Masking is when a child consciously or unconsciously hides behaviours, suppresses sensory needs, or imitates social behaviours to fit into their surroundings.
For older children and teenagers, masking may look like rehearsing what to say before social interactions, copying how peers behave, or forcing eye contact or suppressing repetitive movements.
The important part is that masking can be effortful. Constantly monitoring how to behave, respond, speak, or appear can consume a great deal of mental and emotional energy.
This is why a child who seems to have had a “great day” at school may come home completely drained, irritable, withdrawn, or overwhelmed.
Parents sometimes see the behaviour at home and wonder, “Why are they fine everywhere else?”
It might be because home is simply where they finally feel safe enough to stop holding everything together.
As parents, teachers, and clinicians, we need to look beyond these coping strategies.
Children with autism often use “masking” to hide their natural traits and copy the behavior of people around them.