Other Can we talk about the intersection of autism and trauma?

[Teasel]

im autistic and cptsd. Want to converse. Maybe

Ok, what do you want to talk about?

 

[Aspy-cptsd]

i'll converse.im full blown aspy nmy cptddd if a monster. not ere though, i lkike access to my vocab and im sufficiently medicated im able to put 2 syllabi in gether, typos.bad arm,stroke.sorry?

 

[Teasel]

Not happy to go to another platform, happy to talk here.

 

[Lilac98]

For a lot of young people who have Autism and have been struggling with a traumatic experience or just under a lot of stress, they can develop what's called Auditory Hallucinations. An online counsellor said this to me after I said about hearing myself say something after I woke up.

 

[Givrali]

I was afraid my doctor thinks it was autism when it was trauma related fallout. I told him it. It seems I just have both

 

[Freddyt]

I was afraid my doctor thinks it was autism when it was trauma related fallout. I told him it. It seems I just have both

It i a frequent thing to have some of both due to changes in how your prefrontal cortex works. It's primary function is interrupted and instead fed through another part of your brain which causes it not to function like it should.

One of the functions that is affected is called Executive Function. Executive Dysfunction is the central problem in ADD ADHD and Autism. So usually with PTSD you get some executive dysfunction.

What form and the severity is your own special brand, just like your special blend of PTSD symptoms.

 

[Givrali]

It i a frequent thing to have some of both due to changes in how your prefrontal cortex works. It's primary function is interrupted and instead fed through another part of your brain which causes it not to function like it should.

One of the functions that is affected is called Executive Function. Executive Dysfunction is the central problem in ADD ADHD and Autism. So usually with PTSD you get some executive dysfunction.

What form and the severity is your own special brand, just like your special blend of PTSD symptoms.

I don't understand why you're talking about executive dysfunction. All I know about it it's having trouble to do things because you need to be reminded which steps you have to follow first then what's next.
I don't have this problem. I was thinking about social disturbance and feeling I not belong

 

[ninecatlives]

I also thought I had Asperger's before discovering my cptsd. Now I am not so sure, so many symptoms overlap. The cptsd self-diagnostic is quite recent, so I am still investigating.

 

[Tickety-boo]

I am apparently on the spectrum (not professionally diagnosed, but friends who have been diagnosed and who have other diagnosed friends and family say I'm totally, obviously spectrumy). I have been through some therapy to deal with my CPTSD and from my experience the stress of CPTSD really amps up the autism stuff. I stim, I obsess, I retreat, I can't change environments or topics or focus (going from reading to listening to someone), or just transitioning in general, very well. I need my environment to be more minimalist. I don't notice social cues and when I do and I'm getting negative vibes it makes it worse and I just keep ploughing on with whatever stupid thing I'm doing or whatever topic I'm talking about - just a nonstop run-on sentence. When I'm feeling safer and like my CPTSD symptoms are more under control (good sleep, taking my vitamins, having lots of positive social interactions, in an environment I feel safe etc) then my autism/aspy type feelings also subside a lot.

Conversely, my autism/aspy-type stuff makes CPTSD worse - when I'm feeling more aspy-type traits being dominant then my CPTSD can be more easily triggered. Not feeling like I'm reading social cues makes me get panicky, feel I'm going to start being verbally attacked or rejected/abandoned. Not knowing if doors and windows are closed and locked seems to trigger both CPTSD and aspy feelings - both feeling unsafe and also a compulsion to check - I would feel the former even without being aspy and the latter even without having CPTSD, but they compound each other.

Now that I have my CPTSD much more under control, my more aspy traits have also decreased. And the decreased aspy traits then seem to help my CPTSD triggers. So experiencing the 'before and after' has given me a bit better insight into the interplay. I also seem to have ADHD and trying to figure out what's autism related vs ADHD related is very hard, and also what's related to my childhood vs just naturally being ADHD is also very hard and they have a lot of overlapping symptoms. I find sorting that out harder than the autism/CPTSD difference.

 

[Teasel]

Now that I have my CPTSD much more under control, my more aspy traits have also decreased. And the decreased aspy traits then seem to help my CPTSD triggers.

Good to hear. I only realised I'm Autistic around Christmas. And it was depressing yo read that healing from C-ptsd only increased Autistic traits

 

[Givrali]

Good to hear. I only realised I'm Autistic around Christmas. And it was depressing yo read that healing from C-ptsd only increased Autistic traits

I more often read healing c ptsd decrease autism symptoms

 

[MurphyLynnRose2021]

I also thought I had Asperger's before discovering my cptsd. Now I am not so sure, so many symptoms overlap. The cptsd self-diagnostic is quite recent, so I am still investigating.

This is a interesting concept I’ve never thought of it but it makes sense. What’s your take on it?