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.

  • I’m feeling brave / reckless this evening:

    embrace-autism.com/.../

  • Yes, the spam bots are coming to eat your posts! Arrggghh!

  • Lazy person here, why has no one dared post a link for people like me?

    Are we all afraid of the spam filter?

  • The CAT-Q was one of many questionnaires I had to fill in as part of my assessment. I scored 134.

  • (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

  • 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)

  • 126 for me. I feel really uncomfortable around other people and I think I subconsciously try to fit in as I've always wanted to be almost invisible.

    I think as I'm getting older I either care less about how I appear or maybe I now just struggle to maintain the illusion.

  • Some background information for other people. This doesn't measure how autistic you are. It is only about how much you camouflage. You can still score low in this and be autistic.

    I took this early on in my diagnosis - my 'official' score then was 129 (still high), However, during the course of my diagnosis it became apparent that I misunderstood some questions and took them too literally, so I would have scored even higher. The doctor described me a very high masking after this. When I took it again it was in the 140s, but that's not 'official'.

    I still give some Fs, but not as many as I used to.

  • I’m giving far less F’s about fitting in as I get older

    Ditto to the point where nowadays I don't give any Fs at all.

  • I’ve taken it in the past and scored right on the threshold. Might have got a higher score when I was younger though, I’m giving far less F’s about fitting in as I get older

  • I hadn't heard of that but it sounds interesting.

    I shall seek it out.

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