Abstract

RUGGIERI, Victor. Autism and camouflage. Medicina (B. Aires) [online]. 2024, vol.84, suppl.1, pp.37-42. ISSN 0025-7680.

Autism is a neurobiologically based neurodevelop mental disorder with high prevalence and a clear pre dominance in males. It is characterized by deficits in social cognition and communication, restricted inter ests, and stereotyped behaviors, frequently associated with sensory dysfunction others neurodevelopmental conditions, neuropsychiatric disorders, epilepsy, and/or sleep disorders. This condition will accompany people throughout their lives, which will generate various sup port and treatment needs.

People with autism often need to “fit in” and for this they use techniques such as camouflage, also called masking. This attitude has been observed in people with typical development and in people with autism in childhood, adolescence and adult life, although in autistic people this behavior is more intense and takes longer and with more frequency and intensity in autistic adult women.

This could explain the underreporting of autism, the later diagnosis, the delay in the therapeutic approach, and the greater presence of anxiety and depression disorders related to the effort that “appearing normal” implies. Even though camouflage people appear to be “normal” and fit in perfectly, this is not an attitude that we should promote and, on the contrary, it is imperative to work to improve the environment and the under standing of each person.

In this paper we will analyze the clinical aspects, their relationship with age, sex, and ways of detecting it.

Keywords : Autism; Camouflage; Masking; Camouflag ing consequences; Difference in women.

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