Camouflaging involves autistic individuals hiding or suppressing their natural behaviors and traits to fit in socially, impacting their mental health, identity, and well-being.
This can lead to heightened anxiety, depression, social isolation, exhaustion, and identity confusion, particularly in stressful school environments.
Atkinson, E., Wright, S., & Wood-Downie, H. (2025). “do my friends only like the school me or the true me?”: School belonging, camouflaging, and anxiety in autistic students. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06668-w
Key Points
- Camouflaging mediates the relationship between school belonging and anxiety among autistic students.
- Most autistic students reported not feeling they belonged at school and could not be their true selves.
- Friendships, acceptance, and understanding from peers and teachers, and supportive school environments significantly influence autistic students’ mental health.
- Experiences of bullying and fear of judgment are prominent contributors to anxiety and increased camouflaging.
- Dedicated quiet spaces and empathetic school staff can greatly enhance autistic students’ sense of belonging and authenticity.
Rationale
Autistic students frequently experience heightened anxiety at school, linked to their unique social and sensory processing needs.
Anxiety adversely affects their academic success, attendance, and mental health.
Prior research emphasizes camouflaging as a coping mechanism for autistic individuals facing social challenges, but this strategy often leads to further psychological distress.
Limited quantitative research exists to clearly delineate how camouflaging interacts with feelings of school belonging and anxiety across diverse autistic adolescents.
This study addresses this gap, providing comprehensive quantitative and qualitative insights into autistic students’ school experiences.
Future research should explore long-term effects of camouflaging and investigate interventions that improve school belonging.
Method
A mixed-methods research design combining quantitative questionnaire data and qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses.
Procedure
- Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained.
- Parents completed demographic and autism trait questionnaires.
- Students completed online questionnaires assessing camouflaging, school belonging, and anxiety.
- Students answered open-ended questions about their sense of school belonging and ability to be authentic at school.
Sample
- 72 autistic students aged 11-16 from mainstream schools in the UK and Ireland.
- Gender breakdown: 54% male, 35% female, and 11% non-binary/other.
- Majority (81.9%) identified as White.
Measures
- Adapted CAT-Q: Measures camouflaging behaviors among autistic students through self-report (20 items, scores 20-80).
- Simple School Belonging Scale: Evaluates students’ perceived sense of school belonging and acceptance (10 items, scores 10-40).
- ASC-ASD: Captures anxiety symptoms specifically relevant to autistic students across various contexts (24 items, scores 0-72).
Statistical measures
- Correlation analysis to examine relationships between variables.
- Mediation analysis using PROCESS with 5000 bootstrap samples.
- Qualitative content analysis identifying categories from open-ended responses.
Results
Quantitatively, the study confirmed camouflaging as a significant mediator between school belonging and anxiety, showing that reduced feelings of belonging increased camouflaging behaviors, thereby heightening anxiety.
Qualitatively, five main categories emerged as significant influences on school belonging: friendships, individual identity, acceptance by peers and teachers, the physical and sensory school environment, and the role of supportive staff.
Most students did not feel fully accepted or able to be their authentic selves, citing fear of judgment, past bullying experiences, and lack of peer understanding as primary reasons.
Positive interactions with empathetic staff and availability of dedicated quiet spaces (inclusion hubs) significantly enhanced students’ sense of belonging and authenticity.
Insight
The key insight from the study is that autistic students use camouflaging primarily due to perceived exclusion and fear of negative social repercussions, which significantly exacerbates anxiety.
This study uniquely integrates quantitative evidence with qualitative insights, emphasizing that supportive interpersonal relationships and accepting environments critically reduce camouflaging and anxiety.
It extends previous research by providing detailed evidence of specific school-based factors affecting autistic students.
Future research should examine how intersectional identities influence experiences of belonging and camouflaging, test school-based interventions, and explore longitudinal outcomes.
Implications
Practitioners and policymakers can apply these insights to develop more inclusive school cultures through training staff in autism awareness, fostering peer understanding and empathy, and providing safe, designated areas for autistic students.
Recommended actions include implementing anti-bullying policies, establishing autism-friendly environments, and providing targeted support for peer relationships and identity affirmation.
Challenges include resource allocation, consistent staff training, and ensuring sustained implementation and effectiveness.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Combines robust quantitative analyses with rich qualitative insights.
- Uses validated, autism-specific instruments to measure key variables.
- Represents diverse gender identities.
- Includes autistic perspectives in research design and interpretation.
Limitations
This study also had several methodological limitations, including:
- Small sample size may limit generalizability.
- Limited ethnic diversity reduces broader applicability.
- Potential bias from parent-reported autism traits.
- Cross-sectional design restricts causal inferences.
- Reliance on self-reported data may introduce response biases.
Socratic Questions
- How might alternative factors, like home environment or additional disabilities, influence camouflaging behaviors and anxiety?
- Would results differ if similar research were conducted in specialized education settings?
- What specific school practices might effectively mitigate camouflaging behaviors among autistic students?
- How could the concept of intersectionality enhance our understanding of school belonging among autistic youth?
- Can camouflaging ever be adaptive, and what might this mean for support and intervention strategies?
