Still Waters Run Deep: Compensatory Strategies in People with Autism

Women and girls with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because they use a combination of compensatory social communication strategies and masking behaviors. Compensation can include deliberate actions to facilitate social behavior (e.g., making eye contact or asking others questions about themselves). Masking involves suppressing autistic behavior (e.g., not talking too much about particular interests). Researchers explored these strategies and their relationships to clinical outcomes in 136 individuals aged 18 or older with or without formal diagnoses of ASD who were recruited online via social media and the UK National Autistic Society.

After completing open-ended questions and a brief autism assessment, par…