Autistic Trauma: What It Is and How to Help - Marcy Willard PhD
marcywillardphd.com
A new understanding of autistic trauma has emerged in the research. Dr. Tasha Oswald's presentation on autistic trauma at a recent conference provided invaluable insights into the often-overlooked experiences of autistic individuals. As a psychologist in the autism field, I was struck by her emphasis on moving beyond the medical model and embracing a neurodiversity-affirming approach. Here’s a look at the recent research on autistic trauma treatment, based on the important work of Dr. Oswald.

So I’ve been thinking about how unhinged I’ve been over the past several months around employment and society, and I’m wondering if I’m having a trauma reaction from all the bad times I’ve had with employment.

I’ve been fired from I’d say half the jobs I’ve ever had. In my chosen field and trained field, I have never once had a job I looked forward to going to. My last job experience was really, really, horrible, despite having an advanced degree and a language skill, I was kept making coffee because I didn’t cajole and get along with the power structure and made the mistake of publically criticizing.

It’s hard for me to even write about without getting upset, yet, if I want to make a living, I have to keep applying to these jobs for which I keep bombing the interview, for which, if I ever get the job, I will probably have to deal with unethical egotistical backstabbing morons every day until I get fired or rage quit (like the last job).

In the meantime, I can’t go to therapy, because therapy is the field I’m in and I’d estimate the percentage of therapists who can actually talk to me without immediately getting defensive is about 1%, which throws me back to the Daniel Mackler quote, “It is easier to become a good therapist than to find one,” which leads me here because I’m wondering what:

a) experiences y’all have had for autistic burnout and
b) anything you tried to help you through it and
c) any resources you’d find helpful.

I also think that I’m sour on employment specifically because it is basically the ony time I’m forced to interact with people on a regular basis, which makes me think autism might be the key to this current trauma. I’ve tried socializing in meetups and other venues, and it always fizzled, but it never ends horribly the way work does.

  • Cherry@piefed.socialEnglish
    5·
    5 days ago

    I wasn’t being factious. We are led to believe that work will be fair and we will be treated as a valued asset. We generally have laws on it. But the reality is not there. I would say a lot of neurodivergent people rely on that logic. SO when it does happen its hard to reconcile.

    You/we should be treated fair. I think a some people let that slide and some just cant and that makes the work-life a lot tougher.

    • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.worksOP
      3·
      5 days ago

      Yeah, well, I’m starting to see the outline of the problem is that without a real verifiable job skill to distinguish myself, I forever will be at the mercy of being liked by allistic people. Social work is absolutely unverifiable work and actually quite immediately and obviously horrible people have long and successful careers as therapists. Case management is worse, where everyone pretty much does an equivalent job and the only thing that matters is psychologically servicing your supervisor and agency.

      Retail is just as bad, everyone can do every job just as well, really, but probably the most important qualification is unethical behavior in meeting metrics; but, yeah, there’s a guy here that says he could never get above shift supervisor, probably because shooting the shit with the manager at the golf course is required for anything higher than that…

      So I’m an old fucking man, but don’t see much choice but to try to get an apprenticeship in some kind of trade, even if it means working for free for a few months while I’m not employed. Then at least people can say, “What can you do?” instead of “How do you make me feel?”