Autistic Burnout: Everything You Need to Know

Updated on November 25, 2024

Autistic burnout is a feeling of chronic fatigue and stress that, sadly, is experienced by the majority of people with autism spectrum disorder. Those who suffer autistic burnout often lose the coping abilities that they have worked so hard to develop. This condition, though distressing, is increasingly being recognized, and better awareness can lead to strategies for prevention and recovery. But the good news is that better awareness of this condition can lead to reducing–and even preventing–its negative effects.

What Is Autistic Burnout? 

According to AASPIRE’s autistic burnout study, the condition can be defined as “near-total exhaustion, sense of hopelessness, and loss of function described as similar to work burnout, only with respect to every area of daily life.” 

Many of us have felt the very common feeling of burnout at work. According to the Boston Consulting Group, nearly half of all employees worldwide experience this at some point! Unfortunately, autistic burnout happens even more often, with up to 80% of autistic people going through it either during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. What makes it even worse is that autistic burnout can lead some to have destructive thoughts, which increases the stress level for everyone.

Causes and Triggers of Autistic Burnout 

Autistic burnout is typically triggered by one of two reasons.

Lack of Inclusion

The world is not set up for autistic people. Part of this problem is that they experience everyday situations, like social interactions and being in public, in a very different way. The result is often discomfort, confusion, and even stress or anger.  

A common trigger that leads to these reactions is  prolonged sensory overload. This includes a perception of lights and sounds as being either too strong (hypersensitivity) or too weak (hyposensitivity). But taste, smell, and even touch can also cause a negative reaction. In a caring home, it is possible to make sure that you’ve minimized the stressful triggers, but this is impossible when going out. 

A lack of understanding is also an issue. Because many of us cannot walk in the shoes of an autistic person, we expect certain kinds of behavior from them that creates an unrealistic goal.  At work, school, in social situations, and even at home, autistic people face challenges that we underestimate, and pressuring them to be “normal” adds to their burden.  

Even high-functioning autistic people are still swimming against the tide, which is enormously stressful, especially after years of effort. Some of these individuals respond to their environment by “masking”. They work to hide their autistic traits by socializing and working in ways that don’t feel natural to them. Over time, this only adds to the exhaustion and pressure.

Life Changes

Events that would be stressful for anyone, such as starting a job, losing a family member, or having a mental breakdown, are even more difficult for autistic people. People with autism function better with specific, predictable routines and certain physical settings. Any disruption causes increased stress, and sometimes emotional outbursts.

Signs and Symptoms of Autistic Burnout 

It can be difficult to see when an autistic person is suffering from burnout, particularly when they are masking. Here are a few of the warning signs to look out for:

Everyday Behavior

You’ll notice that an autistic person is slipping when it comes to how they perform everyday tasks. Because they are exhausted, they are more sensitive to sensory inputs like noise and strong lights. Many of the skills that the individual has worked to develop over years, such as control over emotions, impulses, and focus, will weaken. They might experience difficulty in remembering things and planning, while their ability to care for themselves will decline too.

Outside the Home

If the autistic person goes to school or work, they will stay home more often and express reduced interest in these activities. In social situations, their autistic tendencies will show up more frequently.

Emotional Control

The psychological health of an autistic person becomes weaker. They will act out more often, or “shut down” for longer periods. Their lack of energy will make them seem depressed. Finally, in a worst-case situation, an autistic person will communicate feelings about self-harm.

Preventing Autistic Burnout 

As a caregiver, your best approach is one of prevention. It’s always easier to prevent autistic burnout than to help drag someone out of its trenches. If the autistic person is communicative, then regular talks, along with your close attention, can help avoid a crisis. Ensure that they are aware of and sticking to their limitations and needs, so they don’t overexert themselves and drain internal resources. 

For uncommunicative autistic people, you will need to be proactive. Have they experienced any of the potential triggers listed above? If yes, then it’s time to keep an eye out for changes in their behavior.

Managing Autistic Burnout

Despite your best efforts, there is always a chance that burnout will happen. Let’s look at three effective approaches for dealing with this:

Rest

Just like workplace burnout, autistic individuals benefit from long periods away from stressful situations. You should make sure that harmful environmental stimuli are removed, and don’t set a date for ending their rest period. Similarly, if you or other caregivers have tried to set various expectations for the autistic person’s behavior, then it’s time to take a step back. Schedules, cleaning up, and socializing can all be put on pause until they have recovered.

Management

Over time, the autistic person will hopefully show willingness to return to previous habits. The rule here is to gradually reintroduce routines and check for smooth sailing before trying the next. Don’t forget to encourage them to act naturally. 

This includes discussions about “unmasking”. If and when the autistic person re-enters social life, they need to feel OK about being themselves, no matter what environment they are in. Remind them that it’s alright to be different, and that pretending to be someone that you are not only leads to stress. 

Support

When it comes to caring for someone with autism, you can never know too much about what steps to take. Learning about how to recognize and deal with burnout starts with you, as you become familiar with autism knowledge sources in books and on the internet. Feel like an expert already? Great – then it’s also time to communicate. Talking with experts in autism, and accessing support networks such as those on social media, will allow you to learn even more helpful steps and set a realistic timeline for getting the autistic person back to their old ways. You might even be able to contribute to another caregiver’s educational journey.

Battling Autistic Burnout

Autistic burnout is not irreversible. In fact, because it is so common, the caregiving community has developed many methods of prevention and management that usually work wonders. Once you accept the fact that your loved one will probably go through burnout at some point, then you will also understand how important it is to find and foster a support network. Through the combined efforts of the autistic person, healthcare professionals, and caregivers – especially you – we can all greatly reduce the repercussions of this painful condition.

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