Autism and trauma

Sometimes hard things happen, and then it seems like we get stuck. We can’t move on. We keep on living as if the hard things are happening again. Perhaps we felt very unsafe because of an accident – and months later we still feel unsafe every time we get in a car, even though it’s all over now.  It might even feel like it’s happening again and again.

Autistic children can be particularly vulnerable to this.  To them, the world can be confusing and unpredictable, and other people can seem threatening.  Their responses to the world around them are interpreted as ‘behaviour’ rather than as signs of distress. Many of them get stuck, and their experience of the world around them is that it isn’t safe. They aren’t safe.

Parents often find it hard to understand what’s going on, and that’s what I’m talking about in my next webinar on Monday Jan 15th. Helping Your Autistic Child with Trauma. 

This one isn’t about school, it’s about all types of trauma – big and small.  I’ll help you understand how trauma affects the brain, why this is particularly relevant for autistic children and what parents can do to help. 

Please share if you know parents who might benefit.

Illustration by Eliza Fricker (www.missingthemark.co.uk)