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10 Things that can Trigger a Meltdown
A meltdown occurs when there is sensory overload, pent up emotions or difficulty changing. When the body and mind are unable to process what is taking place, a meltdown can occur. A meltdown can include kicking, screaming or shutting down. If we can understand what may trigger a meltdown for our neurodiverse friends in the first place we may be able to better support their needs.
Common things that create emotional overload for Autistic people...
Here are some common things that can create an overwhelming sense of chaos and or disharmony making it extremely difficult to regulate emotions and keep calm.
- Changes in routine - Autistic people feel safe and calm when they know what is coming next. That could be as big as the day's routine or as little as what is for dinner. Constant communication about what is happening and what changes have are coming is best to avoid a meltdown.
Too much noise or loud sounds - Too much noise or noisy surroundings can over stimulate the sense of hearing for an Autistic person. Each day presents a different level of tolerance depending on how the Autistic person is feeling, what other things they have had to deal with during the day or how much they have had to mask their behaviours - these are all things that will alter their tolerance levels and may heighten their sense of hearing and may trigger a meltdown. (This is the same for all of the senses - sight, touch (including pain), hearing, taste, smell).
A new environment - new environments mean unpredictable surroundings which will increase anxiety and reduce the sense of feeling safe. In new environments tolerance of bright lights, noisy environments or other triggers will be lower.
Large crowds - Large crowds also increase levels of anxiety, due to the hustle and bustle and noise often created with large gatherings.
Feeling tired - simply stated being tired and not having enough sleep reduces a persons tolerance levels of triggers. It is important to note Autistic people often find it hard to sleep so can often be quite tired. It is also very draining for them to mask their Autistic traits which can also lead to exhaustion.
Sensory overload - There is just too much happening all at once - too loud, too crowed, too bright, too busy, things don't feel comfortable - clothes are scratchy, shoes feel wrong, hair is itchy, body pain or stomach pain is felt. Sometimes Autistic people can't regulate due to too many senses are being overloaded all at the same time, leading to an emotional outburst.
Individual specific triggers - all individuals will have different triggers and it is important to get to know what these are. They could be phrases, settings, clothes, textures, tastes, behaviours or anything that makes the person feel overwhelmed or emotionally overloaded.
When people are mean - Autistic people are very black and white and can take things very literally. They also often don't understand sarcasm so if someone says something as a joke they make take it literally and to heart. They often don't understand why people are mean and they can get extremely hurt when people are mean taking it very personally.
Uncomfortable social settings - this is sensory overload as well as lots of masking all at once - too loud, too crowed, too bright, not understanding jokes or sarcasm, masking autistic traits, things going wrong, things don't feel right - and these emotions build up and are too much to handle, often leading in a meltdown if they don't remove themselves to self regulate.
When things go wrong - When things go wrong it is unexpected and this can create 'overload' in an Autistic person's brain, they then won't be able to think straight to process or fix the problem, leading to build up emotions that they can't control.
Remember before a meltdown there is a lead up and during this time feelings and emotions are being built up. Sometimes a meltdown can be avoided if the Autistic person is given time to self regulate away from the trigger/s. As a person is building up towards a meltdown their tolerance of the sensors, feelings, settings, textures, pain etc reduces. Due to tolerance levels changing frequently what can be a trigger one day won't the next.
Often after a meltdown, down time and rest is required to recover. This quiet time then allows the Autistic person to self regulate. The time required depends on the severity of the meltdown and the individual on the day.
Please note these are just some triggers, this is certainly not an exclusive list and the descriptions given for each trigger above are just some of the reasons whys some Autistic people are triggered. All Autistic people are different and may feel differently.
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