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So, which one is it? is there a biological reason ND people are predisposed to being more affected by trauma, or are we socially more vulnerable to experiencing traumatic events? Could it be both? Let& #39;s dive in 1/ https://twitter.com/ADHDelaide/status/1263086650508394496">https://twitter.com/ADHDelaid...
ND people, specially those with social difficulties, have a greater risk of bullying and other types of abuse. But not only that; stuff that& #39;s harmless to NT people, like fire alarms and other intense sensory inputs, can cause trauma (PTSD) in people with Sensory sensitivity 2/
The way trauma manifests in ND people (specially autistic) is different from what it looks like for Neurotypicals. It& #39;s often overlooked because it can be invisible, and triggered by different reasons. It& #39;s suspected that many autistic people suffer from some level of PTSD. 3/
On a biological level, the one for responding to a life threatening events is the hypothalamus. It decides if we fight/flight, or we freeze. Freeze responses are associated with PTSD and trauma responses, but also seem to be more common in ND people. Why? 4/
Autism, ADHD and other ND conditions have distinct neuroanatomic characteristics in the lymbic system/amygdala/hypothalamus. Precisely the area of the brain that regulates response to fear, emotional regulation, hunger, temperature regulation... what a coincidence, huh? 5/
"PTSD can lead to hypervigilance and anger; it can cause recurring nightmares and other sleep issues; or it can lead to depression, persistent fear, aggression, irritability or difficulty concentrating and remembering things". Doesn& #39;t it sound familiar? (article at the end). 6/
The overlap between PTSD symptoms and the ND spectrum is big. In fact, there have been studies linking PTSD as a cause of ADHD due to the big overlap they have. This makes them difficult to tell apart, causing ND people to live with trauma they& #39;re often not even aware of. 7/
So, where does neurodiversity end and trauma response start? Are they linked, are they overlapped, are they distinct? No one really knows. But here& #39;s a personal interesting thought I have on this topic. 8/
