Masking

Masking strategies fall into three broad categories (Hull et al., 2017). Compensation: actively using rehearsed strategies to mimic neurotypical social behaviour (using a script for greetings, copying a peer's posture, holding eye contact past comfort). Masking proper: hiding stims, suppressing repetitive behaviours, restraining the body and voice to look "normal". Assimilation: changing oneself to fit social settings, putting on different personas, hiding interests that might be judged.

In a Year 4 classroom, masking looks like the autistic girl who is described by teachers as "no concerns at school", who has best friend dynamics that look smooth on the surface, and whose teacher cannot understand why this child explodes at home from 4pm each day. The masking is the cost: a full school day of social, sensory, and cognitive effort to look like the children around her. The release happens at home with the safe people.

The clinical and educational implications are significant. Masking is a major driver of late autism diagnosis in girls and women. The average age of autism diagnosis for women in the UK is now in the late teens to early thirties, compared to mid-childhood for boys. Masking is associated with autistic burnout, with elevated rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicidality (Cassidy et al., 2018: autistic adults are 9 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, with masking-related distress identified as a contributing factor).

For SEND practice, recognising masking matters. A masking child can present with no obvious classroom difficulty, while at the same time meeting the threshold for an EHC needs assessment because the masking effort is unsustainable and is producing severe distress, EBSA, or breakdown. Section B should describe the masking, the cost, and the after-school release. Section F should specify reduced demand at school, sensory-managed environments, and unmasked-friendly settings (a key adult, a safe space, a stim-tolerant culture).