03/31/2026
By Joseph Veneziano

The College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense on "Behind the Mask: A Multimodal Look at Knowledge Generation and Dissemination on Autistic Camouflaging."

Degree: Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and Prevention Science
Defense Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Coburn 410, South Campus

Committee:

  • Advisor: Ashleigh Hillier, PhD, Professor, Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Urmitapa Dutta, PhD, Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Anita Li, PhD, BCBA-D, Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
Autistic camouflaging – where an Autistic person uses a number of different tactics to hide Autistic traits in an effort to appear neurotypical – has become a significant topic within the Autistic and research communities. Autistic people may engage in camouflaging to gain and maintain friendships, romantic relationships and/or employment. However, camouflaging is often associated with negative psychological effects, such as burnout, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidality. Given the relatively recent proliferation of research on camouflaging, more work needs to be done in order to improve conceptualizations of the topic and how to disseminate knowledge on this topic to non-autistic stakeholders. Study One employed arts-based inquiry to understand what knowledge can be generated about camouflaging by Autistic people through creating artistic works for an anthology. Interview and focus group discussions on the artistic process revealed complicated conceptualizations of camouflaging as it relates to the self, its use as a survival mechanism, and how exploring liminal space enabled artists to transcend time and envision a better world for Autistic people. Study Two used single-subject design to examine the effects of a computer-based training program for non-autistic Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) to identify and understand camouflaging, its antecedents and consequences, and functions of camouflaging behavior. All participants in Study Two increased their overall ability to identify different aspects of camouflaging after training and were able to maintain these skills after the study ended. Overall, this dissertation highlights the importance of addressing camouflaging through diverse methods of inquiry.