CAT-Q — Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire

25-item questionnaire on social camouflaging/masking. Provided free by Capstone Mental Health.

Before you start: This is a self-report screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic test. It cannot diagnose autism on its own. Please answer honestly, based on how you actually are — not how you think you “should” be. Your answers and results stay on this page in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere unless you choose to print, save, or email your results yourself.
0 of 25 answered

Rate how much you agree with each statement about your social behavior.

1.When I am interacting with someone, I deliberately copy their body language or facial expressions.

2.I monitor my body language or facial expressions so that I appear relaxed.

3.I rarely feel the need to put on an act in order to get through a social situation.

4.I have developed a script to follow in social situations.

5.I will repeat phrases that I have heard others say in the exact same way that I first heard them.

6.I adjust my body language or facial expressions so that I appear interested by the person I am interacting with.

7.In social situations, I feel like I'm 'performing' rather than being myself.

8.In my own social interactions, I use behaviours that I have learned from watching other people interacting.

9.I always think about the impression I make on other people.

10.I need the support of other people in order to socialise.

11.I practice my facial expressions and body language to make sure they look natural.

12.I don't feel the need to make eye contact with other people if I don't want to.

13.I have to force myself to interact with people when I am in social situations.

14.I have tried to improve my understanding of social skills by watching other people.

15.I monitor my body language or facial expressions so that I appear interested by the person I am interacting with.

16.When in social situations, I try to find ways to avoid interacting with others.

17.I have researched the rules of social interactions to improve my own social skills.

18.I am always aware of the impression I make on other people.

19.I feel free to be myself when I am with other people.

20.I learn how people use their bodies and faces to interact by watching television or films, or by reading fiction.

21.I adjust my body language or facial expressions so that I appear relaxed.

22.When talking to other people, I feel like the conversation flows naturally.

23.I have spent time learning social skills from television shows and films, and try to use these in my interactions.

24.In social interactions, I do not pay attention to what my face or body are doing.

25.In social situations, I feel like I am pretending to be 'normal'.

Please answer every item before viewing your results — scroll up to find any you skipped.

Your Results

Total Score
out of 175

In the CAT-Q validation research (Hull et al., 2019), total scores above roughly 100 were associated with higher levels of camouflaging/masking of autistic traits. For reference, average total scores reported in that study were approximately 110–124 among autistic adults and 91–109 among non-autistic adults (varying somewhat by gender). This is context, not a cutoff.

Subscale scores

SubscaleScoreMax

Compensation = effortful strategies to make up for social difficulties. Masking = hiding autistic traits or presenting a non-autistic-seeming persona. Assimilation = effort to fit in / appear to belong in social situations.

This screener is not a diagnosis. Please bring these results to your appointment, or send them to your clinician, to discuss what they mean for you.

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CAT-Q © Hull, Mandy, Lai et al. Provided by Capstone Mental Health for screening purposes only. This tool runs entirely in your browser — your answers are never transmitted or stored.