Autistic Burnout
Autistic Burnout is something that autistics have known about for a while, but it was just fairly recently researched in the last 5 years or so. In a most recent study published this year, it is defined as, “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic life stress and a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate support. It is characterized by pervasive, long-term exhaustion, loss of function, and reduced tolerance to stimulus”. So what does this mean for autistic people?
Just as people are individuals, burnout can be caused by many different things for each person and can also look different for each person, however with that being said, it is characterized by an autistic individual being chronically stressed which results in increased struggles of some sort. For example, a normally very verbal autistic person can suddenly lose the ability to speak if they experience autism burnout. Or maybe they have more frequent meltdowns and aren’t able to do certain things they usually are able to. Most people have a lower tolerance to sensory stimulus, feel physically and emotionally exhausted, and stim more.
Autistic burnout is not pleasant for anybody, so how can we prevent it from happening and how can we help those that are already dealing with it? There is one thing that people might think to be helpful for those having burnout and that’s therapy. Therapy does not typically help with burnout because it requires the person to put even more effort into something when they are already burned out. Therapy can actually make the burnout worse. Recovery time is what is best to relieve burnout. In order to recover, people might have to have more accommodations. This can look like reducing stimulus, having alone time, doing an enjoyable activity, and general self-care.
There are several things that can be done if you are an autistic person to prevent burnout. You can learn to be a self-advocate by learning what you need to be your best self and then communicating with those around you in order to get those things. This can be a learning curve for people. It can be accommodations at work or school, or scheduling down time, or material items that help you like headphones or stimming toys. Whatever it is that might help you feel less stressed, advocate for it. If you don’t know what you need, ask around to people you trust or other autistic people for help and ideas on how to make life easier for you. Reducing stress is number one. You are worth it. People don’t have to go through life gritting their teeth and dealing with it, only to reap the consequences of burnout later. Accommodations are there to help before they are absolutely needed. There’s no need for people to gate-keep accommodations or to feel guilty about using them. If they make life even a little better, use them.
If you love an autistic person and want to help prevent autistic burnout for them, ask what they need and listen to what they tell you. Support organizations that include and advocate for autism acceptance. Advocate for autism acceptance in your community. The less stigma and lack of education around autism there is, the easier it is for autistic people to feel like they can be themselves and get the things they need. If you are a parent of an autistic child, be aware of behavior changes that may indicate burnout. Disciplining for burnout can make things worse. Instead, help them understand what is happening to them and then get them the help and accommodations that they need to feel better, whatever that looks like for them.
Sources:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autistic-burnout-explained/