Autistic Shutdown

Last week we looked at autistic meltdown, so this week let's have a look at shutdown. Autistic shutdown is another response to stress and over stimulation. Shutdown and meltdown can be seen as opposites in that meltdown is an outward release of built up energy from the fight or flight response, whereas shutdown is much more internalised and the body's effort at closing itself off from the world around it.

Shutdown can be much more difficult to spot because it can often present itself as "normal" behaviours such as scrolling on a phone for example, but much more intensely. It can also involve playing with any other easily manipulated objects such as a spinning globe or a soft, squashy toy. With that said, there are also more obvious signs which include the person visibly retreating into themselves (either keeping their head down, curling into a foetal position, hiding under/in things etc), or at least appearing very distant as if they're "in a world of their own". Even with the more noticeable signs though, it can often be mistaken for depression so it's important to know the person and their behaviours where possible to be able to identify a shutdown.

I think I have experienced shutdown before but I'm not 100% sure. Because I was late-diagnosed there are times that I look back on now and I think that probably was a shut down. One that springs to mind was around 10 years ago after my relationship with an ex-girlfriend ended. It took me a long, long time to move on from her (quite possibly as part of the intense interests that come with being autistic), and in that time there were 1 or 2 occasions where I shut myself in my bedroom, sat on my bed with my back to the wall in a kind of vertical foetal position with my knees up and my arms holding them close to my chest, I put my headphones on and listened to the song Ghost Love Score by Nightwish repeatedly for who knows how long. It's difficult for me to know for definite whether anything that I think may have been a shutdown actually was a shutdown because I didn't have any knowledge or awareness of autism at the time, and my alexithymia means I didn't really know what I was feeling, even at the time. But I do suspect believe that incidents like that were shutdowns.

So, how to help a shutting down autistic? During a shutdown the person will largely not do much if anything at all, but both shutdowns and meltdowns can have a negative mental effect on them that can cause them to do things that are detrimental. There are cases that I'm aware of where people have done things like cutting their hair off or thrown things away because they didn't feel like they deserved it, or on the more extreme end it can lead to self harm and suicide attempts. In terms of safety there's not as much to do when helping a person in shutdown as there is with a person in meltdown, but there's still the same responsibility to make sure that they don't do anything dangerous as well as getting them to a safe, isolated or sensory-friendly place if necessary. Other than that it's just down to the autistic person's preferences really. Some might not want you to touch them, whereas others might benefit from a tight hug if pressure is something that helps ground them. Some might need silence during their shutdown while others might prefer quiet music if possible.This is why it's important to familiarise yourself with their preferences if at all possible as it can vary so much from person to person. The last help/safety tip I can give is that regardless of the person's preferences it's important to keep communication to a minimum, much the same as during a meltdown. Short, simple phrases and questions are best to help the autistic person feel comfortable and supported.

Now we've covered meltdown and shutdown over the last couple of weeks, so next week's post will be about burnout. Stay tuned here, and also on my my new Twitter account @DepictDave that I set up specifically for blog news and updates!