Autism 101: What are autistic shutdowns?

woman hiding face

In this post I will discuss autistic shutdowns, including what they look and feel like and how to help someone who is experiencing a shutdown.

Many autistic and non-autistic people have heard of meltdowns. This is an involuntary response to overwhelming emotions or stimuli. Emotions are directed outwards with a verbal and/or physical reaction such as crying, screaming, repetitive movements, throwing items or hitting out. 

But far fewer people are aware of the concept of shutdowns. For me, I think of shutdowns and meltdowns as two sides of the same coin. With a meltdown, emotions are directed outwards, whereas with a shutdown, emotions are directed inwards or they close down. Because of this, other people may not even be aware that a shutdown is happening and there is less discussion on shutdowns in relation to autism.

What is a shutdown?

Both shutdowns and meltdowns are the response to intense stress. It is the body’s attempt to try and protect itself from situations that have become too overwhelming. Like a computer might shut down if there isn’t enough power, in autistic shutdowns the body tries to prioritise the basic functions and stop all other processes. The ability to process information drastically reduces.

There are other responses like this that everyone experiences, whether autistic or not. For example, the ‘fight or flight’ response. To explain it in basic terms, the body feels as though there is a threat and prepares to respond in one of these two ways – to face the threat head-on or to flee from it. When a shutdown occurs, the body will freeze instead of adopting a fight or flight response.

Situations that may contribute to a shutdown include:

  • High demand situations – whether the demand is emotional, physical or social
  • Stress
  • Situations that require a lot of thinking
  • Lack of sleep
  • Sensory overwhelm

There may be one event that triggers a shutdown. On the other hand, things could build up over time, with one event tipping the balance and causing things to become too overwhelming.

Why do autistic people experience shutdowns?

Let’s think of all people as having 3 levels of functioning:

  • At level 1, the person can function normally without reaching burnout
  • At level 2, the person has reached burnout and they are using their final energy reserves. As these are limited, they should be used for emergency purposes only
  • At level 3, the person has used their final reserves and can no longer continue to function

For autistic people, it is much harder to stay at level 1. The world is designed for and suited to the needs of non-autistic people. For autistic people, things are more difficult to process and the environment is more overwhelming. Just living on an average day takes far more physical and emotional energy for an autistic person than a non-autistic person. And this is without any additional stressors.

Therefore, autistic people can find themselves quickly pushed to level 2. They are using their final reserves of energy just to try and get through the day. This isn’t sustainable, and therefore autistic people may quickly find they have reached level 3 where the body can no longer continue to function. A shutdown may be triggered as a protective measure.

woman curled up in a ball

What are the signs of a shutdown?

Everyone’s experience of autistic shutdowns is different. But if someone is having a shutdown you may notice they:

  • Become withdrawn
  • Make less eye contact or none at all
  • Speak less or not at all
  • Leave the area or room
  • Move to a quiet or dark place, or one that feels safe
  • Move away from people
  • Have a blank expression
  • Appear to be staring into space
  • Cover parts of their face or body
  • May not be able to move

The person may not be able to communicate in the moment or explain what is happening. They may appear to go through the motions while appearing more detached and withdrawn, or they may withdraw completely. These are outward indicators that others may be able to see, but do not capture the internal experience of autistic shutdowns.

What does a shutdown feel like?

As a shutdown is such an inward response, I wanted to share my experience of what a shutdown actually feels like and what I am experiencing in the moment. This is my personal experience and will not be reflective of how everyone experiences a shutdown, but I hope it helps provide some insight.

Sometimes I can feel a shutdown starting to happen, and sometimes it seems to hit so quickly that I am unaware until it is happening. Things seem to quickly close in around me. I feel a desperate need to escape and to get away from people, things or sensory input. However, I am not always able to do this. I experience physical stress responses, such as my heart racing or my body trembling.

There is a surge of emotion that causes me to freeze. I feel completely panicked and don’t know how to respond. Even if I have thoughts of how to respond, I do not feel able to do so. It is if I am stuck, weighed down or tied to the spot. Everything feels heavy. I can feel detached from the situation. It sometimes feels like I am observing my own life, rather than being able to participate in it.

I might be able to go through the motions of what I think is expected of me. Even though I want to communicate I’m uncomfortable, I can’t. Therefore, people may not realise what is happening, though they may notice I have become more withdrawn. It’s as though the shutdown takes away my ability to express my thoughts and feelings.

I can have difficulty processing some or all information, as well as difficulty speaking or moving. I want to run and hide and limit sensory input. Often I come to a complete stop, retreating to a dark, quiet space and wrapping myself in a blanket. Using my hands or a hood I will try to block out things in my peripheral vision. I spend long periods staring at a fixed point.

Not all of these factors happen in every shutdown. Each is slightly different. If there is too much overwhelm for too long, this can lead to longer-term shutdown and loss of basic skills. For example, during a period of prolonged stress a couple of years ago I began to experience periods of confusion and could not speak. I lost some basic functions, e.g. not being able to coordinate my limbs to feed myself. In the recovery period I would spend day after day staring at a blank wall, trying to process while shutting out other stimuli.

man hiding face

How to help someone having a shutdown

It is useful for autistic people to try and identify what happens for them during a shutdown, what this might look like, and what might help. This should be shared with those close to them so they can help when a shutdown occurs. This should be done at a time of low stress. People can ask the autistic person lots of questions during a shutdown as they want to try and help. However, in that moment it can be too difficult to process and communicate.

Some general things that might help during a shutdown are:

  • Try not to talk too much or ask too many questions
  • Support people to move to a quiet space
  • Some people might want you to stay with them quietly. Noise is too much but your presence can be comforting
  • Try and limit sensory input in the environment. Remember that touch will work for some, but for others this might be contributing to overwhelm. They might not be able to communicate that in the moment.

If shutdowns are becoming a regular occurrence, it is important to consider what needs to change to prevent this from happening. If the person is not supported to make change this can lead to prolonged burnout. It is important to recognise that the autistic person is often prevented from making the change themselves, for example if someone in their life is causing disruption they cannot escape from or wider societal change is needed to make environments better suited to autistic people’s needs.

Final thoughts

I believe this highlights the need for autistic people to be able to manage stress and energy levels to try and prevent autistic shutdowns from happening. This requires support and cooperation from non-autistic people in ensuring that environments are suited to autistic people’s needs and that expectations placed upon autistic people are reasonable. It is so important for autistic people to have time and space for processing and rest to prevent shutdowns from happening.

I hope this post helps provide some insight into what autistic shutdowns might look and feel like, and how others can help through what is an intense and overwhelming experience.

One thought on “Autism 101: What are autistic shutdowns?

  1. I can definitely relate to this. A great post for non autistic people to gain insight into what happens and how to help, but can also autistic people make sense of what is happening to them. Pitched at the right level for anyone to understand. Well done!!

Comments are closed.