Autistic Burnout is a reality for autistic people- children and adults. It is  mainly characterised by chronic exhaustion, sensory overload, loss of executive function skills, heightened anxiety, low mood and often suicidal thoughts.

Autistic burnout is caused by many things but mainly caused by being in:

 1. Environments that lead to or increase autistic masking - hiding, suppressing, code switching. Autistic masking is a trauma response, a survival instinct and is exhausting.

 2. Environments that lead to sensory overload or sensory deprivation (autistic people can end up significantly traumatised by being in environments that cause sensory distress - that distress might be masked).

 3. High demand environments where there are a lot of neurotypical demands expectations and where autistic people's differences in communication, socialising, sensory needs, executive functioning, etc are not understood or accommodated.

4. Ultimately the biggest cause of autistic burnout is stigma. Stigma means that so many environments are not inclusive or safe for autistic people. They often lack the adjustments and accommodations that would mean they were safer for autistic people. Stigma leads to bullying, abuse and victimisation and in turn means autistic people are more likely to mask and get more exhausted.

All of this leads to autistic children, young people and adults suffering, often in silence.  Dr Luke Beardon from Sheffield Hallam University says “Autism + environment =outcome” and how true this is. Prolonged time in unadjusted, unsuitable environments that don’t consider the needs of autistic people means autistic people suffer very high levels of anxiety and experience trauma. 

Many school environments, especially mainstream, are such demanding environments for autistic children and young people, that they often experience burnout.  This is happening particularly to older Primary and Secondary school children. These autistic children are not ‘unwilling’ to attend school, they’re not ‘refusing’ to attend- they can’t attend; they’re exhausted and have no resources left. Their parents are not neglecting their children’s educational needs, they are putting their child’s wellbeing first. In a 2023 study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37810599/ (Connolly, Constable, Mullally) they found that 83.4% of autistic children are traumatised by school and unable to attend!

Autistic burnout is not recognised by many professionals working with autistic children and adults, and unless this changes, then more autistic people will suffer. Autistic burnout is NOT depression or EUPD (although there are crossovers) and it doesn’t respond to most talking therapies or medication. In order to experience recovery the autistic individual needs deep rest, time to rehabilitate, recuperate, spending time with their interests in a low demand, low expectations environment. It takes months, even years often to get into a place of recovery from autistic burnout. 

The characteristics of autistic burnout includes exhaustion, sensory overload, increased anxiety, increased meltdowns, shutdowns, loss of executive function skills, not being able to do the most basic self care such as eating , showering, and may stop communicating. They may self harm and many can experience intrusive thoughts, suicidal thoughts and in some cases hallucinations too. 
An autistic young person or adult experiencing a severe burnout crisis may even end up in psychiatric care due to suicide attempts. The statistics around suicide for autistic people are shocking and for many it was as a result of burnout.

Local authorities, schools, CAMHs, mental health teams and all professionals engaging with autistic children, young people and adults also must address their lack of understanding and acceptance of autistic burnout, especially in the light of the expectations upon communities to support autistic people so they do not reach crisis. Autistic burnout IS crisis and an autistic child, young person or adult (and families) experiencing this needs to be understood and given the right help and support.

An autistic child who is in burnout cannot experience recovery in the school where they burnt out- they need time away from all the demands and will probably need a new education pathway once and only once they are ready and have the capacity for education.