Is There a Link Between Autism and Trauma?

Much like how gender and sexual variance have been stigmatized and seen as requiring “treatment'' in the past, many in the neurodiverse community find themselves pressured into conforming to the “norms” of society. The tendency to reject non-conformity by society causes immense harm to neurodiverse populations for effectively no reason. Not only are autistic people predisposed to have mental illnesses, the lack of social support and understanding almost universally leads to experiencing many traumatic events and the subsequent development of trauma induced disorders. Paired with that, there is a woeful lack of support for those in need. With these factors combined, it’s easy to see why autistic people self harm and attempt or commit suicide at a significantly higher rate than the general population. The statistics are even more chilling when focusing on autistic women, who are twice as likely to attempt suicide than autistic men.

Add in gender diversity and the risks only increase. Gender identities outside of the norm often cause social ostracization. Xenogender identities (which are only found in the neurodiverse) are almost universally mocked or discredited. The little research there is on these atypical gender presentations is filtered solely through a neurotypical perspective that often wants to “correct” instead of understand and include. The primary argument against the validity of xenogenders can seemingly be summarized as “gender is a construct; since there is no way to prove others experience it differently, atypical versions of the construct are rejected”, leading those that are already marginalized in many ways to face even more oppression and trauma.