Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39042236›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2025

Camouflaging in Autistic Adults is Modulated by Autistic and Neurotypical Characteristics of Interaction Partners.

Ren Funawatari, Motofumi Sumiya, Toshiki Iwabuchi, Tomoko Nishimura, Hidetsugu Komeda, Atsushi Senju

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ren FunawatariUnited Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-0785-8791
Motofumi SumiyaUnited Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2021-0414
Toshiki IwabuchiUnited Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1747-8222
Tomoko NishimuraUnited Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4776-5153
Hidetsugu KomedaCollege of Education, Psychology and Human Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7956-0737
Atsushi SenjuUnited Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan. senju@hama-med.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8081-7170

Funding

Hamamatsu University School of Medicine Hamamatsu University School of MedicineJapan Society for the Promotion of Science 20H05008Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 22H01102
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many autistic people reportedly engage in camouflaging to navigate everyday social interactions; however, the function of this behavior remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that autistic people camouflage more toward neurotypical others than toward autistic others, employing it as a strategy to "fit in" within the neurotypical-majority community. This study aimed to empirically investigate this hypothesis for the first time. Autistic and neurotypical participants took part in a web-based survey. Data from 48 autistic and 137 neurotypical participants were analyzed. Camouflaging toward autistic and neurotypical others was separately measured using the modified Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). For each CAT-Q item, a sentence describing a hypothetical interaction partner with autistic or neurotypical characteristics was added, creating respective sentence conditions. The interaction effect of the participants' characteristics and sentence conditions was analyzed using a multilevel regression analysis, accounting for differing individual baselines. The analysis revealed an interaction effect between participants' characteristics and sentence conditions. The autistic group showed significantly more camouflaging in the autistic sentence condition than in the neurotypical sentence condition. Conversely, the neurotypical group did not differ significantly in camouflaging levels in the sentence conditions. Contrary to our hypothesis, autistic people demonstrated more camouflaging toward autistic others than toward neurotypical others. This finding questions the assumption that autistic people camouflage to assimilate into a neurotypical-majority society. Instead, it could be conceptualized as a more general social strategy used by autistic people aiming to improve their relationships with others.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderInterpersonal RelationsSocial InteractionAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCamouflagingDouble empathy theoryMaskingSocial interactionSocial strategy

Identifiers

PMID39042236
PMCPMC12476297

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.