Complex trauma in Autistic people
Autistic people experience trauma at higher rates than our non-Autistic peers.
While there are many theories as to why Autistic people experience trauma at higher rates, one thing we know for sure: living in a world which strictly adheres to NeuroNormative standards denies necessary supports for Autistic folks.
Autistic people’s needs which NeuroNormative societies and cultures neglect to meet are vast and varied, though some of the more common. Two of the most impactful areas of need are communication needs and sensory needs.
Anyone who experiences physical, mental and emotional neglect by the people meant to be supportive will experience adverse effects. When certain needs are misunderstood to the point Autistic people being blamed for the result of having unmet needs, it adds more stress and trauma to already taxed nervous systems.
NeuroNormative expectations put on any person can be the source, or at the very least a contributing factor, of undue stress and trauma.
The perpetual cycle of having needs which are neglected and misunderstood is where complex trauma comes to play, as complex trauma is experienced when we repeatedly undergo stressful and traumatic situations resulting in more intense and lasting rewiring of the brain and body in response.
When a person needs access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication in order to communicate or needs to be able to take breaks as they notice they are becoming overwhelmed to help prevent a meltdown and this is not accommodated, it becomes a repeated traumatic.
Autistic adults have reported how unrecognized Autism in their families of origin can also be a contributing factor to interpersonal conflict which results in complex trauma as it continues over the years.
The way Autism is perceived in the general public, including how doctors and other service providers describe Autism to parents when their children come in for assessment negatively impacts the Autism community collectively.
Adults who seek assessment for Autism are often turned away or told they couldn’t possibly be Autistic for myriad false reasons based on harmful biases and assumptions from professionals who are learning from non-Autistic ‘experts’ rather than the Autistic community.
There are so many reasons and causes of complex trauma in Autistic people. Now we need people in positions of power to learn better from the Autistic community and work toward huge shifts in how society views Autism which with directly impact how Autistic people are treated.
Changing society won’t completely alleviate all complex trauma from Autistic humans experiences, however it is an important area to continue to work on for professionals with privilege and influence. So the next time your colleague says something you know to be incorrect about Autistic people - please educate them in whatever ways are accessible to you. Autistic people deserve that kind of advocacy from everybody capable of supporting us a whole in that way.
To learn more about the need for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, please visit:
Research Priorities of AAC Users
https://communicationfirst.org/research-priorities-of-aac-users/
For more on Complex Trauma in Autistic people:
A survey of complex trauma in families who have children and adults who have a learning disability and/or autism
Baker, Peter; Cooper, Vivien; Tsang, Winnie; Garnett, Isabelle; Blackman, ...More
Advances in mental health and intellectual disabilities, 20 Sep 2021, Vol. ahead-of-print, Issue ahead-of-print, pages 222 - 239
2. Experience of Trauma and PTSD Symptoms in Autistic Adults: Risk of PTSD Development Following DSM-5 and Non-DSM-5 Traumatic Life Events
Freya Rumball, Francesca Happé, Nick Grey
First published: 22 April 2020