that influences how a person experiences, processes and responds to the world. These differences may manifest in areas such as communication, cognitive processing, sensory processing and behaviour.

Autistic people are different to each other, and each Autistic individual has a unique set of strengths and challenges.

An Autistic person’s needs can fluctuate depending on context, the environment and demands being made of them. What may appear manageable one day may be less so the next. 

This doesn’t mean Autistic people cannot and do not experience impairments but how we approach these needs to be from a strengths-based perspective. When individual strengths and needs are recognised and supported, Autistic differences can be seen as part of the natural human diversity. This counters the prevailing deficit models which continue to heavily influence societal attitudes and institutional systems, including services. 

Public and professional understanding of autism is often marred by stereotypes and some persistent myths. Common misconceptions include equating autism with learning disabilities and the harmful myth that Autistic individuals lack empathy.  

When working with Autistic parents, Practitioners must distinguish between ‘outsider’ and ‘insider’ perspectives. The diagnostic framework often represents an ‘outsider’ view that doesn’t align with the lived experiences of Autistic individuals.

Research highlights a strong heritability component in autism. When working with an Autistic parent or child, practitioners should consider the possibility of other Autistic family members and their unidentified needs.   

[Introduction]

Jenni: Hello. This is an audio description of the masking infographic in [the] Research in Practice practice guide on working with Autistic parents.

So the infographic is quite a busy looking picture. However, this perhaps represents how complex and involved masking for an Autistic person actually is. 

[Masking across neurodivergent neurotypes] 

So, if we start at the bottom left hand corner, there is a blue square that says ‘applies to other neurodivergences.’ So whilst our focus is particularly on Autistic people and Autistic parents, masking may be experienced by other neurodivergent people where Autism isn't their main neurotype. However, it is a concept that was originated by Autistic people in the Autistic community. And therefore, this is how I'm framing masking in this infographic.

[Why do Autistic people mask?] 

So, why do Autistic people mask? Ok, so there's several reasons why we would want to mask or we feel we need to mask. And it is more than a need, than a want. 

Firstly, it's to avoid stigma, ok? We experience a lot of stigma and negative perceptions around autism in general, but also ourselves as Autistic people and how we respond to the world. So, we use masking to fit in, essentially. We want to fit in with other people in that particular context. And another reason for it is really... we want to manage our identity. So, identity management is a key outcome for Autistic people.

Now, you might say ‘Well, everybody kind of masks in a sense,’ because you try and look similar to people that you know in a role that you work in, for example. And people might wear uniforms, so that's a form of masking because that's not your true, authentic self. However, for Autistic people, masking really has... it really is grounded in the need to feel safer and the need to avoid harm and trauma, and this is really important to hold on to. And consider masking within a trauma-informed and responsive approach to working with Autistic parents. 

[Mirroring] 

So, as we start going through the infographic, we'll start on the left-hand side and the first green folder is about mirroring. And mirroring is basically copying what other people are doing. So it could be facial expressions. So somebody smiles, you smile back, those kinds of things. But it could also be things like eye contact because you are aware that people might find lack of eye contact rude, or it might single you out. So you... even if it's painful for you, you'd either try and maintain eye contact or you try and find a way to look like you are making eye contact so that you aren't singled out. 

[Mimicking] 

And similar to mirroring, there's mimicking. Ok. So that's kind of, putting it back there in the same way that somebody has done something. So that could be language. So, you're using the same words, the same slang, the same kind of phrases that people are using around you.

Or you're maybe trying to mimic the reactions that people are having. And the best example of that I think, or the easiest one, is if somebody cracks a joke and everybody laughs, so you laugh. So, you know, even if you don't understand it or it wasn't funny to you.

You can mimic people's behaviour, in terms... and that could be things like routines and things that they do. Or it could be things like clothing. So, you're wearing the same thing as somebody else. So, the same kind of outfits or types of clothing. Again, to not stand out.

[Suppressing] 

As well as doing that, there’s suppressing. So, we're coming to the top of the infographic now. And suppressing could be reducing stims that you use to self-regulate. And I mean, they can be forms of communication. They can be indicating distress or joy, but it might not be either. It could just be something that you do just to feel better or more contained. So, they're important to us, stims, but they might make us standout if that behaviour is not deemed socially appropriate for whatever reason. So, we suppress that. That means that we're not able to use the strategies that we want to use for regulating ourselves. So that's hard.

We might also minimise sensory impact. Ok. So, things like bright lights or loudness or how things are feeling, to touch or where we are in a room. So that kind of proprioceptive sense. We might try and minimise that or hide that so that, again, we're not standing out. And that means that we are suppressing our own interests and our own emotions, and also kind of our needs. So, our, kind of our physical needs. So, we're really not being us. And to... a really negative impact, which I'll come to in a minute.

[Scripting] 

So, another thing that could be masking is scripting. And scripting is having access to stock phrases or conversations that you have to hand. So you kind of, you have ready-made, if you like, little templates to try and manage those awful kind of scenarios of social talk and those kind of conversations like ‘Hi, how are you?’ Yeah, really hard to do for Autistic people. So having something to hand can be helpful, but again, it's a form of masking.

[Hypervigilance] 

And part of masking could be hypervigilance. So we're now coming down the right-hand side of the infographic in terms of the green folders. So being hypervigilant is necessary in a way because we have to keep an eye on both what you're doing, and what we are doing internally and externally.

And so there's an element of self-monitoring, again, to make sure that we are not standing out in relation... and being seen as not beneficial to be in that space.

Part of that could be avoidance as well. So we might avoid certain situations. So be really aware of that, especially if working with Autistic parents. That could... even if they're avoiding a particular context - it could be a meeting in one particular venue or something like that. What's going on there? Because avoidance could be a form of masking.

Equally, questions. We want to appear like we've got it right, that we are getting things right. So, we may ask quite a number of questions, which may or may not be perceived positively by other people. But yeah, we just need to make sure that we understand the context and, and that we’re doing what we're meant to be doing.

[Fawning] 

That kind of feeds into the last one, which is fawning. Which really is people pleasing. So we think about that in terms of people who've experienced trauma, harm from trauma, may have a coping strategy around people pleasing or being seen to be needed. Therefore, you're not going to be discarded. So, this is the same in Autistic masking. It's trying to show that we are valuable to be in that space. But that could mean that we are ignoring our own needs as a result.

[Masking can be conscious or unconscious] 

Ok, so moving on to the right-hand side of this infographic. There's a blue square at the top and it says, ‘can be conscious or unconscious.’ And what that means is that masking can be a conscious aspect of what we are doing, but it can also be unconscious. Our body kind of automatically goes into that mode when it recognises threat or stress. So, it's just so an Autistic person might not always be aware that they are masking.

[Impact of masking] 

And the impact of masking on an Autistic person, especially if it's done over a long period of time and repetitively, is that it can have a severe impact on our mental and physical health. It is incredibly exhausting to be in this state continuously, and we can experience what is called Autistic burnout, which is really quite a serious situation to be in. 

It can make us go into full body and mind shutdown, and unable to manage ourselves and other people on a day-to-day basis. It's something that is explained a little more, further on in this practice guide.

But masking can also hinder diagnosis because we're not seen as Autistic enough from the outside. And it can also hinder the right kinds of support because people are not understanding what's going on for us. They're only seeing what they're observing on a surface level. And unhelpfully, it also, despite our aim to try and reduce stigma to ourselves, can evoke further stigma. Either by us behaving or trying to... doing things whilst we're masking that actually isn't fitting in with that context. So, you're still kind of sticking out. Or that it's offering a skewed version of what people's stereotypes are around Autism, for example. That's only a couple of ways that it could evoke greater stigma, but it's worth thinking about. If that person that you're working with that you think might be masking, what's going on for them, and how are you contributing to that?

[Double discrimination] 

And then the final bit in there is a speech bubble that says, ‘have you considered double discrimination?’ And it's a reminder to always consider intersectionality. And if you're Autistic, that's not going to be your only identity. And are there other marginalised identities that that person is having to manage in potentially, a perceived hostile environment. So, we're thinking about experiences of racism or the fear of racism, for example. Or religious discrimination. And that person having to navigate all of that as well as being Autistic, and the impact that that could have on them. 

[Outro]

Thank you.