How support systems interpret and reinforce autistic masking: introducing the concept of ‘visibility logic’

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Dalmo, M. O. V. (2026). How support systems interpret and reinforce autistic masking: introducing the concept of ‘visibility logic’. Disability & Society, 41(7), 1910-1933. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2026.2659101

Publication date: 21 Apr 2026 Added to AutiHub: 7 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Marte Oline Vågnes Dalmo *

Abstract

Autistic individuals who mask their traits are often perceived as too ‘high functioning’ to qualify for support, resulting in significant gaps in recognition and services. This qualitative study introduces the concept of visibility logic to describe how masking is not only misinterpreted but structurally reinforced by support systems. Based on interviews, the analysis reveals how professionals rely on external appearance to assess functioning and need. Participants describe masking as a double bind: it provides short-term protection from stigma but leads to burnout and invisibility, while visibly autistic behaviour risks exclusion and condescension. Professionals often interpret masking as competence, overlooking internal struggles and penalising authentic expression. Visibility logic refers to the expectation that needs must be outwardly observable and neurotypically legible to be validated. This logic creates epistemic barriers and misrecognition. Naming this mechanism allows for a better understanding of systemic exclusion and calls for structural change in support practices.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 27 Oct 2026 10:35.

Cited references
28
With a DOI
24
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
4
10 / 28 (35.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
2 / 28 (7.1%)
References with detected author names
26 / 28 (92.9%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
2
Without a stable identifier
4
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
88
From DOI or external metadata
88
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
74 / 88 (84.1%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 14 / 88 (15.9%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
16 / 88 (18.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 16 / 74 (21.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 13 / 69 (18.8%).
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