Inter parental conflict - can a child get ptsd style / spectrum symptoms from living in a "war Zone"

I think the overwhelming concensus is that autism is either present from birth or isn't, i.e. it can't be "acquired" during life. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the symptoms of autism appearing due to psychological harm.

A very interesting topic is the interplay of nature and nurture in autistic people - especially for me & others diagnosed late in life looking back across the decades to try to work out what impact undiagnosed autism had on the development of our personalities, in order to work out what can be safely changed and nurtured going forwards and what is best left alone.

I also wonder to what extent autism and/or the personality developed with undiagnosed autism can colour our views of others, especially in family relationships (for e.g. I perceive my mother as narcissistic but wonder how our relationship might have developed had I been different as a child and young adult).

I think the overwhelming concensus is that autism is either present from birth or isn't, i.e. it can't be "acquired" during life. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the symptoms of autism appearing due to psychological harm.

A very interesting topic is the interplay of nature and nurture in autistic people - especially for me & others diagnosed late in life looking back across the decades to try to work out what impact undiagnosed autism had on the development of our personalities, in order to work out what can be safely changed and nurtured going forwards and what is best left alone.

I also wonder to what extent autism and/or the personality developed with undiagnosed autism can colour our views of others, especially in family relationships (for e.g. I perceive my mother as narcissistic but wonder how our relationship might have developed had I been different as a child and young adult).

Pretty much what IdwCC says... during my assessments my therapist referred to the fact there had been a number of 'traumatic' events in my childhood - I'd never thought of them that way, they were just 'stuff that happened'.

The suggestion being that the impact on an autistic child is likely to be more significant due to hyper-sensitivity to (for example) shouting, screaming, banging things around, chaotic environment etc. but be less 'visible' as the child withdraws from those painful stimuli...

So, 'yes' any child could get PTSD-type symptoms from being raised in a 'hostile' environment and an autistic child particularly so, but 'no' you wouldn't 'get autism' - though I can see a child could display 'autism-like' behaviours e.g. selective mutism, lack of eye-contact, ritualised behaviour patterns, dislike of physical contact etc. as a 'defence' against the stress of their environment...

Thats very interesting...Thanks