A recent study found that "mild" stress is enough to trigger PTSD in autistic individuals. Think about that. MILD stress triggering PTSD in autistic individuals. And not enough people are talking about it. This is a SIGNIFICANT finding, if you ask me. 

So let's talk about it...

The journal article stated that "A single mild stress can form a traumatic memory" for autistic people.

What I want to talk about is what "mild stress" means because I think this is actually one of the most misunderstood aspects of autism.

As an autistic person, when something triggers my autistic brain, it never feels mild. In fact, it usually feels more like an attack... triggering MASSIVE anxiety. 

As an example, if I order a coffee and when I get it, there is something about it that's not quite right... maybe it's not hot enough, or they didn't fill it up all the way... most people would probably find it slightly annoying but shrug it off and move on with their day... 

But my brain will be overcome by the "little" thing that's bothering me and will send me into a panic. I often hyperventilate over these "small" things or what might be considered "mild" stressors... which derail my entire day if I'm not able to find a quick resolution. 

Despite the journal article referring to these stressors as "mild" (which I think is more about the external perception of the autistic experience rather than the internal autistic experience)... I found this research incredibly validating. 

What it tells me is that when my brain is triggered by these "little inconsequential" things... like when I have meltdowns over haircuts that don't turn out "right"... my brain is actually forming a traumatic memory. 🤯 

(Which is why I cut my own hair... badly... now rather than risking experiencing the same trauma again.)

So what this research is telling me is that my internal reactions to these types of things are actually "normal"... or at least common... autistic responses.

And that's just the BIGGEST weight lifted that I didn't know I was carrying. 

Anyone else?

#AutismAwarenessMonth

Before I end this video, I do want to add a few points that I think are worth noting...

The study was done using mice because the researchers used something called a “contextual fear conditioning” test, along with a type of restraint stress, to create PTSD-like reactions, which would be unethical to perform on humans. 

Of course, mice aren't people, but scientists use them because their brains have many similarities to human brains at a genetic level. 

Since this type of research can't be conducted on humans, even though it's obviously not going to translate 100% to the human experience... I do think these results offer incredibly valuable insight into the way autistic people respond to "mild" stressors.

Anyway, that’s all I got for this video. I hope you found it helpful. 

And since it’s still April, happy Autism Awareness Month!