For many autistic people, navigating a world designed largely with neurotypical (or non-autistic) people’s needs in mind can bring about daily challenges and distress. When autistic people are overwhelmed, whether that’s due to sensory or emotional overload, a sudden change of plans, or masking their distress for an extended period of time, they may experience what is sometimes called an autistic meltdown or an autistic shutdown.
Meltdowns can feel like very intense reactions that are outside of the autistic person’s control, where they may say or do things that are out of character (e.g., they might express their distress by shouting, slamming a door or throwing an object). Afterwards, they might feel embarrassed or as if they have lost control – but it is important to remember that meltdowns are not tantrums, and they don’t mean the person is being deliberately ‘difficult’ or aggressive. They are a stress response, and a sign that something in the autistic person’s environment has overwhelmed them, and needs to change.
Shutdowns, on the other hand, are often caused by the same triggers as meltdowns; however, rather than externalising their reaction – expressing it physically and openly – the autistic person might find that they ‘freeze’ and instead ‘switch off’ from their surroundings that are overwhelming them.
This can take many different forms:
- They may find having conversations with people very difficult during a shutdown and may go silent or very quiet.
- They may find that they crave stillness and predictability, but some people also make repetitive sounds or movements when overwhelmed.
- They may seek the familiarity and solitude of familiar surroundings, such as their room, and “isolate’ there until they feel regulated again.
Often, a shutdown is the body’s way of telling the autistic person that they are overwhelmed – as with meltdowns, this is usually a sign that something in their environment isn’t meeting their needs and has to change. It is important to remember that meltdowns and shutdowns are not ‘tantrums’. They are an expression of the significant distress the autistic person is in, and will likely have been caused by a trigger, or a combination of triggers, even if those aren’t immediately obvious at first. Some examples of triggers could be sensory overwhelm, a change to a routine that would usually give the autistic person a sense of predictability and stability, or not knowing or understanding what they are expected to do when given a task, amongst others.
It is important that the underlying reasons behind those distressed behaviours are explored and understood, and that autistic people are treated with empathy, respect and kindness during, before and after those challenging episodes.
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