Autistic Shutdown
Autistic shutdown is another way a person might respond to being overwhelmed. A shutdown is like a meltdown but it all happens on the inside. The person is experiencing a lot of emotions and feels overwhelmed but they can’t express them outwardly.
A meltdown can be like a volcano erupting which everyone can see. A shutdown can be harder for the other people to spot.
- Zoning out – you might feel like you are in a trance and unable to move or say anything, even if someone asks you a questions.
- Feeling exhausted or falling asleep
- Hiding – you might leave the stressful situation and go and find somewhere quiet or calmer to hide.
- Grumpiness -if you are able to respond to people, you might do this in a grumpy way.
- Forgetfulness – you might not feel as able to do things that you are normally good at.
- Help them get somewhere calm.
- Know what sensory things might help – ear defenders, a fidget, a blanket.
- Don’t ask you to do anything until you no longer feel overloaded.
- Give you time and space to recover.
Autistic shutdown is NOT:
- Stubbornness
- Laziness
- A sign of disrespect
Autistic shutdown IS:
- Involuntary
- Painful
- Exhausting
Messages from the Your Autism Crew
"Please be patient and compassionate, thank you"
"It is awesome"
"It is only one way that autism can affect you"
"You can feel like you stop existing for a while"
Is autistic shutdown something that you have experienced, what did it feel like for you and what helped?
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