I don’t know if it’s autism directly/specifically, but I understand your question and think you’re right.
Personal hypothesis here from my own research and anecdotal evidence, but admittedly without numbers to cite: we are far more prone to anxiety than the average NT is +
the effect of a trauma feels strongly amplified. It affects our nervous systems more because we’re already “on” before anything even happens.
It’s like daily life uses up such a large fraction of our coping capacity that unexpected storms on top of that can flood our system, triggering an overly cautious outlook afterward. It’s a natural self-preservation reflex, and we do seem more prone to that reflex being triggered by trauma, likely because we live closer to that threshold than most others do.
As I said, just a personal hypothesis but it fits with everything I’ve read and experienced. You’re not crazy — your brain is just very good at spotting patterns (sometimes from a single data point) with the goal to keep you safe.