“Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout

This research summary can be incorporated into a lecture or shared with students as a reading to demonstrate how psychological science explores the diversity of human experience. This resource can also be used to encourage students to identify the major components of a research study (i.e., the hypothesis or study question, sample, method, and findings). Students can be asked to identify potential limitations of the study and encouraged to discuss the implications for our understanding of human behavior. Keywords highlight how concepts within and across pillars are incorporated into a single research study.

What does autistic burnout look and feel like to autistic adults? What do they perceive as causing autistic burnout? What effects does autistic burnout have on their lives? The study team interviewed 19 autistic adults who discussed burnout in their interviews; the study team also reviewed social media and blog posts by autistic people about autistic burnout. The interview sample included men, women, and non-binary people between 21–65 years old, and included three people of color. All participants lived in the United States and spoke English. This study used community-based participatory research methodology, which means that members of the community being studied (i.e., autistic adults) were included in all parts of the study from coming up with the research question to publishing the results. The authors used qualitative thematic analysis to look for common themes in the interviews and social media posts. In other words, they examined what topics or concepts appeared frequently in interviews and social media posts. The authors found that autistic burnout was commonly described as involving (a) a feeling of chronic exhaustion, (b) a loss of skills (e.g., communication skills), and (c) reduced tolerance to stimuli (e.g., being less able to handle loud noises or crowds). Participants reported that they believed autistic burnout was caused by a combination of (a) life stressors, (b) difficulty accessing support, and (c) a mismatch between others’ expectations of them and their own abilities. Participants reported that autistic burnout led to worsening physical and mental health, a reduced ability to take care of themselves and live independently, and a reduced quality of life.

Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., Kapp, S. K., Hunter, M., Joyce, A., & Nicolaidis, C. (2020). “Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout. Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079opens in new window

Autism, Autistic Burnout, Qualitative Research, Autistic Adults

The development of resources to broaden diversity and representation in the teaching of high school psychology resources is an APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools initiative supported by funding from the American Psychological Foundation David and Carol Myers Fund. This resource was developed by Kara Ayers, PhD; Emily Lund, PhD; Erika Sanborne; and Allison Shaver.