Previous research has demonstrated behavioural differences between autistic males and females, such as females demonstrating more camouflaging behaviours than males. Camouflaging (strategies to appear less autistic in social interactions) may contribute to the under-recognition of autism in females. At the time of this research study, few studies had quantified the extent to which male and female children and adolescents camouflage, and usually only included individuals with formal diagnoses of autism. Accordingly, this study investigated sex/gender differences in camouflaging with non-autistic young people (22 females, 22 males) and those on the autism spectrum, both with and without formal autism diagnoses (18 females, 22 males). We included measures of social reciprocity and theory of mind in order to investigate camouflaging, using two conceptualisations/operationalisations.
We found that autistic females had similar levels of social reciprocity to non-autistic females, whereas autistic males had lower social reciprocity than non-autistic males. Autistic females also had higher social reciprocity than autistic males, despite similar levels of parent-reported autistic traits (behavioural camouflaging). Additionally, autistic females and males had similar levels of theory of mind, despite females having increased reciprocity (compensatory camouflaging). These findings provide further evidence of greater levels of camouflaging in autistic females than males. We believe these findings contribute to the literature on camouflaging in autistic females who may otherwise ‘slip under the radar’, thereby delaying access to support, services, and intervention. For example, our results suggest that practitioners should be aware of camouflaging and include measures beyond the behavioural domain when assessing individuals with potential social-communication difficulties.