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Research Instrument Mental Health & Mood // CATQ

Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire

25-item self-report measure of camouflaging behaviors used by autistic and non-autistic adults. Assesses three factors: compensation (strategies to compensate for social difficulties), masking (presenting a non-autistic persona), and assimilation (strategies to fit into social situations).

Purpose Details Scientific Documentation Limitations Related

Purpose

Self-report research instrument, reproduced here under an open license for non-diagnostic educational, research, and self-reflection use.

Details

Administration
Self-Administered
Intended Use
Research

Scientific Documentation

Developer / Author
Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M. C., & Mandy, W.
Development Year
2019

Theoretical framework: Measures camouflaging of autistic traits in social situations — compensation, masking, and assimilation strategies used by autistic individuals.

Reliability: Original validation study reported high internal consistency across subscales.

Validity: Developed and validated with autistic and non-autistic adults; distinguishes autistic from non-autistic respondents on camouflaging behavior.

References: Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M. C., & Mandy, W. (2019). "Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 819-833.

Limitations: Imported from the OpenScales open item-bank project. This specific digital implementation has not been independently clinically validated by PsiQ — scores are for self-reflection, research, and educational purposes only, and are not a diagnosis.

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Citation: Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M. C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2019). Development and validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 819-833. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3792-6 This is not a diagnostic tool. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, please contact a licensed mental health professional or a crisis helpline in your country immediately. Low/Moderate/High bands below reflect this test's own possible score range only (simple thirds) — they are NOT a clinical threshold or population norm. No such cutoff has been published for this instrument.

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