Is My Defiant Child "Masking" at School?
- Lindsay P. South
- Feb 13, 2025
- 1 min read
The term "masking" is becoming more widely used but doesn't always explain a child's behavior.
Being much better behaved at school than at home is a very common phenomenon for the kids in my practice. Why does this happen?
A recent theory that is getting a lot of attention is that kids are "masking," a term typically used to describe when people with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) try to act like their neurotypical peers in order to conform. As it relates to autism, masking is considered detrimental because it is exhausting and studies have shown that it can increase anxiety and depression.1
'Is My Defiant Child 'Masking' at School?' Hmm, interesting! I'm reading this on my coffee break, and it's got me thinking about how kids try to fit in. It's tough out there, isn't it? Maybe White Screen is needed to relax from the pressure.