#camouflaging

[oda-princess]

Master's thesis - I need your help!

Hello there,

I am a postgraduate student in Psychology and I'm currently working on my Master's thesis. My study has received approval from an IRB and explores the potential link between camouflaging behaviors (eg: masking) and burnout across different neurotypes (Autistic, ADHD, AuDHD and neurotypicals).

If you are 18+ and belong to any of the above mentioned neurotypes, you are eligible to participate. The survey is completely anonymous and takes about 10 minutes.

You don’t have to be neurodivergent to take it – neurotypicals are important for comparative analysis too!

I would be very grateful if you could help me out by taking this survey. This topic is very close to my heart and your responses will help better understand mental health in neurodivergent and neurotypical communities.

Understanding the correlates between camouflaging behavior and burnout among neurotypicals and neurodivergent individuals with ASD and ADHD

The purpose of this study is to understand the prevalence and relationship between camouflaging behaviors and burnout symptoms in a sample

Please consider giving this post a boost or forwarding the survey further to reach more people 🙏🙏

Thank you so much for your time !

(Ps- I forgot to add this! You can still take this survey if you don't have an official diagnosis yet.)

Update!

I will be closing this form now. I'm so grateful to everyone who helped me with it - all the responses, the boosts and the suggestions that I received were all very helpful!

I got over 200 responses from Tumblr alone. Thank you guys so much! 🥹

I will be moving to the next step now and will post the results of this study once it's done! Once again, thank you all so much <3

[tiefschwarzer-ozean]

Ich bin anscheinend so gut darin, alles wegzustecken, einfach weiter zu machen oder mir nichts anmerken zu lassen. So “gut” darin, dass keiner wirklich nachhakt, obwohl alles in mir bröckelt vor Überforderung…

[ineedfairypee]

Aww she's shy 🙈

[scarefox]

When I did the CAT-Q test earlier (test about how much you are masking), I saw this very interesting information about camouflaging / masking. Might be interesting for others as well:

(source & test)

[neurodivergentrebel]

The Realities of Autistic & NeuroDivergent Camouflaging (Masking)

NeuroDivergent Camouflaging is a survival skill that can be engaged in consciously or subconsciously. It is not something we do to be manipulative or deceptive.

Neurodiversity, a normal and natural part of human variation, encompasses the diversity of the brain and nervous system. The human brain, body, and nervous system can exhibit variety in various ways. Still, these differences may not be readily apparent to outsiders (due to misunderstandings and assumptions because of these differences being hidden within the person’s brain). The world we live…

The Realities of Autistic &amp; NeuroDivergent Camouflaging (Masking)

[ramyeonpng]

autistic traits

[grouchydairy]

social battery

[mindingmyownbrain]

Autistic people shouldn’t have to use ‘camouflage’ to fit in | Psyche Ideas

If society were more tolerant and understanding of autistic people, they could ditch their camouflage and be themselves

Excerpt:

Imagine you are visiting a very different culture – if you are from Europe or the United States, then perhaps somewhere like Japan. On arrival at your host’s house, you hesitate on the threshold – should you remove your shoes? Is shaking hands appropriate? Should you have brought a gift? Is your host offended already, but being polite by not showing it?

In this situation, where the unspoken social rules are mysterious to you, it would be natural to watch others carefully and copy what they do. Over time, by observing and copying, you might succeed in blending in – but it will be exhausting, even after some things become almost habitual. And, of course, there is always the risk that your tactics backfire – for instance, you might inappropriately copy behaviour that’s deemed acceptable only from one gender, or in one specific context.

Now imagine doing that, not just for a few hours a day for a fortnight, but every waking moment, for your entire adult life. That is what many people – particularly women – on the autism spectrum describe when they talk about ‘putting on the mask’ or ‘camouflaging’ their autism. For them, the nonautistic or ‘neurotypical’ world is a completely alien ‘culture’ where the implicit social rules are baffling. Why are some types of lie (‘No, your bum doesn’t look big in that’) acceptable and others not? When do people mean ‘How are you?’ or ‘See you later’, and when is it just a way of saying hello and goodbye? What is the right distance to stand from someone, and how long should a handshake last?