A "Round, Bruising Sort of Pain": Autistic Girls' Social Camouflaging in Inclusive High School Settings.
Brittney L Goscicki, Mattie E Scoggins, Gabriela Herrera Espinosa and 1 others
PMID 39794639WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic girls in inclusive schools reported camouflaging all day, finding it exhausting.
They valued time alone and adult autism awareness most, while rating social skills classes as least helpful. Neurodivergent friends were described as essential for navigating school.
Key findings
01Girls camouflaged most in general education classes and least at home, reporting exhaustion as the highest cost.
02Girls rated adult awareness of autism and time alone to recharge as the most helpful school supports, while social skills classes were rated least helpful.
03Neurodivergent friendships were described as crucial for understanding, direct communication, and navigating a neurotypical world.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (31 participants) limits generalizability. Participants were mostly White, middle-class, and had well-educated parents, which may not reflect the experiences of autistic girls from diverse backgrounds. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot track how camouflaging changes over time. Self-report and interview data are subject to bias, including the possibility that participants camouflaged their responses to the researchers. The study did not include non-autistic girls for comparison, so it is unclear if some findings are specific to autism.
Declared interests
Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. No other conflicts of interest reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low rating of social skills classes as a lack of need for social support. These girls rated social skills classes as unhelpful, but they strongly valued adult awareness of autism and time alone. The finding suggests that traditional social skills training may not address the core stressors of camouflaging in inclusive settings.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →