I've been working on a definition for Autistic Burnout for the past couple of years.
To date, there are a number of definitions and understandings of this most dangerous phenomenon.
To me, Autistic Burnout is a profound and enduring state of exhaustion paired with a partial to total loss of particular abilities resulting from the chronic and relentless denial of our fundamental autistic needs by society and those around us and an overabundance of demands and stimuli without sufficient recovery time.
It is characterized by several interconnected factors, including a continual sense of emotional and sensory overwhelm, a persistent dysregulation of our nervous system, and a profound alienation stemming from both camouflaging, not being heard or understood, and at times, encountering disbelief or even hostile responses to one's autistic experiences.
We can continue to break this down into a bunch of various nuances and we should. There are levels (some say 4, some 5, some 6) and I think all can agree that not all burnouts are the same. I think we can also agree that more #ActuallyAutistic humans are in burnout than we may suspect.
