Relación entre camuflaje social y funciones ejecutivas en niñas y mujeres con autismo

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Girls and women with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often underdiagnosed due to their ability to employ social camouflage strategies. These compensatory behaviors, such as imitating social skills or suppressing spontaneous behaviors, allow for social adjustment but come at a high cognitive and emotional cost. OBJECTIVE. This systematic review study aimed to analyze the relationship between social camouflage in girls and women with autism and its impact on their executive functions. METHODOLOGY. The study was conducted under the PRISMA protocol, reviewing 368 articles from the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases, from which 12 relevant studies were selected. RESULTS. The results show that camouflaging requires executive functions (EF), such as cognitive inhibition, planning, and emotional regulation, impacting psychological well-being and academic performance. High rates of anxiety, depression, emotional fatigue, and identity confusion are reported. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. These findings underscore the need to develop diagnostic strategies and psychoeducational interventions tailored to the cognitive and emotional characteristics of this population, promoting their inclusion and respect for their authenticity. There is a need to develop specific instruments to assess social camouflaging in women with autism.