Late-diagnosed autistic adults often face significant trauma from years of misunderstanding, alienation, and the pressure to conform to societal norms. Growing up without understanding their neurodivergence, many struggle with sensory overload, often receiving criticism or even punishment for differences in the ways they interact with the world. These experiences frequently lead to chronic anxiety, isolation, and low self-worth, as well as burnout and depression from the constant need to mask their authentic selves. The realisation of neurodivergence later in life can bring both a sense of validation and grief, prompting a re-evaluation of their life and  complex emotions associated with what could have been different with earlier understanding and support.

A trauma-informed therapeutic approach is essential for creating a safe space during the process of unmasking. This type of support acknowledges the emotional toll of masking and the accumulated trauma, and it provides the empathy and validation necessary to facilitate healing. Trauma-informed therapy helps individuals explore their identity without fear of being pathologised, empowering them to progress at their own pace while recognising triggers and vulnerabilities.

By understanding the impact of systemic biases, stigma, and social exclusion, trauma-informed care helps reframe past experiences often misattributed to personal failure. It encourages grieving for missed opportunities while fostering self-compassion, acceptance, and resilience. The unmasking process, while liberating, is also deeply vulnerable, requiring careful navigation as individuals let go of long-standing survival strategies. Trauma-informed therapeutic support provides a crucial foundation for this journey, focusing on safety, validation, and building authentic ways of engaging with the world.

This presentation will highlight how fostering safe therapeutic alliances can facilitate self-compassion and self-acceptance,  and enhance overall well-being for those experiencing the process of late identification, through both clinical and lived experience perspectives.

The Australian Childhood Foundation and Therapy Focus are undertaking a project in Western Australia to co-develop and pilot new training and resources for caregivers, teachers and community workers to better understand and respond to the interface of trauma and Autism.

Autism and trauma often co-occur, yet this intersection remains poorly understood.  Autistic children experience more adverse childhood experiences than neurotypical peers and are vulnerable to interpersonal trauma, exploitation, bullying.  They face increased challenges at school and are statistically more likely to be in out-of-home care. Identifying signs/symptoms of developmental trauma in autistic children is challenging as they may overlap and mirror characteristics. Critical gaps include a lack of integrated screening, limited awareness and training of professionals, inconsistent use of trauma-responses.

The project brings together trauma-transformative and neuroaffirming expertise to create resources that support safer, validating environments and richer connections for autistic children and young people.

The project involves three stages:

This session will present the insights, video bites, and findings from the project; and a preview of the new resources that are being created.  

Recent studies show that 9 in 10 Autistic women have been sexually victimised in their lives. I am one of them. There needs to be more awareness around the experience of trauma in neurodivergent people.

In this presentation, I explore the impact of interoceptive experiences (how our bodies feel and interpret internal cues and emotions) being invalidated in Autistic individuals. This invalidation can lead to a lack of trust in their own body cues and the implementation of complex masking strategies, such as people-pleasing. Consequently, these adaptations increase the vulnerability of Autistic people to experience trauma.

I will share my personal experience, detailing the process through which I 'learnt' not to listen to my own body and sought external validation for my experiences. During this time, I was repeatedly victimised without recognising it. To cope, I created a part of myself that could perform these tasks, believing that this was necessary to stay safe.

Given these experiences, it is essential that neurodivergent children are supported in developing their interoceptive awareness. Their feelings and sensations need to be validated to create a strong sense of identity and to develop their ability to self-advocate.

This presentation includes lived experiences of neurodivergence and trauma, illustrating why neurodivergence may contribute to the vulnerability of trauma survivors. Furthermore, it highlights how individuals may not be aware of their own trauma due to the intricate and adaptive nature of dissociation and unconscious masking.