The relationship between camouflage, age of autism diagnosis, current age, & childhood social ecological factors for female & nonbinary/gender-diverse autistic adults
What's the study about?
This study is about camouflage in female & nonbinary/gender-diverse autistic individuals, who often experience delays in autism diagnosis, and factors influencing camouflage. This study will examine the relationship between camouflage, current age, age of autism diagnosis (AoD), gender identity, and positive childhood experiences (PCE’s). PCE’s refer to support from family and community before 18yo.
Who can participate?
female & nonbinary/gender-diverse adults (18-65yo) who have received a formal autism diagnosis, are Canadian or US citizens with stable housing, who can report on their personal experiences in English.
What will participants be doing?
The study will involve completing 2 brief tools related to camouflage (CATQ-SF) and PCE’s (PCE questionnaire) and providing minimal demographic info (age, AoD, & gender).
Why is this important?
This study will examine the relationship between positive childhood experiences, camouflage, gender identity and age of autism diagnosis. This can provide additional insight related to how social factors and gender identity may influence autistic camouflage as well as age of autism diagnosis. Currently there are significant research gaps related to positive childhood experiences and autism, as well as autistic female & nonbinary individuals. This research helps to address these gaps which in the future may improve understanding and identification of these individuals.