ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026
"I Try to Act Like a Neurotypical so it Makes Customers More Comfortable": A Mixed Methods Analysis of Autistic Camouflaging at Work.
Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05949086 (An Online Evaluation of Work Chat), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
An Online Evaluation of Work Chat: A Virtual Workday Among Employed Autistic Adults
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAs many as 75% of autistic individuals report camouflaging to appear less autistic, with workplace camouflaging linked to poor mental health, thwarted advancement, and early job departure. However, few studies have investigated why and how autistic adults camouflage at work.
methodsThis mixed-methods study explored workplace camouflaging frequency and experiences among N = 131 employed autistic adults. Linear regression examined whether camouflaging differed across identity groups, logistic regression tested whether camouflaging predicted changes in coworker behavior, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data.
resultsOverall, 86% of participants reported camouflaging often or sometimes at work. More camouflaging was associated with being female (B=0.94, p<.001), non-binary (B=0.78, p=.011), and transgender (B = 1.10, p=.007) compared to male identity, but was not associated with race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or autism disclosure. More frequent camouflaging was associated with nearly three times greater likelihood of noticing changes in others' behavior. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: camouflaging as a response to encountering prejudice or abuse, as a way of coping, as a response to being silenced, as compulsory production of extra labor, and as forced repression of identity. Mixed-methods integration indicated that gender minority participants reported being silenced and compulsory extra labor at higher within-group rates, and non-disclosed participants relied on active coping strategies at more than double the rate of disclosed participants.
conclusionThese findings underscore the importance of understanding camouflaging within workplace contexts, where social expectations and identity dynamics shape autistic employees' experiences and inform efforts to reduce stigma and support authentic self-expression.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05949086.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42545632What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.