CAT-Q Camouflaging Test
Our Clinical Director, Dr Judy Eaton, explains why so many people are not correctly diagnosed as being Autistic in her recent blog article: Diagnostic concerns and revisions to the DSM 5.
Taking the Test
- Strongly Disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat Disagree
- Neither Agree Nor Disagree
- Somewhat Agree
- Agree
- Strongly Agree
The 25 statements relate to 3 subcategories of camouflaging:
- 9 statements (compensation)
- 8 statements (masking)
- 8 statements (assimilation)
What Does It Test?
The CAT-Q measures camouflaging in general, as well as three subcategories:
Strategies used to actively compensate for difficulties in social situations including:
- Copying body language
- Copying facial expressions
- Learning social cues from films, books etc.
- Repeating phrases used by neurotypical individuals
Strategies used to hide autistic characteristics or portray a non-autistic persona including:
- Adjusting face and body to appear confident and/or relaxed
- Forcing eye contact
- Constantly being aware of the impression ‘I’m having on people’
Strategies used to try to fit in with others in social situations including:
- Putting on an act
- Avoiding or forcing interactions with others
- Constantly trying to pretend to be ‘normal’
Recommended Reading
Autism presents in a multitude of different and highly nuanced ways – particularly as it intersects with variance in class, gender, race and age.
Misunderstanding and misinformation around variant and differing presentations means that misdiagnosed individuals and those who do not receive a diagnosis at all are often failed by medical, education, social care and criminal justice systems. They are detained in inappropriate settings; don’t receive beneficial therapeutic input; have their families accused of fabricated or induced illness (FII); are kept in prison or youth offending institutions longer than their original tariffs, and shockingly their life expectancy is often curtailed as a result.
This comprehensive resource will help multidisciplinary professions to understand, contextualise, and better identify diverse autistic presentations. It includes an overview of the autism diagnostic process, an exploration of controversial and commonly confused diagnoses such as PDA, ODD, CD, ASPD, and BPD; discussions of best practice for investigating FII; and analysis of the specific challenges of autism diagnosis in relation to women and girls, BAME communities, schools, and the criminal justice system.
Misunderstanding and misinformation around variant and differing presentations means that misdiagnosed individuals and those who do not receive a diagnosis at all are often failed by medical, education, social care and criminal justice systems. They are detained in inappropriate settings; don’t receive beneficial therapeutic input; have their families accused of fabricated or induced illness (FII); are kept in prison or youth offending institutions longer than their original tariffs, and shockingly their life expectancy is often curtailed as a result.
This comprehensive resource will help multidisciplinary professions to understand, contextualise, and better identify diverse autistic presentations. It includes an overview of the autism diagnostic process, an exploration of controversial and commonly confused diagnoses such as PDA, ODD, CD, ASPD, and BPD; discussions of best practice for investigating FII; and analysis of the specific challenges of autism diagnosis in relation to women and girls, BAME communities, schools, and the criminal justice system.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the CAT-Q test is exactly that… FREE. It provides instant feedback based on your answers, but it is entirely your choice whether to pursue your results with us.
No, the test is not a diagnostic tool. It should be used only to determine whether you or your child show signs of possible camouflaging of Autism. We can only provide your or your child with a diagnosis after a face-to-face meeting or online to conduct a formal assessment. If you wish to proceed, please contact our team for further information.
No, we don’t share the details with any third parties. Please see our privacy policy to find out more about how we process your information.
This test is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)
This test is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)