Research Proposal: Exploring Mind-Body Therapies for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Autistic Women and Gender-Diverse Individuals

Autistic people may be more likely to experience trauma, cumulative trauma and PTSD. This mixed methods research proposal aims to address significant gaps in autism and trauma research. Autistic women and gender-diverse individuals face significant barriers in autism research. Existing diagnostic and treatment models are based on male-centric frameworks, leading to underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and inadequate support for this population. While validated trauma interventions for autistic people are scarce in general, autistic women and gender-diverse individuals are almost absent in these studies. To address these gaps, this thesis has 4 main sections; 1) a literature review on existing research, 2) a survey on expert perspectives in this context, 3) A scoping review on methodologies for mind-body treatments in this population, 4) proposed randomised controlled trials on mind-body therapies for this population and 4b) proposed interviews evaluating the lived experience of this population before, during and after the trials. The integration of expert knowledge, quantitative outcomes and lived experience in this research challenges gender biases in autism care and adds to the development of autism-informed trauma treatments. Findings of this thesis and the proposed trials may provide critical insight into trauma-informed care for autistic women and gender-diverse individuals, influencing both practice and policy.