Seen But Not Known: Understanding Masking in Neurodivergent Young People and Supporting Authentic Identity

What Will You Learn?

• Distinguish masking and camouflaging from healthy social code-switching using clear, research-informed definitions
• Recognise the specific behavioural signs that a young person is masking, even when they appear socially competent and emotionally regulated on the surface
• Explain why masking is significantly more common in girls and gender-diverse neurodivergent young people and how this drives late or missed diagnosis
• Describe the cumulative mental health toll of sustained masking, including its links to autistic burnout, anxiety, identity fragmentation, and mental health crisis
• Apply low-pressure, non-coercive strategies to reduce masking demands in classroom and home environments without requiring young people to disclose or perform vulnerability
• Support a young person to explore and articulate their neurodivergent identity in ways that are affirming, expansive, and led by them
• Navigate sensitive conversations about masking that intersect with gender identity, cultural background, and a young person's sense of social belonging
• Identify the relationship between masking, late diagnosis, and the gaps created when a young person's struggles are invisible to the adults around them