Understanding Autistic Burnout

by Viv Dawes

Autistic burnout is experienced by as many as 80% of autistic and other neurodivergent people and yet many professionals working with autistic people, often do not understand or recognise it. This leads to autistic young people and adults being misdiagnosed, being given the wrong advice and support or no support whatsoever. Autistic burnout can lead to extreme crisis, with the individual trying to cope with no resources, no energy and their mental health floundering. The consequences can be extremely serious and sadly sometimes devastating.
I have lived experience of autistic burnout myself and supported other autistic people going through burnout; I wrote this book to help other autistic adults in particular, but also parents of autistic children and professionals working with autistic children and adults, to understand autistic burnout. The workbook is very concise and easygoing. It is laid out in such a way that it is not taxing for someone who is exhausted and experiencing burnout, but wants to understand what they are going through and needs to know what will and won't help.
This book explains what autistic burnout is, the symptoms, the causes, triggers and what can and what will not help the person experiencing burnout. There is a symptom tracker, worksheets to help people identify triggers and also worksheets to look at what can help with healing and prevention. There are also support sheets that can be used to explain symptoms to others, such as doctors, teachers, and mental health professionals. This A4 book is a vital resource for anyone who is autistic, it was very much written for autistic adults who may be experiencing burnout (or parents of autistic children and professionals working with autistic children and adults).
(The emergency contacts listed are for the UK only)

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder

73 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2023

Reviews

[Michelle Eastridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is often hard to put into words what burnout and sensory overload feels like to someone who is neurotypical, and this does an excellent job explaining!! This is a great resource for all neurotypes, and our family got a lot of of the material.

Also, I love how it is written. The format was very easy to get through and process.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This workbook is just what I needed. It is validating and has helped me learn the difference between. Regular burnout and autistic/ neurodivergent burnout. In addition, since this is an informational workbook, it has helped me get moving in creating a plan for myself to recover from neurodivergent burnout and learn useful strategies to prevent it in the future. Highly recommend to anyone who thinks they may be experiencing autistic/ neurodivergent burnout!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

While not a huge book, it is refreshingly written by someone who knows the subject.

It also gave me info in a quick form that helped me to understand the why of autistic burnout in a succinct manner.

Thank you.