When an Autistic person enters a shutdown, we may go completely (or mostly) silent, stare blankly, and not be able to speak (and may struggle to decode and understand spoken words). We may withdraw or become completely (or mostly) still. Continue reading The Terrifying Reality of an Autistic Shutdown (It’s Not the Silent Treatment)
Question for my Autistic readers: Do you have, or have you ever had, a meltdown? If so, how would you describe them to other people? Also, what would you like people to know about them?
What IS an Autistic meltdown?
When an Autistic person has a meltdown, it is an involuntary nervous system response to compounding environmental or internal stressors. Continue reading It’s Not a Tantrum: What Actually Happens During an Autistic Meltdown
Would non-autistic people be overwhelmed more frequently (if they lived in a world not designed for them)? What changes could we make to our society to make it more inclusive for everyone? Continue reading Understanding Autistic Overloads: Causes, Prevention, and Recovery
Isolated. Hurting… Ashamed. I’ve spoken about the reasons I feel that Autistic overloads are not that different from overloads in non-autistics in the past (on multiple occasions). Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much more I’ve been asked to “put away” … Continue reading Shutdowns and Unspoken Pain: The Weight of Repressed Emotions and Unmet Needs
I learned to repress (instead of express) because people reacted poorly to me whenever I tried to share what I wanted, needed, and felt.
I swallowed my rage, discomfort, worries, and pain over and over again (because I was used to people around me not giving me space to express my feelings and needs). Continue reading Shattering Stigma: Beyond Autistic Meltdowns – Normalizing Big Feelings and Overwhelm
For almost the first thirty years of my life, I masked my Autistic traits because those around me had convinced me these traits were not there.
Pushing through (denying, hiding, and ignoring) over twenty-five years of regular headaches, migraines, vertigo, disorientation, physical pain, and overloads triggered by the unsupported differences that nobody knew I had. Continue reading Autistic Me: What I’ve Learned Since Being Diagnosed “with Autism” at the Age of 29
People dropping in on this part of the story (today) often fail to recognize how much work it has taken to get to where we are now. It’s like skipping to page 100 in a book.
Continue reading Autistic Origin Stories: Lyric Rivera, and the NeuroDivergent Rebel Blog
Because our needs can change throughout our lifetimes (and even daily), the trick is finding balance by learning what different types of stimuli can help us in the various situations and environments we find ourselves in. Continue reading The First Environment was Overstimulating, The Second Environment was Understimulating, but the Last Environment was Just Right
While grace and understanding from others can make these struggles easier, they don’t prevent them entirely (because some of my biggest triggers come from within).
Continue reading Autism and Overwhelm: Autistic Meltdowns, Shutdowns, and Overloads – Oh my!
AskingAutistics – What are YOUR meltdown Triggers? Any tips for safer meltdowns?
Continue reading Autism and Meltdowns: I am an Autistic Adult and I Still Have Meltdowns (and probably always will)
