Meltdown

A meltdown is a behavior that happens to autistic people when they are overwhelmed, overstimulated, or feeling other strong emotions.

It is very important to note that a meltdown is not a tantrum. The differences are listed below:

Meltdown

• Involuntary
• Affects people of all ages
• Not the autistic person's fault
• Due to emotional or sensory reasons
• Common for some autistic people (others may experience shutdowns instead)
• May be unaware of what is going on around them
• May be cognitive dysfunction*
• The person is not likely to have capacity at this time*

Tantrum

• Due to someone wanting something they cannot have
• (Uncontrolled) outburst of anger
• Usually performed by children
• The person will occasionally check other's reactions to see if the tantrum is working

An autistic person's meltdown may be mistaken for a tantrum due to their surface-level similarities, but they are very different in both cause and subjective experience.

Autistic Meltdowns can look very different for each individual. Please ask what a meltdown looks like for the individualm

Autistic Meltdowns can't be "cured" or "treated", but developing a care plan or prevention plan with the person can be helpful for some.

See also

• Managing Meltdowns by Deborah Lipsky