AuDHD Test

Camouflaging & Masking Assessment

Understand how much you camouflage in social situations.

The CAT-Q (Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire, Hull et al., 2019) asks about strategies people use in social situations to hide or make up for autistic traits. It gives a total score and three subscales: Compensation (making up for social difficulties), Masking (presenting a non-autistic persona) and Assimilation (trying to fit in).

25 questions — takes about 5 minutes

About the CAT-Q Masking Assessment

The CAT-Q (Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire) is a self-report measure of social camouflaging, developed and validated by Hull et al. (2019).

It was developed at University College London from interviews with autistic adults, then tested with 832 adults. Its 25 items form three subscales: Compensation (strategies that make up for social and communication difficulties, such as copying others or following a script — 9 items), Masking (strategies that present a non-autistic persona, such as monitoring and adjusting your face and body — 8 items) and Assimilation (trying to fit in, such as feeling you are 'performing' or forcing yourself to interact — 8 items).

How CAT-Q Scoring Works

The CAT-Q uses a 7-point Likert scale from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree' for each of its 25 questions.

Each item is scored from 1 to 7, and five items (3, 12, 19, 22 and 24) are reverse-scored, so a higher score always means more camouflaging. Totals range from 25 to 175; Compensation from 9 to 63, Masking and Assimilation from 8 to 56. The CAT-Q has no clinical cut-off. In the original study, autistic adults averaged about 120 and non-autistic adults about 87 on the total (4.79 and 3.48 per item).

The CAT-Q is descriptive, not diagnostic. The three subscale scores show which kinds of strategy you report using most — compensation, masking or assimilation — which can be useful to discuss with a clinician or therapist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is autistic camouflaging or masking?
Camouflaging (or masking) means hiding autistic traits or copying non-autistic social behaviour — for example forcing eye contact, rehearsing conversations, copying other people's expressions, or learning social rules deliberately rather than intuitively. People camouflage for many reasons, such as avoiding bullying, keeping a job or building relationships. Research links frequent camouflaging with exhaustion, anxiety and depression in autistic adults.
Can high masking cause my autism screening score to be too low?
It can. Short screeners such as the AQ-10 (/autism-test) ask about social difficulties, and someone who has learned to compensate for those difficulties may answer in ways that hide them. Researchers developed the CAT-Q partly for this reason. A high CAT-Q score alongside a low screening score is worth discussing with a clinician — it is not evidence of autism on its own.
How is masking related to mental health?
Research consistently links high camouflaging to poorer mental health. The constant effort of monitoring and adjusting your behaviour is tiring and has been linked to autistic burnout. Cassidy et al. (2018) found camouflaging associated with suicidality in autistic adults. If you are struggling, please reach out to a health professional or a local crisis line.
Do autistic women camouflage more?
On average, research has found that autistic women report more camouflaging than autistic men (Hull et al., 2020), possibly because of stronger social pressure to fit in. These are group differences — anyone of any gender can camouflage a great deal or very little.
What do the three subscales (Compensation, Masking, Assimilation) mean?
Compensation covers strategies that make up for social and communication difficulties: copying other people's body language, following scripts, or learning social skills from observation, TV or books. Masking covers presenting a non-autistic persona: monitoring and adjusting your face and body so you look relaxed or interested, and managing the impression you make. Assimilation covers trying to fit in: feeling you are 'performing', forcing yourself to interact, avoiding interaction, or needing support to socialise.
What is 'unmasking' and is it possible?
Unmasking is the gradual process of reducing camouflaging behaviors and allowing yourself to be more authentically autistic. It often begins with increased self-awareness — understanding which behaviors are genuine and which are performed. Therapy with a neurodiversity-affirming practitioner can support this process, as can connecting with autistic community. Unmasking doesn't happen overnight and isn't all-or-nothing. Many people find they can unmask more in safe environments while maintaining some masking in contexts where it feels necessary. The goal is reducing the toll of masking, not eliminating all adaptive social strategies.

References

Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K.V. (2019). Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). JADD, 49(3), 819-833.

Hull, L., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., et al. (2020). Gender differences in self-reported camouflaging in autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism, 24(2), 352-363.

Hull, L., Petrides, K.V., Allison, C., et al. (2017). 'Putting on My Best Normal'. JADD, 47(8), 2519-2534.

Cassidy, S., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S. (2018). Risk Markers for Suicidality in Autistic Adults. Molecular Autism, 9, 42.

Medically reviewed by Holly Schiff, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist — CT #8.003896, RI #PS02171, NY; Registered Telehealth Psychologist — FL #TPPY2749· Last reviewed September 20, 2026