If you are autistic and struggling with painful past experiences, you are not alone, and it is not your fault. Research shows autistic people face four times higher rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than non-autistic people, with one study finding probable PTSD in 10% of autistic children versus 2.5% of non-autistic controls [2]. If you are a professional supporting autistic people, understanding their unique trauma risks can transform your care. We wrote this blog primarily for autistic people to understand their own experiences. Professionals, we invite you to also read the blog, since we have long found that the best way to learn is by hearing directly what autistic people need you to know.
Recent research identifies several types of traumas that disproportionately affect autistic people. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 3,647 autistic participants found that interpersonal violence exposure was significantly associated with increased mental health challenges and suicidal thoughts [1]. Sensory trauma occurs when your nervous system processes sensory input differently, transforming everyday experiences into traumatic ones. Fire drills can feel like a physical assault because your brain can't filter some sounds. Being forced to wear clothes that feel like sandpaper on your skin, enduring fluorescent lights that create constant inescapable pain, or being told you're "overreacting" when you're in genuine distress - these are not minor inconveniences; when experienced repeatedly over time, they are genuine sources of trauma.
The social world presents its own minefield when your communication works differently. Social trauma accumulates through years of being punished for not making eye contact when this form of communication physically hurts, being excluded or mocked for missing unwritten social rules, having your attempts at friendship repeatedly rejected without understanding why, or being labelled "rude" or "difficult" when you're trying your hardest to connect. Recent research on adverse childhood experiences shows how these repeated aversive interpersonal experiences can produce significant shifts in what we believe about other people, how our bodies process emotion, and our long-term mental health [6].
Healthcare and education systems often traumatize the people they're meant to help. Medical and systemic trauma happens when you're physically restrained for procedures because no one explained things in a way you could process, or when you endure years of behavioural interventions that taught you that your natural movements and needs were "wrong" and had to be corrected. A recent case series documents how autistic children experience medical procedures, educational placements, and therapeutic interventions as traumatic, particularly when their communication and sensory needs aren't accommodated [3].
Research consistently shows autistic people experience significantly higher rates of interpersonal violence. A meta-analysis [1] found a strong, meaningful connection between experiencing violence and developing mental health problems in autistic people, that is, not a tiny statistical blip, but a substantial, real-world impact that significantly affected those people's lives.
In a recent study sexual violence led to the worse mental health outcomes for autistic women [7], in that they had a higher number of mental and physical health co-occurring conditions compared to those autistic women who suffered other forms of violence. Being young when the first assault occurred was highly predictive of developing PTSD, and for suffering from new occurrences of sexual assault in later life. They are less likely to report the abuse than nonautistic women and are often not believed when they do, mirroring the experience of nonautistic women.
Autistic people with mental health problems often also experience social stigma, isolation and rejection, including from health services designed to help, creating layers of trauma that compound over time.
One of the biggest challenges is that trauma symptoms can look exactly like autistic traits. This "diagnostic overshadowing" means trauma often goes unrecognized and untreated [3,6]. When you avoid certain places, it could be sensory preferences or trauma associations. Difficulty with changes might stem from an autistic need for routine or a trauma-based need for control. Those "shutdowns" could be autistic overwhelm or dissociation as a symptom of trauma. Social withdrawal might reflect autistic recharge needs or trauma-based avoidance.
Sometimes, to untangle these overlapping presentations, it helps to consider when behaviours or feelings started since trauma often has a clear ‘before’ and ‘after.’ This is more difficult to do if the trauma occurred when the autistic person was very young, as autobiographical memory is less articulate before the age of four years.
Notice if responses happen in specific contexts, because trauma responses often have triggers specific to the trauma. Pay attention to whether your baseline has changed, since trauma can shift your entire nervous system's functioning. Research emphasizes that careful assessment over time is needed to distinguish trauma responses from autism characteristics [3].
Studies show autistic people may express trauma through increased stimming or changes in stimming patterns, loss of previously mastered skills like speaking or self-care abilities, intensified sensory sensitivities, new or worsened meltdowns, and increased need for routine and predictability [2,3]. Research has documented higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, avoidance behaviours, depression, and anger in trauma-exposed autistic individuals compared to their non-trauma-exposed autistic peers [2]. These expressions are your nervous system's way of communicating distress, not character flaws or regression.
Research consistently shows that if you're autistic and marginalized in other ways, trauma risks multiply dramatically. Recent studies examining intersectionality found that autistic women and gender-diverse individuals face higher rates of sexual violence, more medical trauma from having their health concerns dismissed, additional trauma from masking both autistic and gender identity, and the intersection of ableism with sexism, racism, transphobia, or other forms of oppression [4,5].
A review applying minority stress theory to autistic women's experiences found that multiple marginalized identities create compound stressors that significantly impact mental health outcomes and service experiences [5].
Real change requires both systemic transformation and personal empowerment. Society must adopt evidence-based frameworks like the CDC's STOP-SV approach that prevents violence before it starts through promoting protective environments and teaching healthy relationship skills, or the WHO's RESPECT framework that addresses violence against women through relationship skills, empowerment, and transformed services. We need autism-informed implementations of these frameworks that recognize how communication differences, sensory needs, and social vulnerabilities shape violence prevention and response. This means training first responders to recognize autistic communication, ensuring abuse prevention programs are accessible with visual supports and clear language, and creating reporting systems that don't rely on neuro-normative social skills.
But while we fight for that systemic change, you deserve support right now. If you're reading this and recognizing your own experiences, know this: the trauma you've experienced is not your fault. Not the bullying, not the abuse, not the thousand small cuts of being told you're wrong for being yourself. Your brain processes the world differently, and that made you vulnerable in systems that should have protected you. Your trauma is real, your pain is valid, and you deserve healing on your own terms. Whether that's finding an autism-affirming therapist, connecting with other autistic trauma survivors, or simply beginning to name what happened to you, every step you take toward understanding your experience is an act of resistance against ignorance, lack of care, oppression and violence. You survived, and that survival is its own form of strength. The path forward is yours to choose, at your pace, in your way.
To explore this topic further, you might like to read our blog post .Autism and Trauma – Attwood & Garnett Events.
We have developed a full-day course on Trauma and Autism, to be webcast live on Friday 17 January 2026.
This session explores how trauma presents in autistic children, teenagers, and adults—and how their unique neurology can shape both vulnerability and resilience. Drawing on recent, evidence-based research and over 80 years of combined clinical experience, it focuses on understanding trauma through an autistic lens and providing pathways for sensitive, compassionate support.
Topics include:
We also offer companion events exploring areas such as anxiety, burnout, identity, and interoception, each designed to deepen understanding and strengthen support across the autistic lifespan. Together, these sessions provide a comprehensive framework for recognising trauma, responding effectively, and fostering long-term wellbeing for autistic children, adolescents, and adults.
[1] Cooke, K., Ridgway, K., Pecora, L., et al. (2025). Outcomes of experiencing interpersonal violence in autism: A mixed methods systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251357618
[2] Al-Hussaini, A., & AL-Nasrawii, M. S. (2025). The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and autism for children under 10 years, parents' perspective: A case control study. National Journal of Community Medicine, 16(8). https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.160820255419
[3] Lewandowska, Z., Figlerowicz, M., Stępień, G., et al. (2025). The traumatic stress response in children with autism spectrum disorder – a case series. Pediatria i Medycyna Rodzinna. https://doi.org/10.15557/pimr.2025.0021
[4] Adams, D., Malone, S. A., Lawson, W., et al. (2025). Autistic people's experiences with mental health services: Intersectionality matters. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/ktz6q_v2
[5] Grzeszak, A., & Pisula, E. (2025). Experiences of females on the autism spectrum through the perspective of minority stress theory: A review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1578963
[6] Jangid, R., Seema, N., Arun, G., et al. (2025). Interplay between adverse childhood experiences and neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review of recent evidence. Annals of Neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1177/09727531251359413
[7] Cazalis, F., Reyes, E., Leduc, S., Gourion D. (2022). Evidence That Nine Autistic Women Out of Ten Have Been Victims of Sexual Violence. Front Behav Neurosci. Apr 26;16:852203. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.852203.
