A Three-Part Study to Enhance Understanding of Social Behavior and Identity Preferences of Autistic Adolescents
Background: As knowledge of autism expands, so does our understanding of the behaviors utilized by many autistic individuals to “fit in,” or camouflage their autistic traits. Much is unknown about camouflaging, including how race and/or ethnicity and the strength of racial/ethnic identity influence camouflaging among autistic adolescents. Issues related to neurodivergent identity development are an emerging area of investigation, more specifically terminology preference amongst autistic adults. However, it is unclear whether adolescents with autism have similar views regarding terminology use and how strongly they feel about issues related to language use. These questions may have important implications for identity development in neurodiverse adolescents. Purpose: This three-study dissertation enhances understanding of social behavior and identity preferences of autistic adolescents. The first study examined whether race/ethnicity, specifically being Black/African American (AA), impacted camouflaging rates for adolescent males with autism. The second study explored how other factors, mainly strength of racial/ethnic identity impacted camouflaging rates for adolescents with and without autism. The third study investigated adolescent terminology preferences compared to parent preferences. Methods: Data for all three studies were collected via SPARK Research Match beginning in Spring 2023. English-speaking, adolescents between ages 13-17, living in the United States, and their parents were invited to participate. Results: Results of study 1 indicated no significant differences in self-reported autism traits or camouflaging between Black/AA and White males with autism. Results of the hierarchical regression in Study 2 indicate that strength of racial/ethnic identity does not predict variance in CAT-Q scores. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests in Study 3 highlight variation in terminology and strength of preferences of autistic adolescents, as well as a significant between-group difference in strength of preference for person with ASD/autism F(1,295) = 88.88, p< .001 with parents expressing stronger preference for person-first language. Limitations include potential issues related to sample size, lack of representation of broader autism community, and appropriateness of measures. Conclusion: Understanding identity development, terminology preferences, and factors that influence camouflaging amongst autistic individuals is complex. It requires the inclusion of as many voices as possible including children and adolescents, as their experiences are crucial to furthering our understanding of development of autism across the lifespan and across cultures. Taken together, these three studies contribute to the literature by providing insights into adolescent experiences with camouflaging and preferences for identity language use.
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