Acquired Neurodivergence: What It Means for Our Understanding of Trauma

Acquired Neurodivergence: What It Means for Our Understanding of Trauma

Note for this post: As a clinician, I am not fond of pathologizing language and have some concerns about the use of the word “disorder” to describe people’s adaptive reactions to their lived experiences. As such, you will note the absence of this word throughout this blog post and in my posts going forward.

When you think of neurodivergence, what definitions usually come to mind? Most people may think of Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity, or Attention-Deficit. However, many people may not immediately think of complex post-traumatic stress. In fact, many people are still unaware of complex post-traumatic stress and its impact on daily functioning.

This is where the idea of acquired neurodivergence becomes important. Acquired neurodivergence refers to changes in the way a person experiences emotions, relationships, identity, sensory input, memory, and the world around them as a result of lived experience, trauma, injury, or other life events that affect the brain and nervous system.

Complex Trauma and Acquired Neurodivergence

Complex post-traumatic stress differs from post-traumatic stress caused by a single incident in several key ways.

Complex trauma can create a deep confusion of identity that is not typically experienced with single-incident trauma. Repeated exposure to circumstances that overwhelm the brain’s ability to cope can lead to a shaken sense of self.

Complex trauma can also lead to difficulty coping with emotions. This may be described as emotional dysregulation. It can look like sudden shifts in emotion, feeling emotionally volatile, being highly sensitive to the emotions of others, becoming easily overstimulated by sounds or surroundings, and experiencing frequent fluctuations in emotional states.

Complex trauma often affects interpersonal relationships as well. People may struggle to relate to others or may find it difficult to act in socially expected ways within relationships. Complex trauma is deeply impacted by relationships, as many people who experience it have also experienced betrayal, abandonment, or hurt from those they were most deeply attached to.

For a more complete definition of complex post-traumatic stress, see here:

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-complex-ptsd-2797491

The Overlap Between Trauma and Neurodiversity

You may have already noticed some crossover between experiences commonly associated with Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity, Attention-Deficit, and complex trauma. However, people who have experienced complex trauma are often left out of the conversation about neurodiversity entirely.

This can create an environment where their experiences are dismissed or misunderstood. The circumstances that lead to complex post-traumatic stress are already devastating, and survivors often face additional scrutiny due to the ways their nervous systems have adapted. The result can be a distinct feeling of othering that may mimic or even recreate previous experiences of emotional abandonment, neglect, or bullying.

These re-traumatizing effects can have significant consequences when someone experiences them over time.

As a survivor of complex trauma myself, and as someone who works daily with other survivors, I have seen how common these manifestations of acquired neurodivergence can be. I have listened to many survivors share that they never understood why they experience hyperfixation on specific subjects or hobbies, why they have difficulty relating to others, why they feel hyper-empathetic to the feelings and actions of others, or why they are hypersensitive to their surroundings.

Many have sought an explanatory diagnosis such as Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity, or Attention-Deficit, only to find that the explanation felt inconclusive or unsatisfactory. Some end up feeling frustrated with the mental health field when the medications or interventions prescribed for their “symptoms” do not address the deeper context of their lived experiences.

I cannot blame them. When you have experienced emotional abandonment, overwhelming fear, and devastating relational trauma, it is heartbreaking for a clinician to dismiss those experiences and look only at treating symptoms.

Acquired Neurodivergence Is Not Something to “Fix”

To be perfectly clear, understanding the why and how behind these expressions of neurodiversity is not done with the goal of trying to “fix” them. Rather, it is meant to bring relief to survivors who have been misdiagnosed, over-diagnosed, or pathologized without a meaningful explanation or a compassionate way forward.

None of these expressions of neurodiversity are bad or wrong. They are adaptations to a world that felt unsafe, and in many cases, truly was unsafe. Our work in the present is to understand, process, and improve quality of life, rather than trying to erase or “fix” the person.

Other Forms of Acquired Neurodivergence

Complex trauma is not the only experience that can cause acquired neurodivergence. People who experience traumatic brain injuries are another example. Any injury or change affecting regions of the brain involved in emotion, social learning, connection, and memory can contribute to acquired neurodivergence.

Experiencing complex trauma can have similar impacts on the brain and nervous system as other forms of injury or disruption. This does not mean every survivor will have the same experience, but it does mean trauma can shape how the brain learns to protect, respond, connect, and survive.

Born Neurodiversity and Trauma

The struggle is also mutual. Many people who are born neurodiverse experience traumatizing conditions due to societal pressure and a lack of accommodation. They may experience bullying, ostracization, or emotional abandonment by caretakers, parents, schools, workplaces, or communities that are unwilling or unable to accommodate their needs.

People with Autism have a higher likelihood of experiencing additional mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety, or depression. Similarly, children and adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity or Attention-Deficit may experience increased distress when schools, workplaces, relationships, and communities refuse to adjust expectations based on their experiences of neurodiversity.

It is also important to note that people can experience both born and acquired neurodivergence. People who are born neurodiverse may be more likely to experience complex trauma, which means these experiences are almost never mutually exclusive.

Why Labels Matter in Therapy

So, what does this mean for therapy, and why are labels important?

Experiences of complex trauma deeply impact identity. Being continuously othered, whether intentionally or not, from a group that someone may closely relate to can have a harmful impact on mental health.

Using the term acquired neurodivergence can help destigmatize these experiences. It can create space for survivors of complex trauma and people who are born neurodiverse to form communities where different experiences of neurodiversity are understood and welcomed.

In therapy spaces, clinicians can learn to better understand the origins of neurodivergence in their clients. This allows for a more compassionate, trauma-informed, and nonjudgmental environment for healing.

At its core, acquired neurodivergence helps us understand that many responses to trauma are not signs that someone is broken. They are signs that the brain and nervous system adapted in order to survive. Therapy can offer a space where those adaptations are honored, understood, and gently supported as the person moves toward greater safety, connection, and quality of life.

References:

Autism Speaks. (2025). Autism by the Numbers 2025 Annual Report. Washington, D.C.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/ABN

Tull, M. (2025, October 25). Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and how it differs from PTSD. Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-complex-ptsd-2797491