What can the
CAT-Q results tell me about whether I'm autistic?
Self-identification requires a comprehensive self-assessment, which can include a barrage of self-assessment questionnaires, reviewing content from autistic content creators, learning more about the autistic neurotype, talking to friends and family about your strengths and qualities that might align with being autistic.
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The CAT-Q can provide insight into how much an you might engage in camouflaging behaviour, which is a common experience for autistic individuals, unfortunately.
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What does camouflaging/masking mean?
In short, it refers to someone "pretending" to be neurotypical. It describes the effort that autistic people put in to fitting into a neuro-normative society - a world built for neurotypicals.
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What if I don't camoflage/mask, but I still think I'm autistic?
Not all autistic people are high masking. Women tend to mask more than men, and some autistic people that have long embraced their "weird", "quirky" selves and have friends that love them for it, leading to very minimal masking. This would likely mean that you would score "low" on the CAT-Q but potentially still score within the autistic range for other assessments.
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Rights & permissions
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.
Ready to learn more about whether you might be autistic?
What does my score mean?
Scores range from 25 - 175.
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Scores 100 and higher indicate camouflaging autistic traits.
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If your scores put you into the 'autistic category', you can keep exploring whether you are autistic by accessing the resources below:
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We have some options for you to explore that might guide you on your journey:
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Guided Self-Assessment Webinar with our founder, an autistic autism assessor.
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7 Day Self-Identification Challenge Workbook
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Free Introduction to the Autistic Neurotype download
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Articles - both introductory and deep dive packed with research and case studies.
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Formal Autism Assessment within Australia with our sister organisation led by our founder, Say Hooray.
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Learn more about the CAT-Q
The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) was developed in 2019 to measure camouflaging or masking behaviours in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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The study used data from 1,563 autistic adults who completed an online survey that included the CAT-Q and other questionnaires related to autism and mental health.
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The results showed that the CAT-Q had good reliability and validity as a measure of camouflaging in adults with ASD. The questionnaire consisted of 25 items that assessed different aspects of camouflaging, such as social mimicry, compensation, and masking.
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The study found that camouflaging was significantly associated with higher levels of mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, as well as lower levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life. The study also found that camouflaging was more common in women and older autistic individuals.
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Find the full study here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-018-3792-6
How was the
CAT-Q Developed?
The study involved two phases: the development phase and the validation phase. In the development phase, the authors created a pool of 104 items based on previous research and clinical experience. They then tested these items on a sample of autistic individuals to refine the questionnaire down to 25 items.
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In the validation phase, the authors administered the 25-item questionnaire to a larger sample of autistic individuals and non-autistic controls. The results of the study showed that the CAT-Q was a reliable and valid measure of camouflaging in autistic individuals. The study also found that autistic individuals engaged in significantly more camouflaging than non-autistic individuals.
How do other people score on the CAT-Q?
In a study involving the CAT-Q, it was found that:
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For autistics:
- Autistic females had an average total score of 124.35, with the assimilation category being their highest at 44.63.
- Autistic males averaged a total score of 109.64, with their highest average score being 36.81 in the compensation category.
- Autistic non-binary individuals averaged a total score of 122.00, peaking in the compensation category at 43.50.
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For neurotypicals:
- Neurotypical females had an average total score of 90.87, with their highest average score being 34.69 in the masking category.
- Neurotypical males averaged a total score of 96.89, with their highest average score being 36.34 in the masking category.
- Neurotypical non-binary individuals had an average total score of 109.44, with all categories (Compensation, Masking, and Assimilation) scoring higher than both males and females in all categories.