Development and pilot evaluation of the Children's Masking Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Child Psychiatry

Background:

• Autistic children often engage in masking or camouflaging behaviors to conceal their autistic traits.
• There is a lack of validated tools to assess the subjective experience of masking in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the acceptability and appropriateness of a new questionnaire measuring children's masking experiences.
• To create a freely available resource for researchers and clinicians.

Main Methods:

• Co-production approach involving autistic young people, family members, and professionals.
• Two qualitative studies were conducted to gather feedback on the initial questionnaire.
• Iterative refinement of the questionnaire based on participant input.

Main Results:

• The Children's Masking Questionnaire (CMQ) was found to be useful and appropriate by participants.
• Specific suggestions for improvement were incorporated, leading to a refined two-part questionnaire (Adult Response and Child Response) and a Good Practice Guide.
• The finalized CMQ and guide are available for use in research and practice.

Conclusions:

• The CMQ is an acceptable and appropriate tool for assessing children's masking experiences.
• The co-production methodology ensured the tool's relevance and usability.
• Further validation in larger and diverse samples is recommended.