Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)

Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)

Please read each statement below and choose the answer that best fits your experiences during social interactions.

Strongly Disagree (1)

Disagree (2)

Somewhat Disagree (3)

Neither Agree nor Disagree (4)

Somewhat Agree (5)

Agree (6)

Strongly Agree (7)

1. When I am interacting with someone, I deliberately copy their body language or facial expressions

2. I monitor my body language or facial expressions so that I appear relaxed

3. I rarely feel the need to put on an act in order to get through a social situation*

4. I have developed a script to follow in social situations (for example, a list of questions or topics of conversation)

5. I will repeat phrases that I have heard others say in the exact same way that I first heard them

6. I adjust my body language or facial expressions so that I appear interested by the person I am interacting with

7. In social situations, I feel like I’m ‘performing’ rather than being myself

8. In my own social interactions, I use behaviours that I have learned from watching other people interacting

9. I always think about the impression I make on other people

10. I need the support of other people in order to socialise

11. I practice my facial expressions and body language to make sure they look natural

12. I don’t feel the need to make eye contact with other people if I don’t want to*

13. I have to force myself to interact with people when I am in social situations

14. I have tried to improve my understanding of social skills by watching other people

15. I monitor my body language or facial expressions so that I appear interested by the person I am interacting with

16. When in social situations, I try to find ways to avoid interacting with others

17. I have researched the rules of social interactions (for example, by studying psychology or reading books on human behaviour) to improve my own social skills

18. I am always aware of the impression I make on other people

19. I feel free to be myself when I am with other people*

20. I learn how people use their bodies and faces to interact by watching television or films, or by reading fiction

21. I adjust my body language or facial expressions so that I appear relaxed

22. When talking to other people, I feel like the conversation flows naturally*

23. I have spent time learning social skills from television shows and films, and try to use these in my interactions

24. In social interactions, I do not pay attention to what my face or body are doing*

25. In social situations, I feel like I am pretending to be ‘normal’

Scoring:

All items are scored 1-7, with higher scores reflecting greater camouflaging. Items with an asterisk (*) should be reverse scored.

Factors:

Compensation = 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23

Masking = 2, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24

Assimilation = 3, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25