📋 What to expect
What is autistic camouflaging (CAT-Q)?
The CAT-Q (Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire) explores the strategies some autistic people use to hide or compensate for their differences in social settings. It distinguishes three facets: compensation, assimilation and masking. Camouflaging means imitating social codes, rehearsing interactions or hiding your own needs in order to appear neurotypical.
Why it matters
Camouflaging is very common in autistic women and in people with ADHD, which often delays their diagnosis. While it helps you fit in, it has a cost: exhaustion, anxiety and a loss of your sense of identity. Recognizing your own masking is often freeing and opens the way to a more authentic life.
About this test
This test is free, fast and confidential. It is a tool for reflection, not an autism diagnosis: it measures a tendency to camouflage, not the presence of autistic traits as such. For a full assessment, a specialized professional remains the best resource.