"Camouflaging" by adolescent autistic girls who attend both mainstream and specialist resource classes: Perspectives of girls, their mothers and their educators.
Joanne Halsall, Chris Clarke, Laura Crane
PMID 33966484WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescent autistic girls in mixed school settings described camouflaging their traits and learning needs to fit in.
They often failed to belong to either mainstream or specialist groups, leading to exhaustion, anxiety and isolation rather than social success.
Key findings
01Girls attempted to hide both autistic characteristics and learning difficulties in all school contexts, but these strategies were often inconsistent and ineffective.
02Participants reported being 'double excluded': rejected by mainstream peers for being different and distancing themselves from specialist peers to avoid stigma, resulting in social isolation.
03The effort of camouflaging caused significant exhaustion and anxiety, which manifested as meltdowns or withdrawal after school or in safe spaces, impacting learning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (eight triads), limiting the generalisability of the findings. The study focused only on girls in a specific educational setting (resource bases attached to mainstream schools), so results may not apply to autistic girls in fully mainstream or fully specialist settings. It is possible that the girls were camouflaging during the interviews themselves, which could affect the validity of their self-reported experiences. The study did not include autistic boys or neurotypical controls, so it is unclear if these specific camouflaging patterns are unique to autistic girls.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the girls' ability to navigate social situations as evidence that their camouflaging strategies are effective or sustainable. The study found that these efforts often failed to create genuine belonging and instead led to significant exhaustion and anxiety, meaning that apparent social success may hide severe distress.