionally, or unintentionally, hiding aspects of yourself to avoid harm.”
Notes
Published December 2021 in a PMC (PubMed Central) journal — peer-reviewed. Sample is small (238 participants) and self-selected via social media. The gender skew (predominantly female participants) limits generalizability. Despite limitations, this is a cited primary research source in the masking literature and is directly quoted in other masking sources in this wiki.