30/11/2025
Autistic burnout isn’t just stress or tiredness. It’s a state of extreme mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by long term overwhelm, especially when someone is constantly masking or pushing themselves to meet neurotypical expectations.
Here’s why it happens:
🔸 Constant masking hiding or suppressing autistic traits to “fit in”
🔸 Sensory overload like constant exposure to loud, bright, busy environments
🔸 Social fatigue, navigating conversations, eye contact, and group dynamics
🔸 Lack of downtime, so, not enough quiet, safe space to regulate
🔸 Being misunderstood and constantly feeling invalidated or dismissed
This pressure builds up silently, until their system says: “I can’t do this anymore.”
That’s when you might see:
– Withdrawal
– Loss of skills or speech
– Frequent meltdowns or shutdowns
– Deep exhaustion or emotional distress
Supporting someone through (or preventing) burnout means reducing demands, not increasing them. It’s about creating safe, predictable environments where they can just be, without pressure to mask, perform, or push through.
Autistic people aren’t struggling because they’re “not resilient.” They’re often resilient beyond belief. They just need space to rest, be understood, and supported in ways that honour how their brain works.
