Camouflage mechanisms in Brazilian children with autistic spectrum disorder: is there a difference between genders?

Introduction: Camouflage represents a coping/reactive strategy used by some people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which tends to make its diagnosis more difficult, by creating a pseudo social adaptation. The present research aims at analyzing the camouflaging in ASD children, in order to compare the differences between genders, and thus specify the symptoms in females. Methods: In addition to the analysis of the medical records, we also conducted open-response interviews with the participation of the guardians of boys and girls, in order to analyze how camouflage occurs. Results: Themes identified were: displays of affection, ways of playing and imitation of behaviors. In the female gender we observed that camouflage was more related to affect than in the boys' group. As for imitation, females copied people from their own environment, while males reproduced fictitious characters from cartoons they watch. In individuals with ASD, camouflaging behaviors were observed in both genders, but they exhibited differences in terms of frequency and the nature of camouflage displayed. Conclusion: Through this work we are beginning to understand camouflage in its formats and daily behaviors.