About this episode

This episode explores the concept of masking in autistic children and its implications for diagnosis and behavior across different environments.

about this episode (+ scroll for resources) 👇 one reason autism can be missed in children is the belief that kids “can’t mask.” but they absolutely can. in this episode, dr. tay breaks down what masking can look like in autistic children, including why a child may seem “fine” at school but completely fall apart at home. you’ll learn how masking can be conscious or unconscious, how culture and reinforcement shape behavior, and why subtle signs matter so much during autism evaluations. this episode is especially helpful if you’ve ever wondered why your child seems so different across environments, or if you’ve been told their challenges must be “just behavioral” because they are not showing up everywhere. in this episode, you’ll hear: why autistic children can mask, even at young ages how masking can contribute to delayed or missed autism diagnoses why kids may hold it together all day and then melt down at home the difference between conscious masking and subconscious masking how reinforcement, modeling, and culture, can shape masking behaviors why people pleasing and anxiety often plays a role in masking and self-advocacy what evaluators need to understand when assessing…

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