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| 30 January 2025

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What is Autistic Burnout? Symptoms, Causes & Prevention Guide

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Autistic burnout is an experience unique to those with autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder because its traits, how they appear and the level of support each person needs can vary. Similarly, autistic burnout can vary by person, with each person experiencing unique causes and symptoms.1

Itā€™s natural to wonder what autistic burnout is, especially compared to general burnout. Autistic burnout is intense physical and mental exhaustion, stress and reduced ability to handle life skills, sensory input or social interactions caused by prolonged efforts to meet demands misaligned with needs.2 Autistic burnout can profoundly affect physical and mental well-being, leading to serious challenges in daily life.2

Given the variety of autistic burnout symptoms, which often align with someoneā€™s triggers, it can be helpful to know what may cause autistic burnout to aid the recovery and prevention process and steer those with autism burnout toward the best form of support.

What is Autistic Burnout?

Autistic burnout occurs as a result of extreme mental and sometimes physical exhaustion and inadequate support for those with autism.1 It is often characterized by chronic stress, reduced tolerance of stimuli and a loss of skills needed to manage daily life.

Autistic burnout can affect all areas of your life, including your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. 1 It can cause you to neglect your hygiene, distance yourself from others or lose your sense of self-belief. Autism burnout symptoms typically persist until steps are taken to address the underlying causes of burnout and focus on recovery and prevention.

While anyone can experience burnout, autistic burnout is unique to the autistic experience because it stems from the symptoms and characteristics of autism. For instance, autistic burnout can result from masking autistic traits or feeling overstimulated by the environment.2, 3, Additionally, autistic burnout is often dismissed more readily than other types of burnout, with some people trivializing the experience of autistic burnout, saying itā€™s something everyone goes through. The dismissal of genuine feelings can further impact mental well-being, causing additional harm.

Autistic Burnout Symptoms and Signs

Similar to many aspects of autism, burnout can vary significantly from person to person. Some people may experience more physical symptoms, while others struggle to manage their emotions.

Autistic burnout symptoms fall into three categories: physical, emotional and cognitive.4

Understanding Autistic Burnout

Autistic Burnout Physical Symptoms

The physical signs of autism burnout can include fatigue, sleeping more or less than usual and physical pain. Another common autistic burnout symptom is an increased sensitivity to sensory input.4

Emotional Signs of Autistic Burnout

Autistic burnout can affect your emotional state. For instance, it can lead to feelings of anxiety or heightened stress or create difficulty managing simple emotions.4

Autistic Burnout Cognitive Changes

Cognitive function can change as a result of autistic burnout. Mental exhaustion slows thinking, impairs decision-making and turns manageable tasks into overwhelming challenges, with even simple choices seeming impossible.4

It can be frustrating for those with autism to feel themselves regress, which can add to the increased mental and emotional toll often experienced with autism burnout.

Autistic Burnout vs. Depression

Two areas that often overlap are autistic burnout and depression. Sometimes, they can occur separately, but other times, one may bring about the other.

Depression and autistic burnout share many similarities. They come with mental health challenges. Both may also affect how you handle daily activities and result in the neglect of self-care. 4, 5

However, there are key differences between autistic burnout vs. depression. Specifically, the triggers can differ. Autistic burnout can have many triggers, but they typically stem from autistic traits such as masking or sensory overload.2

The recovery process for autistic burnout and depression can differ. For autistic burnout, recovery may consist of finding a support system, embracing autistic traits or seeking professional help, such as through occupational therapy or speech-language pathology (SLP), to address the traits that contribute to burnout.2 In comparison, depression treatment may consist of medication, talk therapies or a combination of the two.6

Ultimately, when it comes to autistic burnout vs. depression, the two conditions are distinct but may be connected. Specifically, autistic burnout may lead to depression, which makes programs that raise awareness about ā€œwhat is autistic burnoutā€ and promote recovery pathways even more critical.

What Causes Autistic Burnout?

There is no one cause of autistic burnout ā€” the possible causes are as varied as the manifestations of autism. However, there are common contributors, and understanding how these may cause burnout can support the path to recovery and prevention.

One possible cause of autistic burnout is the masking of autistic traits, such as suppressing autistic behaviors and aiming to act in a non-autistic way.2 Day after day, this masking can be draining, leading to burnout. Executive functioning challenges, sometimes a symptom of autism, can impact a personā€™s ability to process information and plan or organize.7

Burnout may also occur due to an environment that is not accommodating for autistic individuals. For instance, sensory overload due to noisy environments can lead to autistic burnout because of the high levels of stress that they can incite.2

In addition, life changes and transitions that are stressful for anyone, such as the death of someone close or transitioning to a new job, may create additional challenges for someone with autism.2 Cumulative stressors, such as everyday stress from school or work, can gradually build until an individual reaches burnout. In some cases, autistic burnout symptoms may occur when these stressors are not adequately attended to or acknowledged. Some people may find that their stresses are dismissed or described as something everyone experiences.2

While these are some of the potential causes of autistic burnout, the most influential factor varies from person to person.8Some people may be triggered by masking their autistic burnout symptoms, while others find that noisy environments quickly raise their stress levels. Personal triggers are a big part of the equation, and they contribute to the unique experience of each person. Understanding personal triggers can help narrow down the cause of autistic burnout, which can be addressed in the recovery process.

How Long Does Autistic Burnout Last?

Just like every other aspect of autistic burnout, there is no specific timeframe for how long autistic burnout lasts.

One of the factors that affect how long autistic burnout lasts, or the ability to relieve and prevent autistic burnout, is support.2 The severity of autistic burnout symptoms can dictate how long it may take to bring stress levels down: the more severe the burnout, the longer it typically takes to recover.

Preventing and Managing Autistic Burnout

When it comes to preventing and managing autistic burnout symptoms, it may help someone to surround themselves with others who accept them for who they are and validate their concerns; when they no longer need to mask, thatā€™s one less stressor. An individualā€™s community may include family members, friends or other individuals with autism who can relate to their experiences.

Other options to prevent and manage autistic burnout, including immediate recovery and sustained recovery, include:

Mindfulness Exercises

When autistic burnout hits, focus on mindfulness exercises to recover from the immediate burnout cycle. Mindfulness can help reduce sensory inputs, lower stress levels and increase mindful awareness.9

Professional Assistance

While family and peers who offer support are vital, sometimes the key to managing autism burnout symptoms and then initiating habits to prevent future burnouts is working with a professional. They can help mitigate symptoms, support recovery and foster long-term resilience by helping those with autism identify their challenges and devise tactics to prevent overexposure to these triggers.10, 11, 12

Occupational therapy is one professional form of assistance. Occupational therapists help patients develop coping strategies and routines that promote emotional well-being by focusing on their daily lifestyle.10 One strategy that occupational therapy may utilize is sensory integration techniques, which can help those with autism cope with their difficulties in processing sensory input and improve their mental health. As a result, autistic burnout may be less likely in the future.

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Physical therapy is another intervention that uses movement-based interventions to help manage sensory overload and improve physical health.11

SLPs support communicative well-being by addressing challenges in social communication and helping their patients improve day-to-day interpersonal interactions.12

Depending on each personā€™s autistic burnout triggers, one form of therapy may be more beneficial than the others. Those with autism should explore therapies tailored to their unique needs through specialized programs, such as those offered at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS).

Understanding Autism Burnout

Autistic burnout results from a build-up of stress, often brought on by autistic traits such as masking or sensory overload. The symptoms and causes of burnout can vary significantly by person, but may manifest with physical, emotional, and mental symptoms.

For those who think theyā€™re experiencing autistic burnout symptoms, seeking support can be an important step. At-home practices like mindfulness meditation and open communication may offer immediate relief, while professional guidance can provide long-term benefits. For those passionate about making a difference, USAHS offers specialized graduate programs in occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), as well as speech-language pathology (MS-SLP), preparing future clinicians to help individuals manage, recover from, and prevent future episodes of autistic burnout.

Sources

  1. Rankowski, B. and Wayman, L, ā€œAutistic burnout: When navigating a neurotypical world becomes too much,ā€ Autism Speaks, 2024, https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit-excerpt/autistic-burnout-when-navigating-neurotypical-world-becomes-too-much.
  2. Raymaker, D., ā€œUnderstanding autistic burnout,ā€ National Autistic Society,ā€ March 1, 2022,https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/autistic-burnout.
  3. Alaghband-Rad, J., Hajikarim-Hamedani, A., and Motamed, M, ā€œCamouflage and masking behavior in adult autism,ā€ Frontiers in psychiatry, March 16, 2023: 14, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1108110.
  4. ā€œWhat Is Autistic Burnout? Signs, Symptoms, & Dealing With It,ā€ Resilience Lab, September 12, 2024,https://www.resiliencelab.us/thought-lab/autistic-burnout.
  5. ā€œDepression,ā€ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 2025,https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression.
  6. ā€œDepressive disorder (depression),ā€ World Health Organization, March 31, 2023, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.
  7. ā€œWhat is executive functioning?,ā€ 2024, Autism Speaks, https://www.autismspeaks.org/executive-functioning.
  8. Neff, M.A., ā€œWhat Causes Autistic Burnout? How to Identify Root Causes,ā€ Neurodivergent Insights, December 26, 2022, https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/what-causes-autistic-burnout.
  9. Agius, H., et al. ā€œMindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context,ā€ Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, May 16, 2023,https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10851647/.
  10. Kirby, A. V., Morgan, L. and Hilton, C, ā€œAutism and Mental Health: The Role of Occupational Therapy,ā€ The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March 24, 2023, https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2023.050303.
  11. ā€ŒHynes, J., and Block, M. ā€œEffects of Physical Activity on Social, Behavioral, and Cognitive Skills in Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review of the Literature,ā€ Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, April 27, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00319-5.
  12. Villano, M., ā€œHow SLPs help people with autism communicate better,ā€ BrainWise Media, April 29, 2024,https://brainwisemedia.com/how-slps-help-people-with-autism-communicate-better/.

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