Article 24: The Hidden Cost of Masking in School
September 7, 2026
Anxiety does not always look like anxiety.
In the classroom, a student experiencing anxiety may not say, “I’m worried” or appear visibly nervous. Instead, an educator might see a student refusing to begin an assignment, repeatedly asking the same question, becoming upset when plans change, withdrawing from classmates, or struggling to enter the classroom.
For students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), recognizing anxiety can be especially complex. Communication differences, sensory sensitivities, difficulty identifying or expressing emotions, and a strong need for predictability can influence how distress is experienced and communicated.
Research has consistently found that anxiety is common among autistic children and adolescents, although estimates vary depending on how anxiety is defined and measured (van Steensel et al., 2011). This makes it important for educators to recognize patterns that may indicate a student is struggling while remembering that identifying or diagnosing an anxiety disorder is the responsibility of qualified professionals.
This article explores how anxiety may present in autistic students, why some signs are easily misunderstood, and six practical ways educators can create classroom environments that reduce unnecessary anxiety and support students when they become overwhelmed.
Educators often recognize familiar signs of anxiety such as nervousness, excessive worrying, or avoidance. For some autistic students, however, distress may be communicated differently.
A student may have difficulty identifying what they are feeling or explaining why a particular situation feels overwhelming. Another student may recognize their anxiety but struggle to communicate it in the moment.
As a result, educators may see the student’s response without immediately recognizing the emotion or experience contributing to it.
Anxiety might appear as:
None of these behaviors automatically means a student is experiencing anxiety. They are signals that should encourage educators to look more closely at what may be happening.
One of the greatest risks in the classroom is interpreting a stress response only as a behavior problem.
Consider a student who refuses to enter the cafeteria.
From the outside, the behavior might appear oppositional. But additional observation may reveal that the cafeteria is crowded, unpredictable, and extremely loud. The student’s refusal may be connected to anxiety about entering an environment they find overwhelming.
Similarly, a student who repeatedly asks when an activity will end may not be attempting to interrupt instruction. The student may be seeking predictability because knowing what comes next helps reduce uncertainty.
This does not mean every challenging behavior should be attributed to anxiety. It means behavior should be considered within the broader context of the student’s environment, communication, sensory experiences, and patterns over time.
School environments contain many demands that can contribute to anxiety for autistic students.
These may include:
The source of anxiety will differ from student to student.
This is why observing patterns is so important. If distress regularly occurs before assemblies, during group work, in the cafeteria, or when assignments are open-ended, the pattern may provide valuable information about what support is needed.
Educators cannot remove every source of anxiety from a student’s life, nor should the goal be to eliminate every challenging or unfamiliar experience.
Instead, educators can reduce unnecessary stress, increase predictability, teach students how to access support, and collaborate with the people who know the student best.
The following six strategies provide a practical starting point.
1. Look for Patterns, Not Just Incidents
A single difficult moment provides limited information.
When concerns arise, consider what happened:
Patterns may reveal particular environments, transitions, academic demands, or social situations that consistently create difficulty.
Understanding those patterns allows educators to respond proactively rather than waiting for the next incident.
2. Increase Predictability
Uncertainty can be particularly difficult for some autistic students.
Educators can increase predictability through:
Predictability does not mean that nothing can ever change. It gives students information they can use to prepare for change.
3. Make Expectations Clear and Manageable
Ambiguous directions can create unnecessary stress.
An instruction such as “Work on your project” may require a student to determine where to begin, what materials are needed, how much work is expected, and when the task should be completed.
Breaking the assignment into specific steps can make the same task more manageable.
Clarity reduces the number of unknowns a student must navigate while completing the work.
4. Provide Appropriate Ways to Request Support
Students benefit from knowing what they can do when they begin feeling overwhelmed.
Depending on the student’s communication style and support plan, options might include:
These strategies should be taught and practiced before the student becomes highly distressed whenever possible.
5. Respond Calmly When Anxiety Escalates
When a student becomes overwhelmed, adding additional verbal demands or emotional intensity can make the situation more difficult.
Educators can focus on:
The immediate priority is helping the student regain enough regulation to safely participate, communicate, or access the support they need.
Problem-solving can occur when the student is better prepared to engage.
6. Collaborate With the Student, Family, and Support Team
Educators should not be expected to interpret a student’s anxiety alone.
Families may recognize patterns that are not visible at school. School psychologists, counselors, special educators, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals may also provide important perspectives depending on the student’s needs.
Most importantly, the student should be included whenever appropriate.
Questions such as “What makes this part of the day difficult?” or “What helps when you start feeling overwhelmed?” can provide information that observation alone cannot.
Supporting anxiety does not mean removing every difficult experience from a student’s school day.
Avoidance can sometimes provide immediate relief while making future participation more difficult. Decisions about anxiety interventions should be individualized and, when clinical anxiety is involved, informed by qualified professionals.
Within the classroom, educators can focus on creating appropriate supports that allow students to participate successfully.
For example, rather than automatically excusing a student from every assembly because the environment is overwhelming, a team might consider whether alternative seating, hearing protection, advance preparation, shorter attendance, or another individualized accommodation could make participation more accessible.
The goal is not forced participation at any cost. It is thoughtful access with appropriate support.
Classroom strategies are valuable, but educators should also recognize when concerns extend beyond what classroom adjustments alone can address.
Persistent anxiety that significantly affects attendance, learning, relationships, daily functioning, or emotional well-being should be communicated through the school’s appropriate support processes.
Educators are often in a unique position to notice changes over time. Documenting patterns and sharing observations with families and appropriate school professionals can help ensure students receive additional support when needed.
Educators do not need to diagnose anxiety to make an important difference. Recognizing that a student is struggling and helping connect that student with appropriate support is meaningful intervention in itself.
Anxiety in autistic students is not always immediately recognizable. It may appear through avoidance, repeated questioning, withdrawal, emotional escalation, difficulty with transitions, or changes in classroom participation.
When educators look beyond the immediate behavior and consider the context surrounding it, they gain a more complete understanding of what the student may be experiencing.
Effective support begins with observation, predictability, clear expectations, appropriate regulation strategies, student voice, and collaboration.
The goal is not for educators to diagnose anxiety. It is for them to recognize when a student may be struggling and create a classroom environment where that student has meaningful ways to access support.
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