An investigation into camouflaging behaviour in pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its impact on their education, from the perspective of their parents

Resulting themes reflected previous research findings in this field. Additional findings were that young people sought to hide their educational needs and that females may have employed more deliberate camouflaging strategies than males. Parents also saw themselves as having a role to play in their children’s education and they viewed communication and collaboration as key.

Implications of this research are that post-primary school staff may benefit from ASD training and that acceptance of diversity should be promoted within post-primary schools. It may be helpful for school staff to support students with ASD to manage their exhaustion and they could utilise the expert knowledge of parents.