#meltdowns & shutdowns

[pigeon-cave]

Spectrum of overwhelm, now in triangle form due to popular demand

[Image description: A triangle chart titled, ‘Spectrum of Overwhelm.’ The three points are ‘404 Error,’ showing a person with an empty thought bubble; ‘wet beast,’ showing a person sweating and sobbing; and ‘rage beast’ showing a person clenching their fists in an outline of orange fire. The peak is the ‘404 error’ vertex, and the inside of the triangle here is coloured beige and labelled, ‘shutdown.’ The lower half is labelled ‘meltdown’ and is red on the rage beast side and blue on the wet beast side. \End description]

[buildabettermeme]

So you know how when you're a new Tumblr user that defected from Reddit because that ship is going dooowwwnn baaybaayy, and you don't really know how everything works yet, and so somehow you end up on your own profile page but you dont realize thats its your own and you scroll like 5 posts and you think to yourself "wow I agree with everything Im seeing this is interesting" and then its like "wait I think Ive read all these before" and then you freeze and look at the top bar and see your own tag and realize "oh god fuck I have just reblogged all these posts another time over" and then you have to go through and make sure you dont have unintended duplicates and burn in shame in hopeful privacy because fuck Im making a gigantic fool of myself on this lovely platform that I did not download nearly quickly enough

[theorahsart]

Here's a comic I made a few years ago, explaining autistic meltdowns and shutdowns in detail! They can be pretty different to what you might expect- I didnt even realise I was experiencing them for years. I thought they were panic attacks that just happened to last much longer than an average person's, or that I was very sensitive- newsflash, it was actually autism lol

[itsaspectrumcomic]

A shutdown is like a meltdown but internal.

[doctor-mccoys-sanity]

autism and strong emotion just be like… SHAKE! SHAKE SO HARD! BUT FEEL TRAPPED BY THE PRISON OF YOUR BONES *screams*

[autism-affirmations]

ball mode™

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Meltdowns and Shutdowns

The Autistic Teacher

[aw-tysm]

Meltdowns and Shutdowns tend to happen as a response to extreme distress. And each autistic may experience these differently.

When you've hit that point of no return where your fight, flight, or freeze responses start to kick in, this is usually when meltdowns or shutdowns occur.

They are both uncontrollable, they're a reaction, a way our mind is trying to cope. If possible, it's best to ask the autistic person what their preferences are for help.

Meltdowns tend to be a more external reaction. This one is often confused with tantrums, but are not tantrums. A person may yell, scream, hurt themselves or others (unintentionally), stim, eloping, throwing or breaking things, etc..

Shutdowns tend to be a more internal reaction. One may look more withdrawn or "not with it". A person may not be able to move, become unresponsive, feel stuck or frozen or heavy, stare or unable to make eye contact, thoughts may be difficult to form if at all, etc..

Both may involve crying or shaking, inability to speak or form words, be unresponsive, may want to be left alone.

You may experience either or, depending on the situation. Or as some autistics get older, they tend to experience shutdowns more often than meltdowns.

[psi-spectacular]

(eyestrain)

meltdown vs shutdown

[cripplecharacters]

What are possible ways an autistic character can recover from a shutdown/meltdown. And how can other characters help them recover without possibly making it worse?

Meltdowns and shutdowns are a possible brain response to overload/overwhelm. That overload comes from not being able to handle stimuli, and that stimuli can be external (like sensory input) or internal (like with emotions), or a combination of both. They're kind of like a fight (meltdown) or freeze (shutdown) fear response.

How an autistic character recovers from a meltdown or shutdown can vary, because what sets people off is different, but also because the cause of the meltdown or shutdown also varies a lot.

For example, once I had a meltdown because there was a helicopter flying very close to my apartment for almost two hours. I was already tired, and the noise was loud and constant and completely out of my control. Ear defenders were not working well. To help me during and after my meltdown, my boyfriend hugged me (because I enjoy physical touch, and especially if it's 'solid' it calms me down, got my weighted blanket for me, and talked to me only when I seemed to respond well. Then he made sure I drank water and got some rest.

These things helped because they generally are already calming to me: pressure, solid physical touch, and affection. But someone who doesn't like physical touch won't have that help them recover.

Universally, though, a meltdown or a shutdown is draining and does not feel good. It can feel a bit relieving, because usually once it's done you feel like you have less tension, but having it doesn't actually feel good – it often feels like completely losing control, and that feels awful. Things that make self-regulation harder, like being tired or frustrated, will make a meltdown a bit more likely, but they also make it harder to recover from one.

Which means that what helps people recover has a couple different elements:

One, that they are no longer in the same situation or environment that caused the shutdown/meltdown, as much as possible. This can mean physically leaving the space, or that a triggering sound is gone, or that a stressor is no longer active. Generally this is part of creating an environment that feels safe, which can often means a space with as little external stimuli as possible at least for the time being. (So quiet, sometimes dark, without asking for a lot.)

Two, that they are doing something that helps them rest and recover. Sometimes this can be a nap, or drinking some water, or having some food, or lying or sitting down as comfortably as possible. If someone's helping, they can say "Hey, I'm here for you,"

Three, that they have or do something that makes them feel good. And just like for non-autistic people, this is the most variable factor of them all. A common one can be pressure, whether that's with a weighted blanket or vest, or with another person like a hug. Having a comfort item or fidget/stim item can help as well. For some people talking can help; for some talking might be difficult or impossible after a meltdown or shutdown.

Four, just straight up time. This can be an hour or three or a whole day. It really varies. Imagine spending a huge amount of mental energy in twenty minutes, on top of being extremely stressed out. Exhausting, right? You might want to take the rest of your day pretty easy to recover.

As to other characters helping, creating a low stimuli environment is a safe bet. A partner, family member, or friend would also likely know what makes your character feel better when they're stressed — a meltdown or shutdown is an extra stress response. They can generally help by staying calm and showing their support.

Hope this helps! :)

– mod sparrow

[fagbearentertainment]

Me when my autism is an actual disability and not just quirky and weird sometimes disorder

[askanautistic]

Meltdown/shutdown resource.

I wrote this years ago, and thought I'd repost it as a standalone post instead of an answer to a question. I've included a few updates. This can be used to create your own 'pick 'n' mix' of instructions, to help you notice or to help others to notice signs that you are beginning to get overwhelmed, the reasons why you might be becoming overwhelmed, or that you are in a state of shutdown/meltdown, and to know what to do and what not to do. Some suggestions might be repeated and seem contradictory (because one person might need to be left alone when becoming overwhelmed and someone else might need reassurance). You can also add in anything else you think of if creating your own resource, as this isn't an exhaustive list.

I might struggle with: - being too hot/cold. - noisy environments. - sudden noises. - bright lights. - too much visual input or movement (busy/chaotic environments). - too much social interaction. - unexpected events. - changes to plans. - Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.

Signs to look out for: - I may become irritable. - I may become withdrawn/quieter than usual. - I may stim more or less than usual, or differently [you could be specific about this, explainng the exact stims to look out for if any]. - I may become (more) aversive to touch (than usual). - I may seem ‘sulky’ or ‘whiney’. - I may act more ‘childish’ (than usual). - I may become restless or more fidgety (than usual). - I may ‘huff’ and sigh a lot. - I may become uncooperative. - I may cover my ears/close my eyes/turn away. - I might become physically aggressive. - I might become verbally aggressive. - I might scream/shout/cry. - I might become nonspeaking (or less able to speak). - I might not be able to move independently. - I may seem anxious/panicked. - I may exhibit a flat effect. - I might bolt. - I might keep going to the toilet.

Don’t: - Panic, or get angry or upset. - Touch me. - Leave me by myself. - Talk too loudly. - Talk to me. - Ask open questions. - Stop me from stimming or stop my sensory seeking behaviours. - Prevent me from avoiding sensory stimulus. - Involve other people. - Box me in/block exits.

Do:  - Keep me safe. - Talk to me. - Reassure me. - Leave me alone. - Offer a quiet and private space. - Give me something to drink and a snack (without asking). - Explain where we are going (or what you are going to do). - Ask closed questions (questions requiring yes or no answers, or give me limited options to choose from). - Gently guide me away from crowded or noisy areas. - Remind me to use/Give me my headphones/earplugs/sunglasses. - Remind me to use my/give me my stim tools. - Help me to keep warm or to cool down. - (Ask if I would like you to) hold my hand tightly/hug me tightly (apply deep pressure). - Use AAC (use specifics: tell them what kind of communication you prefer and if you need them to find an app on your phone, tell them which one - you could even include the icon for it). I hope this is helpful to people. Ben Tip jar.

[itsaspectrumcomic]

Do you have meltdowns, shutdowns or both?

Unfortunately I have been blessed with both 🙃

[gullivertravelstowonderland]

Y'know what? I wanna see more disability representation in g/t, but I espescially wanna see g/t disability aid services!

Tinies volunteering to do small tasks for humans with fine motor difficulties!

Minigiants acting as mobility aids!

Seeing-eye tinies and giant sign interpreters!

A human accidentally starting an assisted living service for tinies after helping a few struggling borrowers!

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SIZESHIFTERS!

SIZESHIFTERS WITH SUPPORT HUMANS!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

[ametistapp]

Meltdowns aren't tantrums.

Burnout isn't procrastination.

Stims aren't pointless.

Shutdowns aren't just lack of attention.

Verbal shutdowns aren't a "silence treatment".

Hyperfixations aren't useless.

Special interests are more than obsessions.

Phobias aren't regular fears.

Panic attacks aren't controllable.

Self-harm isn't a trend.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autistic Meltdowns vs Shutdowns

Neurodivergent_lou