Does child abuse lead to Asperger's?

Post Reply New Topic

If you read enough of my posts, and I really don't expect anyone to weed through everyone of them, but if you were to, you would find there is a reason for what I said. I'm actually a lot more open minded about this than you might think.

I view "Autism" and "autism" as a couple of different things, based on the historical use of the term. Autism, the disorder described in the DSM is, to me, present from birth, but may not be detectable until later. But "autism" as a set of symptoms alone, that could be caused by any number of things, I view a bit differently. I believe it's possible the second might be able to be "cured," and may explain some of the stories of cured children that are out there. I see those cases as "mimicking" Autism as described in the DSM.

I'm look back at when "autism" didn't refer to any specific diagnosis, but referred to a loose set of traits that often occurred with Schizophrenia, and possibly other disorders, as well as could have been caused by any number of other things, including environmental factors. Autism, the diagnosis though, has a specific definition, is defined my most who diagnose it to be present from birth, and is therefore presumed by most to be genetic.

It's a pain in the neck to have to clarify that about me, but if I don't, I all too often end up in unproductive arguments simply because people think I'm talking about one thing, but I'm really talking about something else.

Anyone can just say, "Autism is autism," but it's not really the case. There is no clear consensus on what it means among even professionals, so I'm kind of forced to draw at least some of my own conclusions, and explain them a lot. At least that way you understand where I'm coming from. Not that you'll necessarily agree with it.

Abuse can lead to PTSD and anxiety disorders. Anxiety and PTSD are also commonly co-morbid with autism.

So they may have some aspects on the exterior that look the same, but they are different at the core.

Abuse can cause Environmental autism.
I believe this is a diagnoses to give kids their services they need to thrive.

I think there is a correlation. Complex PTSD can mimic or contribute to symptoms of ASD or aspergers.

Asperger's is a developmental disorder. It is present after birth or very soon after birth. It is a life-long condition. This is fundamental. You may have Asperger's as it is not always diagnosed, but abuse would not be the cause.

Your abuse can lead to symptoms that people with autism/Asperger's also have. There are other conditions that also share traits with Asperger's, however, you really need a professional to help identify that. If you need support, it will only be effective if it is designed for the problems you face. There are stories about how harmful a misdiagnosis can be on an individual. Even if you have Asperger's, if your underlying issue is related to abuse, you should find someone that can identify that and help you.

I think that Asperger's leads to child abuse. Parents will try anything possible to force their autistic children to fit their narrow definition of "Normal".

I hope I don't sound harsh but it seems that the number of members here who was abused in some way as a child seem to outweigh those of us that lived in secure, loving families. Maybe I'm wrong but it's just something I've noticed in my 10 years of being a frequent member here.

I definitely concur with this. I had severe PTSD growing up because of times I had to spend months in pICU with no parent around, and suffering some terrible abuse (won't get into this part, not my parents, though). Both of my parents are NT, but I am adopted and do not know my biological parents.

That said:

Cousin who is severely autistic - Father has issues and was abused as a child; mother has some Asperger tendencies
Female cousin who is Aspergers - Same parents as above, the other child is an NT.
Male cousin who is Aspergers - Both parents are NT

Male Nephew #1 who has Aspergers - Father is NT, mother has some ADHD traits
Male Nephew #2 who has Aspergers - Father is NT, mother has moderate ADD traits
Male Nephew #3 who has Aspergers - Father no longer lives in home and had turbulent childhood. He was never abusive (that I know) but he had issues and it showed. Mother is very impulsive but can hold a job. They separated when he was three.
Male Nephew #4 - Severely Autistic - Father has brother who is severely autistic, and sister who has Aspergers; he was the only NT child in that family (see above). Mother is NT.

None of these have severe medical issues. One is type II diabetic; another had a burst appendix and spent nearly 2 months in the hospital. I am the only one who had complex medical issues (I am also type II diabetic) due to premature birth and car wrecks/burns. Health issues along with Aspergers/autism seem to go hand-in-hand in many other cases, though.

STUPID STUPID STUPID IDEA
however i'd like to point out that abuse can cause some disorders that can appear like autism and could lead to misdiagnosis.

I don’t think abuse causes autism because I do think autism is something you are born with. I do think though that if a neurotypical experiences enough abuse, that it can cause them to develop outward symptoms that may look like ASD. My mother was a malignant narcissist and I’ve noticed that it’s very common for Aspies to come from families where a parent has Narcissistic or Borderline Personality disorder. I don’t know if there’s a genetic link between the two or just that autistics are more likely to be the scapegoated child if a parent is disordered. I also wonder if in some cases people were misdiagnosed, like they’re really an NT but show outward symptoms that look like autism due to their abuse.

It's an old thread, but I guess it's still a question that is asked perhaps by those new to autism.

As stated many times... nope, definitely not, totally different, abuse is traumatic and likely to lead to an anxiety related diagnosis, for example CPTSD caused by ongoing abuse in the environment and ASD being a neurodevelopmental disorder present from birth.
Superficially the symptoms seem similar in some ways, but the cause of the symptoms are totally different.
Thread I started trying to tell the two apart:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=376778&hilit=ptsd

I always had aspie traits as a child, but at age 7 I was sexually abused by a family friend. I was also physically abused by my father (eg slapped because I couldn’t throw a baseball properly), so I also developed schizophrenia. These 2 diagnoses mesh together and mimic each other and I’m very confused. I got through life by faking (emulating others, masking, scripting). I feel like most everyone around me doesn’t understand me or possibly thinks I’m not disabled due to comments like, and I get mad even typing it...

- Be a man
- Grow some balls and [fill in task that they think is “simple”]
- It’s just depression
- You were normal and did well at your job that one time, so why aren’t you ok now?
- Just get up in the morning and do stuff and you’ll feel better
- You only say you feel bad to get out of doing tasks
- Stop saying you need help, only you can help yourself
- If you feel so bad, then why don’t you go get help? (Sometimes I cant even leave home)
- you're taking advantage of everyone by not sharing the load
- Why can’t you pay the bills correctly?
- Just breathe (when I’m having anxiety or a meltdown)
- If you need support, it’s up to you to find friends or whatever

It’s just really frustrating and I don’t even have anything other than an online group therapy chat to talk about my abuse, and I don’t usually feel like doing it. I don’t know how to make my significant other understand my situation and the severity of it all. I’ve been off and on numerous meds but I can’t even get motivated enough to be compliant. I’ve been abandoned.

The title is wrong. In reality, it's the other way around: having Asperger's leads to being abused as a child.

Why? First, many parents don't so much love their child per se, but rather the idea of their child. Namely, a loi playtoy they can dress up in cute clothes and boss around, who does what it's [sic] told. Like two-legged pet. Aspies don't have the pragmatic language and social skills to instantaneously determine what parents expect, and equally instantaneously deliver it. The parents, in turn, feel shortchanged by not getting the playtoy they wanted. This leads to the child failing to meet the parents' expectations, which leads to the parents' anger, which leads to abuse.

Second, lack of social skills in aspie kids often manifests itself as a weak personality. Weakness angers NTs. The aspie child can't really stand up themselves the way an NT child can, like pushing back against early bedtimes, having to earn dessert at mealtimes, and other prohibitions. Per Charles Darwin's law, this weakness triggers a subconscious predatory instinct in parents. This instinct is the same as that in bullies, only it's directed at the parents' own child. Furthermore, the predatory actions are presented in the guide of "love" or "for the child's own good", like limiting the child's water intake. Only the aspie child knows the truth, but can do nothing about it.

Third, emotional abuse of aspie children is not only allowed to happen, but enabled by family therapists. Many times, I told how my parents emotionally abused me, and all she did was make cooing noises and/or say "awww, you feel sad". I quickly learned she wanted no part in helping me, let alone teaching me to assert myself, and possibly even enjoyed seeing me miserable. I stopped telling her anything that went on in my family, and kept her busy with fabricated issues, like nightmares. I'm sure other aspie kids had these experiences with therapists too.

Science has clearly and consistently disproven this theory at this point.
Brain scans, genetic research (tons of this), familial history, etc.

I'm sure that child abuse at a very young age when the brain is still developing is one of the reasons of it. Alexithymia or Asperger's for emotional self-protection as well as disliking or distrusting other people can be the result of it.

Think abuse can aggravate autism. Not having had the experience of a childhood without abuse, can only say was happiest when I was on my own. For the most part. But was encouraged to be somewhat self supportive .
As a possibly direct result of the abuse . But decidedly had a somewhat Slightly positive academic Early upbringing.