Recovery from Autistic Burnout is not linear, it can fluctuate, it can be messy and is as much about the journey as it is any destination - the journey from a constant state of survival to a place where the individual feels safer within themselves. It cannot be forced and must come ‘from’ the individual rather than because it is expected or imposed. For each Autistic person their journey from survival to safety can look very different but one sure thing is that neuronormative strategies, goals or targets will not ever help.

 

Support from others is not about motivating an Autistic person or pushing them to become more social and active or to help them return to the life they had prior to burnout, this will actually cause incredible harm. Recovery is about building a new way of living and being that is authentic and more sustainable for the individual.

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Autistic people experiencing burnout need others, including professionals, to have empathy and compassion, people who will sit with them in their situation and not try to change them or fix them. When people are not accepting of an Autistic person and their experiences then this can lead to them trying to make themselves acceptable for others.

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When talking about recovery from Autistic Burnout we need to talk about safety, about deep rest, about striping everything back and lowering demands. All of these things are essential for recovery but yet the truth is that not everyone is in a position to stop and rest and their life situation might not be conducive, stable or their circumstances safe. So it is important to talk about people being safer or safe enough if they can. There will always be those who sadly cannot find any safety and will only ever be able to manage their burnout. Despite the fact that my advice is for people to not push through, many have no choice but to do just this.

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Despite the fact that masking can be so harmful for Autistic people, it is not something they can completely stop. Masking is about survival and Autistic and other neurodivergent people need to survive. We are unlikely to see everything radically change any day soon, meaning that all stigma and hate towards marginalised proper ends. But with that in mind it is important to say how difficult or even impossible it can be to mask when an Autistic person has burnt out and has no more capacity to do so. If their life circumstances mean they have not been able to stop, rest and reduce demands but have had to keep pushing through, then it is no wonder that our our inpatient settings are full of Autistic and other neurodivergent people. Some have burnt out their entire lives, never being given the opportunity to be safe enough.

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The lack of acceptance, understanding and support there is for Autistic people experiencing burnout means many are suffering alone with literally no one who appreciates their differences and their unique needs. They might be housebound, completely isolated and terrified. They might be detained, misunderstood, their experiences not be heard or believed. How they are seen by others around them might be that they are unproductive, not trying hard enough, unwilling to change and uncooperative. This is why it is so crucial that we all have better knowledge, understanding and insight into what might actually be happening and what can help that Autistic person feel safer.

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What things can help an autistic person experience recovery

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Rest: Rest is not just physical but is essentially about safety. According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith there are actually 7 types of rest: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Sensory and Creative rest. So recovery is not just about sleeping more although many might need lots of this. For many sleep changes drastically during burnout but sleep hygiene may not help - as this is not allowing for the process of recovery.

The parasympathetic nervous system which works in tandem with the sympathetic nervous systems is mostly made up of the Vagus nerve and this incredible nerve wanders from our limbic system through all our major organs and into our guts and is responsible for rest and digest. The vagus nerve is responsible for rest, reducing heart rate and regulating digestion. There are many different things that can activate the vagus nerve (known in Polyvagal Theory as vagal toning) and lead to a person feeling safer in themselves, including somatic movement, connection and co-regulation and even play with a trusted neurokin, spending interrupted time in flow states with interests, increased autonomy and even glimmers. .

Resting is crucial for recovery from Autistic Burnout and it can take time and for some a very long time and I am not talking about few days or weeks here. Recovery is a journey, taking a day at a time and cannot be rushed. For someone in employed work they will need a significant amount of time signed off by their GP, understanding that for many returning may be extremely challenging, especially if there is pressure before they have the capacity and there is the expectation for them to return to the same level. A child or young person cannot experience recovery whilst they are in the school environment that has usually for most triggered burnout and caused school trauma. Education can only restart once they have capacity and the education will usually look very different (alternative provision but more often home education and EOTAS).

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Time with interests: Because Autistic minds and nervous systems are ‘interest based’ (due to being ‘monotropic’) having plenty of time in flow states with their interests and passions is crucial and a way to rest, reset and heal. Sometimes in burnout the Autistic person may have temporarily have no capacity for interests and passions and it can take time for these to be renewed and for them to have the capacity for them again.

 

Lower demands and expectations: It is importat that neuronormative demands and expectations especially are reduced or removed. Even ordinary everyday demands and expectations, but also education or work demands, social and communication demands need to be significantly reduced or even removed wherever possible.

Time: You cannot rush recovery from Autistic Burnout. It is a process and you cannot set timescales or create timelines for either - as it is different for each Autistic individual. Targets and goals will not help recovery either but create more demands that can lead to ‘pushing’. Recovery is one day at a time. The recovery more safety has to come from the body and not external pushing.

 

Understanding capacity: Autistic people have differences in their energy (physical, mental and emotional energy). Their energy levels in social environments can be affected by numerous things including: masking (which uses a lot of energy) sensory

differences and too many demands upon them that are not in sync with their needs. When their social battery is low an autistic person may naturally withdraw, stop communicating, shut-down and seek out more alone time, as their nervous system seeks to rest and reset.

 

Neurokin and co regulation: Autistic people will often feel safer with neurokin (usually other Autistic people they have a strong connection with). It is easier to be unmasked when there are no neurotypical social demands and expectations.

Co regulation can also be an important part of recovery for an Autistic person “Co-regulation needs trust as a foundation. You can't co-regulate if there is a battle of power dynamics; co-regulating is about being together as humans and connecting at a deeper level, as equals.” Helen Edgar, Autistic Realms

 

Being heard and believed: This is almost the most important thing that can help, Autistic people often have so much trauma from having been misbelieved and invalidated. You might not understand fully what the Autistic person is experiencing but if you truly want to help them then validating them and their experience is essential.

 

Knowing when to push, to pace themselves and when to stop: Especially for adults there are of course times when in order to get certain things sorted a person has no choice but to push themselves, it is not realistic for many people to just stop everything and completely rest, even if that is exactly what they need! They might for example be a single parent carer, caring for a neurodivergent child also experiencing burnout or they have to work. It can also be hard to know what to prioritise and how to pace themselves as their executive functioning is impacted and everything can feel like it needs to be done immediately, especially when AuDHD. Stopping can feel wrong for many people in burnout, especially when there are so many things that feel like they are urgent and there are so many implicit and explicit messages from society and people around them making them feel they should be doing more not less and being more productive.

 

Self compassion: This is one the most important aspects of recovery for an Autistic or other neurodivergent person. Levels of internalised ableism can be very high as well as the impact of what might be years of internalised ableism, self rejection and shame. Internalised ableism impacts the way an Autistic person thinks about and describes themselves and this can impact the quality of their recovery. Support to deal with their ableism and sense of identity as a neurodivergent individual can really support their recovery journey.

 

Radical acceptance and leaning in: Ultimately the body knows what it needs and that is the same for recovery from Autistic Burnout. The person may feel confused, unsure of what to do and what will help them, it can be hard to lean in and have radical acceptance. And yet that is exactly what is required, trusting the process.

There are lots of ways to help a nervous system feel safer and mostly tht is through connection and that is different for every person but there is a lot of truth in something someone told me that an Occupational Therapist had said to them which was that a person’s mind cannot feel safe until their body feels safe.