At work, a person can spend a surprising amount of energy trying to look comfortable. This study does not tell anyone how they should behave. It makes room for people to describe the effort in their own words.
- In this group, 86% said they masked at work sometimes or often.
- Masking can be an attempt to manage other people’s expectations, not a sign that someone is doing something wrong.
- No study can decide whether one person should disclose autism or mask at work.
Questions you can take with you
You do not need to become an expert. These questions can help you talk with a professional or support provider.
- What makes this workday easier or harder for me?
- What kind of communication feels clear and respectful?
- What adjustment, if any, would I actually want to ask for?
Want the study details?Sample, method and evidence type
- Participants
- 131 employed autistic adults
- Method
- Survey and written accounts
- Study design
- Mixed methods
Read on for what was studied, what was found and what remains uncertain.
A quiet piece of extra work
Some autistic people use the word masking, or camouflaging, for changing how they behave so that they attract less attention. It might be rehearsing small talk, hiding discomfort, copying colleagues or pushing through a noisy room. People do not all use this word, and their reasons can be very different.
This study asked 131 autistic adults in paid work about those experiences. Eighty-six percent said they masked often or sometimes at work. In the written accounts, people described trying to avoid being judged and feeling they had to keep a customer-service version of themselves switched on.
What the numbers can, and cannot, say
People who reported more frequent masking were also more likely to say they noticed a change in other people’s behaviour. The study cannot tell which came first. It cannot show that masking caused that change.
Women, non-binary and transgender participants reported more masking on average than male participants in this sample. That is a finding about this volunteer group, not a rule about anyone’s identity.
Making room is more useful than demanding a performance
There is no single right way to be autistic at work. For some people, a chosen strategy can feel useful in a particular moment. For others, it can feel draining or unsafe. A colleague or manager cannot decide that from the outside.
Clear communication, room for different ways of interacting, and fewer assumptions can reduce the pressure to perform ‘normal’. This is not a treatment and not a reason to put the burden back on an autistic worker.
Limitations to keep in view
- This volunteer sample of 131 adults is not representative of all autistic workers.
- The study looks at reported experiences at one point in time, so it cannot establish cause and effect.
- It cannot decide whether disclosure, masking or any workplace approach is right for one person.
"I Try to Act Like a Neurotypical so it Makes Customers More Comfortable": A Mixed Methods Analysis of Autistic Camouflaging at Work
Sherwood KL, et al.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · 2026
This article provides general information and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or educational advice.