Workshop Description:
Traditional trauma-informed care often overlooks the lived experience of Autistic individuals, especially those who are high-masking and late-diagnosed. This workshop brings visibility to the layered, chronic, and often misunderstood trauma of Autistic adults who have spent their lives camouflaging to survive. Clinicians will explore the sensory, relational, systemic, and developmental factors that uniquely shape trauma in this population.
We will examine six distinct trauma types common in Autistic clients, confront the lack of ND-affirming therapeutic models, and explore the clinical consequences of misattuned care. Participants will walk away equipped with affirming strategies that align with existing trauma-informed models, offering safety, dignity, and validation to Autistic clients who have rarely experienced it.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify six unique forms of trauma frequently experienced by high-masking Autistic individuals:
- Sensory-based trauma
- Communication trauma
- Family system trauma (undiagnosed Autistic family)
- Relational trauma and exploitation
- Provider-induced/systemic trauma
- Invalidation and chronic misattunement
2. Describe how undiagnosed Autism within families contributes to complex intergenerational trauma.
3. Evaluate the limitations of existing trauma-informed frameworks when applied without a Neurodiversity-affirming lens.
4. Review and interpret research findings that show significantly higher trauma rates in Autistic adults compared to neurotypical populations.
5. Integrate trauma-informed interventions, including parts work, somatic regulation, and creative narrative, with sensory accommodations and ND-informed adaptations.
6. Implement affirming, practical changes to create a safer and more attuned clinical environment for late diagnosed Autistic clients.