K.J. ElphinstoneWhat has autism got to do with trauma?
Quite a lot, actually.
And not only because of what happens inside the autistic person, but because of what happens around us.
A thread 🧵
1/10
Autistic hypersensitivities are part of it, as they can make the world overwhelming to the point of distress.
But also, our communication styles bring difficulties with fitting in, and that onus gets placed firmly on our shoulders and ours alone.
2/10
It's usually seen as a matter of autistic deficit.
But research on the double empathy problem suggests something more relational.
Difficulties in understanding often arise across neurotypes - so not just on one side.
3/10
So the mismatch is also shaped by power.
Non-autistic communication is treated as the norm, and as more credible. And autistic people are left carrying the burden of adjustment.
4/10
This, of course, brings us to epistemic injustice.
Autistic people’s accounts of their own experience are often given less weight, or not properly recognised at all.
Over time, that can contribute to shame, self-hate, and associated mental health difficulties.
5/10
Then there's the sensory intensity experienced by so many autistic people, which can lead to real distress, especially in certain environments.
It can feel almost as though the middle range of our ‘feeling and experiencing’ dial has been taken out.
6/10
Autism often involves this hyper–hypo pattern; very intense experience in some areas, and very reduced experience in others.
But hypo-responsiveness can at times be a response to feeling too much, and (instinctively, as a survival mechanism) withdrawing in self-defence.
7/10
There are theories that speak to this.
The ‘Intense World Theory’ points to heightened sensitivity and reactivity; and many autistic people will recognise something in that immediately.
8/10
And then there is the external reality.
Autistic people are more likely to experience bullying, abuse, unemployment, financial insecurity, and other forms of adversity (refs at the end).
Many are also navigating other forms of marginalisation at the same time.
9/10
Refs for this thread can be found here: https://www.neurofabulous.org.uk/refs-for-neurosense-podcast.html
Tom@KatyElphinstone
This reference list looks fantastic - I’ll take my time going through it. A few things I’m aware of, but lots to discover here
This reference list looks fantastic - I’ll take my time going through it. A few things I’m aware of, but lots to discover here
Hermannus Stegeman@KatyElphinstone why do you call it a deficit?
You know what? My wording did imply that, didn't it! That wasn't intentional, and I've changed it now to make it clearer that that's not what I meant.
Words. Plah.
Thank you for pointing that out.
@KatyElphinstone thank you! 👊
Kevin Davy@KatyElphinstone
So much of this was so common, that for many of us it was normal. It's also why it was the steadily dripping tap that led many of us to develop PTSD and cPTSD without being able to recognise the trauma that was supposed to go with it.
So much of this was so common, that for many of us it was normal. It's also why it was the steadily dripping tap that led many of us to develop PTSD and cPTSD without being able to recognise the trauma that was supposed to go with it.
Yes. Under the radar. 😥
olena@KatyElphinstone this! I sometimes kinda enter a ‘shielded mode’ that tones down all the feelings if I have some overly intense income. Like, when I have bleeding sores on my feet and keep walking 5km more without noticing it further, but also without hearing the ambient noise, without seeing details, without reacting to the people talking to me etc - because I kinda tuned down the sensitivity to not feel the pain, but I can’t tune down only one thing at a time, I’m doing it with most of the sensory input
Yes, it's wild isn't it. I've given birth twice and it was kinda okay 😂
(esp given the outcome)
But I can't have bare feet on grass because 😳😳😳😳
Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷@KatyElphinstone Also it can build up resentment, which is also discounted.
bencourtice@Tooden @KatyElphinstone in one case I'm a bit too familiar with, aggressive, resentful and manipulative narcissistic behaviour combined.
Lizzy Miller@KatyElphinstone I've been saying for years now that if the numbers were reversed and autistic people were the majority, a lot of the things we think of as autistic traits would be way less common than you'd think. A lot of of these traits (not even the allistic laundry list of things that make us different) are responses to living in a world that isn't made for us.
Exactly this.
Sepia Fan@elmiller0330 @KatyElphinstone
I believe that many of the special talents attributed to autistic people are the result of their desperate attempts to fit in.
I use the analogy of a pearl that has grown inside a shell. Most people (non-shells :) may find pearls beautiful and fascinating (whilst having little interest in the shell itself). But the pearl is usually the result of an injury, causing the tissue that forms mother-of-pearl to proliferate in the wrong place.
anilmc@stekopf @elmiller0330 @KatyElphinstone
great allegory
Phracker@stekopf @elmiller0330 @KatyElphinstone
I don't see how trying to fit in with non-nerds would cause someone to develop a bunch of nerdy hobbies and interests.
I don't see how trying to fit in with non-nerds would cause someone to develop a bunch of nerdy hobbies and interests.
@Phracker2Art
One might develop nerdy abilities only because one tries to understand what's going on. Analyzing everything, noticing details nobody else notice, overlooking details everybody else notices. This likely starts (unconsciously) well before one realizes it's own difference. Forming a nerdy talent.
Another part is more indirect. Like if you fit in you wouldn't have time or desire to develop nerdy talents. Some of these might be coping strategies too.
David Howell@stekopf @Phracker2Art @elmiller0330 @KatyElphinstone Definitely the ANALYSE ALL THE THINGS tendencies will shape how our interests work! And this will extend to all kinds of fields, including typically-NT-coded fields like sports...
🟥 Eveline Sulman 🇳🇱🇪🇺🇺🇦@KatyElphinstone Thanks, esp for the references and your linking this to epistemic injustice.
TrèsFluke@KatyElphinstone While growing up, much of that trauma I ascribed as being "hearing impaired" . I did not have the vocabulary back then, to articulate that which I know now.
Thank you for your insightful post.
Thank you! And that is interesting. In the podcast that I took my text from here, I mentioned the intersection between autism and sensory disabilities. I've followed you.