Understanding Your Autistic Child - Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown, and Shutdown
Raising Autistic Children
Does your autistic child experience big emotions - like sadness, anger, or frustration? When your autistic child becomes overwhelmed, do they cry, yell, fight, or run away?
Parents raising autistic children may be familiar with these experiences, often called meltdowns. What parents may not know is that their autistic child(ren) might also experience burnout, inertia, and shutdown.
Burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown - commonly shortened to BIMS - are ideas that were first talked about in the online autistic community. More recently, scientists and healthcare professionals have been working with autistic children, youth, and adults to understand these experiences better. Let’s break down what they’ve learned!
BIMS: Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown, and Shutdown
Burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown (BIMS) are experienced by autistic people in their bodies, minds, and emotions. These experiences can make it hard for autistic children to do their everyday activities - like going to school, making friends, and enjoying their hobbies.
When researchers interviewed autistic children, they shared that most adults in their lives don’t understand BIMS. These autistic children wanted their parents and teachers to understand their experiences. They also wanted to be involved in coming up with solutions or strategies.
So, what can you do as a neurotypical parent or caregiver of an autistic child(ren)? Start by learning more about autistic burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown.**
Burnout: Feeling Exhausted
Burnout can happen when your autistic child feels exhausted and completely drained. They also might feel less patient, stressed or grumpy. Burnout can happen when your autistic child has been busy with lots of different activities and responsibilities, like homework, chores, and sports.
Many autistic kids feel like they can’t be themselves at school or when around other people. They might hold in their “stims”, make lots of eye contact, or put a lot of energy into acting the way everyone expects them to. Some people call this “masking”. Not only is masking exhausting, but it may increase the chance of autistic burnout.
Watch a video on autistic burnout: https://youtu.be/o1yqzfKg37o
Inertia: Feeling Stuck
Inertia is when your autistic child feels stuck or like it’s hard to start, stop, or change activities. It can be frustrating and annoying, as they might really want to start the activity, but just can’t. Inertia can also feel like nervous energy or a tense feeling.
Watch a video on autistic inertia: https://youtu.be/ESgvWx5iasg
Meltdown: Feeling Out of Control
A meltdown can happen when your autistic child feels overwhelmed - it might be a sudden response to something happening or from a buildup of stress. Many things can cause a meltdown, like social demands, frustration, embarrassment, challenges with communication, emotional triggers, or overwhelming sensations.
During a meltdown, it can be hard for your child to tell you what they’re feeling. They may also do things they don’t normally do - which is why they feel out of control.
After a meltdown, autistic kids often feel guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed, especially if it happens at school or another public place. They also might find it hard to remember what happened during the meltdown, which makes it even harder to understand and explain it to others.
Watch a video on meltdowns: https://youtu.be/Tir4JHVqUso
Shutdown: Feeling Frozen
A shutdown can happen when your autistic child feels upset and can’t react to a situation. A shutdown can feel like having a meltdown on the inside, but it looks different from the outside. Instead of yelling or crying or kicking, your child might freeze up. Many autistic kids feel like they can’t talk or move during a shutdown. They might feel like they want to escape or just curl up into a ball.
Watch a video on shutdown: https://youtu.be/BNeDL8CzC7c
Raising autistic children can be filled with many joys and also challenges. As a parent or caregiver, you can best support your autistic child by taking time to understand their unique experiences - including if and how they experience burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown.
Only once you understand these experiences can you work with your child and other members of their team (teachers, EAs, social workers, occupational therapists, etc.) to create helpful strategies and support plans.
Want to learn more?
Interested in learning more about autistic burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown? Check out the website https://www.bimslab.ca/ for more information and support tools.
Hoping to discuss how best to support your autistic or neurodiverse child(ren)? Email Emma to book a discovery call and chat about your family’s needs.
**Note: Given the overlap between autism and other experiences of neurodiversity, there’s a chance other neurodivergent kids (and adults) also relate to the descriptions of burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown. However, this article is based on research specific to autistic children, youth, and adults.
Author: Taryn Kieller, MScOT
Taryn is a second-year Occupational Therapy Student at the University of Toronto. As a neurodivergent person, Taryn is passionate about promoting health and well-being for all people, prioritizing a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach. In her graduate research project, Taryn helped refine and launch support tools for autistic burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown (BIMS). Taryn is a co-creator of the website www.bimslab.ca.
