Noun: "an autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the person is overwhelmed by intense, seemingly disproportionate emotions, behaving erratically and becoming unable to mask"edit
2016, Laura, quoted in Wenn Lawson & Kirsty Dempster-Rivett, The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum, page 26:
Now if I am really anxious, I can take a moment to think about what is making me anxious and what to do about it; before I would just spiral into a meltdown really quickly, with no understanding of why.
2019, Bill Nason, The Autism Discussion Page on Stress, Anxiety, Shutdowns and Meltdowns: Proactive Strategies for Minimizing Sensory, Social and Emotional Overload, page 171:
However, if the accumulation of stress chemicals, stimulation and/or demands are occurring too fast or are too intense to block out, then a meltdown is probable.
Either way, it is clear that the individual will be damaged by every exposure to a situation that causes such heightened anxiety that the only course of reaction is meltdown or shutdown.
Their [autistic girls'] distress could come out in all sorts of ways and result in meltdown or shutdown.
2021, Pia Hämäläinen, Autism in Code: Extrapolating from Theory and Experience, page 20:
They may also contribute to autistic shutdown and meltdown.
2021, Debbie Riall, The Autism Resource Manual: Practical Strategies for Teachers and Other Education Professionals, unnumbered page:
Some autistic pupils might not move when requested if they are in shutdown or meltdown.
2021, "Melissa", quoted in Felicity Sedgewick, Laura Hull, & Helen Ellis, Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It, and the Impact It Can Have, page 207:
I grew more nervous when I saw the police passing through the station, knowing the stories of arrests or questioning that autistic people are often met with during meltdown.
2022, Barb Cook & Yenn Purkiss, The Autism and Neurodiversity Self Advocacy Handbook: Developing the Skills to Determine Your Own Future, page 33:
If you're experiencing challenges that are extremely stressful and may lead you to being overwhelmed, or set off a meltdown in the workplace, this may be very concerning to your work colleagues.
