Hidden Anxiety
Hidden anxiety is a common experience for autistic girls and gender diverse students. They may appear to be ‘fine’ when inside they are struggling and experiencing sensory, cognitive and/or emotional overwhelm. It is critical that educators and families are aware of the signs of anxiety in autistic students, even when they are not obvious. Autistic young people who are masking their distress are more likely to experience poor mental health, including loss of identity, autistic burnout, anxiety, depression and school can’t1.
Some Signs of Hidden Anxiety
In many autistic girls and gender diverse people, internalised anxiety is often hidden or hard to see, which can make it harder to discern whether the young person needs assistance. That being said, sometimes there are subtle signs that an autistic person may be feeling distressed, which can include:
- An increase in stimming behaviour. Note that stimming can be very subtle, like nail or lip biting, skin pulling, or leg shaking
- Social withdrawal or avoidance
- Restlessness
- Excessive or nervous talking
- Complaints of not feeling well (headache/stomach-ache, feeling dizzy, Racing heart, etc)
- A need to get away/hide
Factors that May Contribute to Hidden Anxiety
Views from Teacher, Practitioner and Autistic Adult
Teacher - My message for other teachers is don't assume that nothing's going on. If your autistic girls are being quiet, compliant, following the rules, don't wait for them to come to you. Go to them and check in and see how they're doing.
Practitioner - One of the most important things we can do for all children, but especially autistic girls who are anxious, masking, and have those more internalised behaviours, is to give them safe and secure relationships.
Autistic Adult - My anxiety was silent. You wouldn't even notice a change on the outside. But I can see how stressed I was when I stopped managing to do even simple tasks. I was often misunderstood as being lazy or disobedient. But in reality I was just overwhelmed. I wore the mask well.
Neuro-affirming Tips and Strategies
- Check in with your autistic students regularly and be aware that they may not be able to verbalise that they are not okay. Be discreet and offer a variety of ways they can communicate with you. Examples include visuals [such as a card] that students can use to signal they need help, a box where they can write to you, or for older students, being allowed to email the teacher directly.
- Get to know your autistic students. Understand their individual triggers for anxiety and dig deeper if they are not obvious - they may be camouflaging them. Check in with parents as they will know what is helpful. Believe parents when they tell you that their child is struggling with anxiety, even if they appear ‘fine’ while at school.
- Establish a safe haven or quiet place for students to access in the classroom or playground and provide them with a discreet exit strategy to use these spaces when needed. This can include a designated calm corner or keeping the library open during breaks.
- Allow for accommodations [including comfort items and sensory tools] to be accessed whenever needed, with dignity, and without singling individual students out. Normalise the process of having ALL students recognise their needs, and model this yourself as an adult.
- Develop authentic relationships with your students. Connection is the key to helping autistic girls and gender diverse individuals to feel safe and supported.
1. haperman, l, Rose, K, Hull, L, Mandy, W. [2022] “I want to fit in… but I don’t want to change myself fundamentally”. A qualitative exploration of the relationship between masking and mental health for autistic teenagers, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 99, 102069, ISSN 1750-9467, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102069