The most common metaphor used to describe our brains is a supercomputer. Both can crunch vast amounts of data, run on complex circuits, and transport data using electrical signals. However, this comparison does the organ between your ears a huge disservice – it’s much more complex than that.
Neuroscientists disagree on precisely how many neurons our brain is comprised of – some say over 80 billion, while others have claimed over 100 billion. Either way, it’s a staggering number.
People generally don’t question when others have different physical features, and it is often assumed that everyone’s brain is more or less wired the same. For years, medical science thought the same thing – people had regular neurological wiring, or different wiring, which insinuated some sort of problem. However, as we move towards a more inclusive and accepting world, scientists have come to realise that no two brains are wired up precisely the same. We’re all a little bit different, and this is where the idea of neurodiversity comes into play.
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What Is Neurodiversity?
As with many fields of neuroscience, there isn’t an exact definition of neurodiversity. Originally coined in 1988 by Judy Singer in her Sociology honours thesis, the idea is now the subject of many different scientific papers and studies.
Neurodiversity refers to differences between human brains that affect sociability, learning, mood, attention, and other mental functions. It challenges the view that any deviation from the norm is pathological and a disability, instead suggesting that societal barriers are the main contributing factor that disables people. Originally used to describe those on the autism spectrum, it now encompasses a huge range of conditions from ADHD to Parkinson’s disease.
Neurodiversity and Trauma
Trauma occurs in response to events where we feel unsafe, threatened, or distressed. People often associate extreme events such as witnessing death, serious injury, war, or natural disasters as common sources of trauma, and they’re right. Instances such as these can leave a lasting imprint on our nervous system.
However, we are all different, and as a result, so is our response to the world. This means that trauma is highly subjective – what might not register for one person could be life-changing for another. Anything that puts us under sufficient levels of stress can be potentially traumatic and could range from feeling unheard to not having our educational needs met in school.[1]
As such, when considering trauma treatment, we must pay close attention to how trauma neurodivergent individual in question experiences the world rather than how we would. We need to validate each individual’s unique response if we are to make trauma treatment as inclusive as possible. Below, we explore just a few of the many ways in which neurodivergent people may experience trauma.
Traumatic Sensory Overload
People with differing sensory experiences often find the world a hard place to inhabit. For most of us, the sound of a fire alarm, leaf blower, or a crisp packet crackling wouldn’t even register; we’d forget about it the minute it passed. However, these sounds can be completely overwhelming for those prone to sensory overload, causing their nervous system to move into fight, flight, or freeze.[2]
This is compounded by the fact that these experiences are often invalidated or not accommodated by others around them. As a result, people often learn to mask their threat response because they don’t want to show fear or embarrass themselves, which does not allow the nervous system to complete the trauma cycle or fully discharge the stress response.
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The staff at our globally recognised mental health clinic have been informed, trained and supervised by some of the world’s leading trauma experts such as Dr Bessel van der Kolk, Dr Janina Fisher, Dr Stephen Porges, Dr Dick Schwartz and more.
Bullying and Social Isolation
Unfortunately, certain neurodivergent children and young people face a higher risk of bullying and social isolation, increasing the prevalence of distress compared to rest of the population.[3] It goes without saying that bullying is an incredibly distressing experience and is enough to cause long-term trauma and PTSD.
However, what is often not discussed is the trauma of feeling different. Humans exist within certain societal behavioural norms, and we often shun people who break those perceived norms. As a species, we crave connection with other people, and this is no less true for neurodivergents than it is for the rest of society.
If people cannot feel they can form meaningful bonds with their peers, it can leave them feeling misunderstood, dejected, and distressed. This can also lead to people masking their neurodiversity in an effort to fit in, further exacerbating the feeling they can’t embrace their true selves.
Difficulty Communicating
We need to be able to convey our feelings to others in order to feel safe and to have our needs met. However, navigating the landscape of social communication can be difficult for neurodivergent people.
This is especially true for those who struggle with uncertainty. What might come across as a neurodivergent being inflexible, rigid, or stubborn could very well be them attempting to remain in a state where they feel safe. This can result in misunderstandings and people being labelled as difficult and can also be a barrier to receiving proper treatment and care.[4]
Misdiagnosis and Diagnostic Overshadowing
One of the most significant challenges faced by many neurodivergent people is being misunderstood by the professionals and systems designed to support them.
Symptoms of trauma and neurodivergence can overlap in complex ways. Difficulties with concentration, emotional regulation, sensory sensitivity, social interaction, anxiety, and executive functioning can all occur in both trauma and neurodivergent presentations. As a result, people may spend years receiving treatment for anxiety, depression, or burnout without anyone recognising an underlying neurodivergent condition.
The reverse can also happen. Trauma-related symptoms may be dismissed as simply part of being autistic or having ADHD, preventing people from receiving appropriate trauma-focused support. This is sometimes referred to as diagnostic overshadowing, where one diagnosis causes other difficulties to be overlooked.
When neurodivergence and trauma coexist, it is important that both are recognised and understood. Effective treatment should consider not only what has happened to a person, but also how they experience and process the world around them.
Without this understanding, people can be left feeling misunderstood, unsupported, and frustrated by treatments that never seem to fully address the difficulties they are facing.
The Impact of Masking
Masking is the conscious or unconscious work of hiding or changing neurodivergent traits to fit in or avoid rejection. It usually starts in childhood, when feedback from peers, teachers, or family teaches that some natural ways of being are unwelcome.
Over years, this takes a real toll. Constantly monitoring how you appear, suppressing impulses, and performing a version of yourself leads to chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, and identity confusion. The system never gets to rest in who it actually is.
There is also a clinical cost. Masking can hide the distress underneath, which can delay diagnosis and support, particularly for women and girls. In therapy itself, the same pattern can replay: the person performs being well rather than letting the work touch what is hard. They stay stuck in pretending and self-suppression, even in the place meant to help them stop.
Recognising masking is part of recognising the trauma it grew out of. Putting it down is rarely simple, but it is possible with the right support.
Conclusion
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of the ways in which neurodivergent people can be more susceptible to trauma than the rest of the population, it can provoke thought and reflection.
If we are to make trauma treatment and recovery as comprehensive as possible, we need to not only consider an individual’s circumstances, but the unique way in which they perceive said circumstances, alongside practical strategies and appropriate support.
If you have a client or know of someone who may be struggling with trauma, neurodivergence, masking, burnout, or the issues discussed in this article, Khiron Clinics offers trauma-informed residential and outpatient treatment tailored to each individual’s needs.
To discuss treatment options or make an enquiry, visit www.khironclinics.com/contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can trauma cause neurodivergence?
No, trauma does not cause neurodivergence in the sense of producing autism or ADHD, which have strong genetic and developmental roots. However, trauma can produce changes in attention, mood, and behaviour that look similar to neurodivergent traits and can be mistaken for them.
Are neurodivergent children at greater risk of experiencing trauma?
Yes. Neurodivergent children are more likely to experience bullying, sensory overload, social isolation, and the chronic stress of being misunderstood or asked to mask. Each of these can leave traumatic imprints, and they often accumulate quietly over years rather than arriving as a single visible event.
How does neurodivergence trauma affect emotional and social wellbeing?
It can leave people exhausted from masking, anxious in social situations, and unsure of who they are underneath the performance. Connection can feel risky, self-trust can erode, and the nervous system stays alert in environments that feel unsafe even when they look ordinary to others.
What does trauma-informed care involve when supporting neurodivergent people?
It means recognising that many behaviours read as difficulty are actually nervous system responses to invalidation, overload, or feeling unsafe. Care moves at the person’s pace, accommodates sensory needs, does not require masking, and treats the underlying trauma rather than asking the person to suppress more.
Can trauma influence how a person presents as neurodivergent?
Yes. Trauma can amplify how neurodivergent traits show up, making sensory sensitivity sharper, social withdrawal stronger, or executive function harder. It can also obscure them, leaving the person presenting as anxious or depressed while the underlying neurodivergence and its accommodations go unrecognised.
Sources
[1] van der Kolk, Bessel A. “The Body Keeps The Score: Memory And The Evolving Psychobiology Of Posttraumatic Stress”. Harvard Review Of Psychiatry, vol 1, no. 5, 1994, pp. 253-265. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), doi:10.3109/10673229409017088. Accessed 18 July 2021.
[2] Scheydt, Stefan et al. “Sensory overload: A concept analysis.” International journal of mental health nursing vol. 26,2 (2017): 110-120. doi:10.1111/inm.12303
[3] Zablotsky, Benjamin et al. “Risk factors for bullying among children with autism spectrum disorders.” Autism : the international journal of research and practice vol. 18,4 (2014): 419-27. doi:10.1177/1362361313477920
[4] Autistic People May Not Receive Treatment For PTSD | LDT”. LDT, 2021, https://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/autistic-people-may-not-receive-treatment-they-treatment-they-need-for-likely-ptsd.
