Anonymous asked:

Is shutting down completely an autistic trait? When my daughter is in school she shuts down completely, meaning no response, no movement, and just starring in one spot until the other students leave at the end of the day. When I see other autistic children put in situations they don't like or things that seem unfamiliar, they usually rock back and forth or stim in some way, but she just doesn't do anything when things get too stressful. Is it an autistic trait or something else?

Yes, shutting down is something that is common among Autistic people. Long answer below the cut!

When an Autistic person reaches the point of sensory overload or critical levels of anxiety, there are two possible situations that can occur. The first is an autistic meltdown, which is pretty well known. A meltdown is a physiological fight or flight reaction to situations of extreme stress, discomfort, pain, etc. A meltdown is involuntary and very distressing and exhausting to go through. Autistic shutdown is the second situation that might occur.

To self-regulate, block out sensory input, and siphon off anxiety, an Autistic person will stim. Stimming can help prevent meltdowns, but there are times when I myself an unable to stim, due to fatigue, pain, or confusion, and it is often at those times that I shut down.

Autistic shutdown is similar to autistic meltdowns in that is is a physiological response to sensory overload, anxiety, uncontrollable situations, etc. To an outsider shutdown will look like what you described— staring straight ahead, non-responsiveness, no movement. Autistic people who are shutting down may seek out a small, safe, or dark place to be alone, and they may curl themselves up or lie in the fetal position.

Once an Autistic person has shut down there is nothing that can “snap them out of it”, and attempts to do so may actually prolong the shutdown and add to the Autistic person’s frustration and anxiety. The only thing that you can do to help is make sure that the person is in a safe, quiet place and that they have all the time that they need to recover.

I know that when I am in shutdown, I can often hear or see what is going on around me, but I can’t understand it. I often can’t make sense of words, written or spoken, and touch or physical contact is very uncomfortable. I always WANT to come out of shutdown, and although I often want to and try to communicate what I need I rarely can. Being in shutdown is frustrating, but also scary.

There were at least two times when I shut down completely in the presence of my then-boyfriend, and even though I wanted him to stop touching/hugging me, I couldn’t say anything or even move away. One of these shutdowns lasted at least an hour, the entirety of which I spent in a state of great distress, agonizing wordlessly in my head and desperately wishing I could get away. So, if you are with an Autistic person who has shut down, it is very important that you remove them from any other people and lead them to a safe place, if you can, and to stand by to make sure that no one misunderstands the situation.

When an Autistic person is coming out of shutdown they may be disoriented, confused, angry, or scared. It’s important to give them space and to make sure the environment is as quiet and calm as it can be made to be. An Autistic person recovering from shutdown may be partially or completely non-verbal, or they may have trouble using and understanding spoken language.

If you have to ask questions you should keep the phrasing simple and the questions yes-or-no. So, instead of “What would you like to drink?” you should ask, “Do you want water?”. Like after a meltdown, an autistic person may be worn out or exhausted after a shutdown, and an Autistic child will probably need the day to recover.

Autistic shutdown is pretty awful and frustrating to go through. If your daughter is shutting down every day at school that is a big red flag. Your daughter may be going through autistic burnout, or the classroom setting may be too much for her, or she may have too much expected of her right now and you might need to cut back on her weekly schedule.

You should investigate the classroom for sources of negative sensory input that could lead to overload, and it’s important to make sure that your daughter’s teacher knows about autistic shutdown and how to deal with it. Your daughter should also have accommodations in school and a safe place to go when she needs a break or is overwhelmed.

And finally, because shutdown does have some similarities to (and overlap with) dissociation, shutdown can be the mind’s last attempt to protect itself. You should make sure that there is no peer abuse (bullying) or other bad things going on in your daughter’s school.

To conclude, here are some resources on autistic shutdown:

And this post by autisticdrift and the followup by admiraldefiant:

And here are a couple on dissociation:

And some resources on autistic burnout:

I hope that this was helpful for you. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me, and I hope that you and your daughter can find a shutdown-free balance in the future.