Anyone here take the CAT-Q?

I took the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire not long ago, and was surprised to find that against the average of 109 for adult males, my average was 149. So I mask considerably more than the average among us. It's given me a lot to think about in terms of how I behave around other people, how I behave around people I trust and am close to, and how I behave when I'm by myself. I'm curious to find out if there are others among us here who have scored similarly high, or higher.

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  • Just done it.

    Total 111 - Made up of:

    Compensation

    • Copying and practicing others’ body language or facial expressions.
    • Learning social cues and skills from television, films, or books.
    • Repeating others’ phrasing and tone.

    My score: 46

    (A slightly above average autistic female score - I have learned a lot while watching others and reading the thoughts of characters in books, and did communication skills training when it was offered at work)

    Masking

    • Monitoring and adjusting your face and body to appear relaxed or interested in others.
    • Feeling pressured to make eye contact.
    • Thinking about the impression made on others.

    My score: 27

    (This is a typical NT female score - I believe it's because as I've got older I've stopped caring what others think of me, and have deliberately tried to stop masking since I realised I was doing it)

    Assimilation

    • Feeling the need to put on an act while socializing.
    • Avoiding interacting with others in social situations.
    • Needing others’ support to socialize.

    My score: 38

    (This is a typical male autistic score - autistic females usually score around 44 - Maybe it's because I feel less of a need to put on an act or avoid people while socializing than most autistic women? Or perhaps it's because I learned to compensate well? Again, too old to care now)

  • (This is a typical NT female score - I believe it's because as I've got older I've stopped caring what others think of me, and have deliberately tried to stop masking since I realised I was doing it)

    Hadn't considered this - but may revisit the CAT-Q test in the future to see if my score lowers as I learn and start to unmask

  • I thought about how I used to be before I decided I don't really care anymore, but then I don't really socialise anymore either, maybe if I did I would still mask a lot?

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  • I thought about how I used to be before I decided I don't really care anymore, but then I don't really socialise anymore either, maybe if I did I would still mask a lot?

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