Whatever you are doing in your day, whether work, day program or school, can cause stress from social communication, relationships, sensory overload and workload. Trying to keep up with expectations, deadlines and handling interacting with different kinds of people can feel overwhelming. The transition to trade school, college, internship or work brings a lot of changes that can increase stress, too.

That stress can cause emotions like frustration and anger that can be hard to handle and lead to meltdowns. Everyone has ups and downs, good days and harder days.

Learning what you need in routines, sensory issues and coping strategies can help. it's important to ask for support when you need it.

You may be exploring romantic relationships and still be experiencing hormone and body changes which can affect your emotions and behavior. We will be adding articles about sexuality, dating and relationships to the Milestones Autism Planning (MAP) Tool later in 2022.

Understanding How Sensory Issues May Lead to Meltdowns

Understanding the sensory issues that cause autistic people to experience higher intensity sound, touch, light/seeing, smell or taste can help you learn what you need to feel your best. And what sensory issues may set off a meltdown.

A meltdown is an overwhelming emotional outburst and behaviors caused by being unable to communicate or have your needs met. It comes from an inability to self-regulate, which means the ability to handle emotions and behaviors in a given situation.

A meltdown happens when you feel over-stimulated, often with one or more of your senses intensely overloaded. When this happens you may feel too burnt out to keep going.

Everyone needs a way to communicate and share their feelings and needs. Many autistic people have challenges with social skills, finding the right words to say in conversation and tend to be more literal in how they express their thoughts. Understanding what your needs are and what situations cause you stress can help you find strategies that help. You may express your frustration in different ways when you can’t communicate it clearly.

We outline here a process and strategies you can use along with seeking support from the Milestones free autism Helpdesk and professionals.

The Process

If you feel or people close to you have said they feel you have challenging behaviors, the first step is to figure out why you are behaving the way you are. Think about what happens before, during and after a difficult situation to help you understand what causes your behavior.

First, focus on what happens right before the behavior. This is your clue as to what is happening that sets you off. And a first step to figuring out what to do to change your behavior.

Talk with close family and ask your therapist, trusted family member or disability services provider about it. Are there changes in routine, interactions with people, or things happening at certain times or places? Is the behavior happening in one setting or multiple ones with the same or different people?

If you are feeling any pain or discomfort you'll want to check if you might have a medical condition. For example if you have pain in your mouth, do you have an infection or cavity? Talk to your doctor or dentist to see if a medical condition may be contributing. The Co-existing Conditions page provides more information about various physical and mental health conditions.

Strategies to Try

Identify when you're getting overwhelmed and coping strategies, so you start to build that self-awareness. Learn to ask for help when something is difficult.

If you struggle with new activities, places or people, try to prepare ahead. New can be challenging. Before going to a new activity or experience try to find out what to expect. You could look up information about the place you're going, including menus and parking or public transportation information. You could ask people who might have been there or invited you about what to expect.

Looking at a social story or online video might be helpful as well, which a family member or your therapist might be able to help you with.

You might also try going to a matinee, shop or restaurant at a quieter, less popular time.

See the Education and Life and Social Skills sections of the MAP for more information about those topics.

We're Here to Help

Contact the Milestones Helpdesk for information or book an Individual or Family Consultation to help you make a customized action plan based on your unique needs.