Episode 249: Autistic Solitude and Trauma as Strategy

“Today’s episode challenges common assumptions about certain behaviours frequently attributed to autistic individuals, proposing they may be trauma responses rather than inherent traits. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that behaviours often labeled as hyper-individualism, such as social withdrawal or emotional detachment, could be adaptations to chronic misattunement, systemic neglect, and relational harm. This reframing suggests that these actions are not evidence of a lack of interest in others but rather survival strategies developed in environments that were consistently unsafe or unrewarding. Dr. Hoerricks advocates for a trauma-informed, PTMF lens in understanding autistic experiences, highlighting how misinterpreting these responses as fixed characteristics can hinder support and healing.”

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/when-solitude-becomes-strategy-reframing

Let me know what you think.