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      Experiences of Autism Acceptance and Mental Health in Autistic Adults

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          Abstract

          Mental health difficulties are highly prevalent in individuals on the autism spectrum. The current study examined how experiences and perceptions of autism acceptance could impact on the mental health of autistic adults. 111 adults on the autism spectrum completed an online survey examining their experiences of autism acceptance, along with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Regression analyses showed that autism acceptance from external sources and personal acceptance significantly predicted depression. Acceptance from others also significantly predicted stress but acceptance did not predict anxiety. Further analyses suggested that experiences of “camouflaging” could relate to higher rates of depression. The current study highlights the importance of considering how autism acceptance could contribute to mental health in autism.

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          “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions

          Laura Hull, K. Petrides, Carrie Allison … (2017)
          Camouflaging of autistic characteristics in social situations is hypothesised as a common social coping strategy for adults with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Camouflaging may impact diagnosis, quality of life, and long-term outcomes, but little is known about it. This qualitative study examined camouflaging experiences in 92 adults with ASC, with questions focusing on the nature, motivations, and consequences of camouflaging. Thematic analysis was used to identify key elements of camouflaging, which informed development of a three-stage model of the camouflaging process. First, motivations for camouflaging included fitting in and increasing connections with others. Second, camouflaging itself comprised a combination of masking and compensation techniques. Third, short- and long-term consequences of camouflaging included exhaustion, challenging stereotypes, and threats to self-perception. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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            Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity.

            Steven K. Kapp, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Lauren E Sherman … (2012)
            The neurodiversity movement challenges the medical model's interest in causation and cure, celebrating autism as an inseparable aspect of identity. Using an online survey, we examined the perceived opposition between the medical model and the neurodiversity movement by assessing conceptions of autism and neurodiversity among people with different relations to autism. Participants (N = 657) included autistic people, relatives and friends of autistic people, and people with no specified relation to autism. Self-identification as autistic and neurodiversity awareness were associated with viewing autism as a positive identity that needs no cure, suggesting core differences between the medical model and the neurodiversity movement. Nevertheless, results suggested substantial overlap between these approaches to autism. Recognition of the negative aspects of autism and endorsement of parenting practices that celebrate and ameliorate but do not eliminate autism did not differ based on relation to autism or awareness of neurodiversity. These findings suggest a deficit-as-difference conception of autism wherein neurological conditions may represent equally valid pathways within human diversity. Potential areas of common ground in research and practice regarding autism are discussed.
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              Quantifying and exploring camouflaging in men and women with autism

              Meng-Chuan Lai, Michael V Lombardo, Amber NV Ruigrok … (2016)
              Autobiographical descriptions and clinician observations suggest that some individuals with autism, particularly females, ‘camouflage’ their social communication difficulties, which may require considerable cognitive effort and lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression. Using data from 60 age- and IQ-matched men and women with autism (without intellectual disability), we operationalized camouflaging in adults with autism for the first time as the quantitative discrepancy between the person’s ‘external’ behavioural presentation in social–interpersonal contexts (measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) and the person’s ‘internal’ status (dispositional traits measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient and social cognitive capability measured by the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test). We found that the operationalized camouflaging measure was not significantly correlated with age or IQ. On average, women with autism had higher camouflaging scores than men with autism (Cohen’s d = 0.98), with substantial variability in both groups. Greater camouflaging was associated with more depressive symptoms in men and better signal-detection sensitivity in women with autism. The neuroanatomical association with camouflaging score was largely sex/gender-dependent and significant only in women: from reverse inference, the most correlated cognitive terms were about emotion and memory. The underlying constructs, measurement, mechanisms, consequences and heterogeneity of camouflaging in autism warrant further investigation.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Eilidh Cage:
                ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6281-1632
                (+44)1784 443707 , eilidh.cage@rhul.ac.uk
                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Autism Dev Disord
                Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Autism Dev Disord
                Title: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
                Publisher: Springer US (New York )
                ISSN (Print): 0162-3257
                ISSN (Electronic): 1573-3432
                Publication date (Electronic): 25 October 2017
                Publication date PMC-release: 25 October 2017
                Publication date (Print): 2018
                Volume: 48
                Issue: 2
                Pages: 473-484
                Affiliations
                ISNI 0000 0001 2188 881X, GRID grid.4970.a, Department of Psychology, , Royal Holloway, University of London, ; Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX UK
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6281-1632
                Article
                Publisher ID: 3342
                DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3342-7
                PMC ID: 5807490
                PubMed ID: 29071566
                SO-VID: 8d379a63-f0f1-478f-96ed-7761e98ea914
                Copyright © © The Author(s) 2017
                License:

                Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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                Subject: Original Paper
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                issue-copyright-statement © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018

                ScienceOpen disciplines: Neurology
                Keywords: autism acceptance,mental health,masking,camouflaging
                Data availability:
                ScienceOpen disciplines: Neurology
                Keywords: autism acceptance, mental health, masking, camouflaging

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