• DONATE NOW
  • About The Art of Autism
  • What is autism?
  • Projects
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Contact
    • Subscribe to our Email List
    • Volunteer
The Art of Autism - Connecting through the Arts Connecting through the Arts
  • Covid-19 posts
  • #ActuallyAutistic bloggers
  • Podcast
  • Poets
  • Artists
  • Parents
  • Siblings
  • Galleries
  • Submit
#ActuallyAutistic Perspective, Mental HealthMarch 22, 2019December 12, 2019

What it’s like to experience a meltdown

Kaelynn P:artlow

By Kaelynn Partlow

Often those of us on the autism spectrum do things that neurotypical people have difficulty understanding. To outsiders, autistic behavior can look “odd” or seem “not to make sense.” Sometimes a person’s behavior can even be frightening.

It’s not uncommon for autistic people to sometimes engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous, especially during a meltdown. For their loved ones, watching someone they care about have a meltdown can absolutely be scary and confusing at times. Lets face it, meltdowns aren’t pretty, and they’re certainly not fun, especially for the person experiencing it!

Meltdowns can be caused by a whole host of things. Their triggers are different depending on the individual. Many autistic people report struggling to think clearly during a meltdown. They feel held at the mercy of their emotions and senses until it passes. The good news is, many also report feelings of clarity after the meltdown has passed.

As a nearly 22-year-old woman on the autism spectrum, this couldn’t be more true for me. A lot of people around me don’t understand why I can have such clarity of my thoughts and intelligent reasoning most of the time, but then still experience meltdowns, where I don’t seem to have clear thoughts or the ability to reason.

My meltdowns usually stem from being overwhelmed or confused by information or sensory input; major changes without warning; and medical procedures. Over the years I’ve learned to cope with the stress of everyday life as any young adult does. I might just go about it a little differently. I work really hard to control what I say and do during a meltdown. In the past, I’ve said or done hurtful things. I try my best to remove myself from the situation to “take a break” in order to collect myself, and return when I’m ready. However, sometimes my best efforts fail and I’m left crying on the floor unable to think rationally until the feelings pass. I’m thankful I’ve been able to learn strategies like taking a break somewhere quiet; holding a fidget toy; or squeezing my hands in order to get myself back on track.

Everyone seems to question the reason for the meltdown in the first place because I’m normally so capable of intelligent reasoning and problem solving. I’m really not so sure on the specifics of why I can get overwhelmed past a point of no return. I guess the short answer in one word is AUTISM.

To put it in perspective, here is an analogy that seems to illustrate my personal experience:

Your friend has a cold, and gradually, you begin to feel some of their same symptoms; a runny nose, a headache and sinus congestion slowly infiltrate your body. You begin to feel worse as the day goes on. You finally get home where you can actually take care of yourself. You remember all the times you could breathe through your nose, and how you took them for granted. You wonder how long you’ll be a mouth breather with an increasingly bad headache. Maybe this terrible cold is your new existence? A few days later you wake up feeling a little better. You reach for a tissue (and bear with me here – this may be a little gross), you blow as hard as you can … and it is really productive! You reach for another tissue and suddenly you feel most of the sinus pressure release. You are able to breathe fully through both nostrils. It took some time, self care, and maybe the help of a loved one but now you can breathe clearly.

That may be a little bit extreme, but for me, I can feel the pressure building. Sometimes I can grab a tissue and immediately relieve the pressure, and other times, it builds and worsens. However, after going through the worst of it, once its over, I can experience that clarity again. I can reflect back on the situation and see that I wasn’t actually dying, it was just a bad cold. That change in my schedule wasn’t actually that bad, in fact, it makes sense to do it that way, and I can see that now.

No one likes having a meltdown, but I’ve learned to appreciate the clarity they bring for me after the fact.

When it’s over I appreciate that I can reflect on the situation and see what I might do differently next time.

***

KaelynnMy name is Kaelynn Partlow. I live in Greenville, SC and I am 22 years old. I work full time at a fabulous nonprofit organization teaching kids on the autism spectrum. I love my job and my family! I am also passionate about dog training, and work with service dogs in my free time.

Tags from the story
autism and meltdowns, autistic, autistic perspective, first-person account, Kaelynn Partlow, meltdown, meltdowns vs. tantrums
5
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Google + LinkedIn Email

You may also like

April 29, 2018

Art Inspired by National Geographic

comprende le spectre - 6
February 3, 2017

Comprende le spectre de l’autisme – version française

Baylie Nixon Jewelry
September 2, 2018

How I create jewelry to promote neurodiversity and autism advocacy

October 31, 2015

Leanne’s perspective – it’s time to recognize us

Stephen Gaiber at Trader Joes
May 13, 2019

Tips for finding and keeping a job

October 10, 2016

Logic and Consistency within Schizophrenia: A Jump in Intelligence #WorldMentalHealthDay

Previous articleOn balancing fantasy and reality with an autistic mind
Next articleJoshua Garcia’s “Splats”

5 Comments

  • Nicole Corrado says:
    March 22, 2019 at 6:31 am

    Thank you for writing so eloquently on this sensitive topic! Still, today, there are insensitive documentaries that show people’s meltdowns without permission. Shared on http://www.nicolecorradoart.wordpress.com

    Reply
  • Tatyanna says:
    March 22, 2019 at 7:14 am

    I get meltdowns when things don’t seem to be going right or when I get provoked by someone. I also get a meltdown whenever I am super late to go somewhere.

    Reply
  • Tatyanna says:
    March 22, 2019 at 7:19 am

    I get meltdowns when things don’t seem to be going right and when I am getting provoked by someone. I also get a meltdown when I feel like I’m going to be late for something.

    Reply
  • Denise Nobs says:
    March 22, 2019 at 8:42 am

    Thank you for giving us a peek into your life. From an ever learning paraprofessional!

    Reply
  • Steve Staniek says:
    March 25, 2019 at 6:24 am

    Kaelynn, -thanks for raising this important reaction that many of us share. I’m 71, and I still have them, even in public, when I hit my frustration limit [I frustrate easily].
    Last year I had a massive meltdown in the lobby of our local radio station, because they refused to provide air time to an important public issue that I was shepherding forward. Somedays, my coping mechanisms don’t seem to work, and I have to face the raw physicality of the world head on. Now, when I can feel a meltdown coming, I have it safely at home before I go out to face the situation.
    When I sense my emotional pressure increasing and approaching my “meltdown point”, and I know in my belly that it’s time for me to blow….I throw myself on my bed with a bunch of pillows, and give my body permission to let go, and release all the growing tension through a controlled meltdown. My body knows instinctively what it needs to do to correct and stabilize itself, and I give it permission to clear itself of unwanted tension. I like to use the metaphor of a dog shaking water off its coat.
    Sometimes it takes screaming and yelling, and sometimes vigorous shaking, to help release my unwanted energy. Other times, its more effective if I lay down and allow my body to shake gently, softly, and quietly for a few minutes, until its almost imperceptible. This allows the excess energy to detach and leave me more peacefully. Sometimes, this method brings moments of joyful release.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Like This Page?

Support our autistic bloggers and artists

Trending

  • Females and Aspergers: A checklist
  • Top 10 signs you have Aspergers
  • Understanding the spectrum – a comic strip explanation
  • How Satoshi Tajiri’s autism helped create Pokemon
  • The Autism Puzzle Piece: A symbol that’s going to stay or go?
  • 105 Favorite Quotes About Autism and Aspergers
  • 10 ways to help autistic children and adults
  • Why I No Longer Use the Puzzle Piece in My Jewelry Creations
Tweets by @artautism

Read Our Disclaimer on Content

Archives

Subscribe to our newsletter

We Respect Your Privacy

Email Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Facebook

The Art of Autism

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by @artautism

More Stories

#ActuallyAutistic Perspective, Parent Perspective

5 Ways autism makes me a cool dad

Newsletter

About the Art of Autism

The Art of Autism is a 501c3 nonprofit. We are an international collaboration of talented individuals who have come together to display the creative abilities of people on the autism spectrum and others who are neurodivergent. Our mission is to provide a forum to connect with those who wish to employ these abilities. The Art of Autism accepts many art forms, including blog posts, art, poetry, video submissions and requests for book and film reviews. We seek diverse viewpoints including those from autistic people, parents, siblings, therapists, and others. We look to partner with organizations with similar goals for awareness, acceptance, educational events and the provision of opportunities for our participants.

Popular posts

  • Females and Aspergers: A checklist
  • Understanding the spectrum – a comic strip explanation
  • Top 10 signs you have Aspergers
  • The Autism Puzzle Piece: A symbol that’s going to stay or go?
  • 105 Favorite Quotes About Autism and Aspergers
  • How Satoshi Tajiri’s autism helped create Pokemon
  • Why I No Longer Use the Puzzle Piece in My Jewelry Creations
  • Autistic people & empathy: what’s the real story?
  • 50 Positive traits of many with Aspergers
  • A New Year’s Mash-Up of Poetry, Videos and Art From Our Readers
  • Baby talk – why do people talk to #autistic adults and children like they are infants
  • Why autistic adults struggle with employment
  • 10 ways to help autistic children and adults
  • Autism and writing: how to teach your child to write
  • Amy Gaeta, a PhD Candidate & Advocate for the Neurodivergent Community
  • As an Autistic Adult Why the Gift of Ear Muffs made me Sob
  • What it’s Like Being a Self-Diagnosed #ActuallyAutistic Adult
  • Surprisingly Sympathetic Korean Drama features an Autistic character
  • What is autism?
  • A look back at the movie Rain Man and how our views of autism have changed
  • #ActuallyAutistic bloggers
  • 18 Great Quotes by Temple Grandin
  • On balancing fantasy and reality with an autistic mind
  • The value of art therapy for those on the autism spectrum
  • Comprende le spectre de l’autisme – version française
  • Neurodiversity: a person, a perspective, a movement?
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Diane Dokko’s story of Unbreakable Faith
  • Feeling Overwhelmed? These 8 Suggestions Can Help Autistic People Ease Anxiety
  • But You Don’t Look Autistic!

Popular Tags

about Kevin Hosseini (18) about Stephen Shore (13) about Temple Grandin (34) ActuallyAutistic (86) advocacy (14) art (39) artist (30) artist with autism (16) art therapy (14) aspergers (111) Aspie (18) Austin John Jones (15) autism (266) Autism acceptance (23) autism and employment (17) autism awareness (20) Autism Shift (29) Autism Speaks (18) Autism Unveiled (90) autistic (96) autistic artist (86) autistic artists (39) autistic perspective (19) autistic poet (21) bullying (13) Dear Me (15) Debra Muzikar (111) humor (14) inclusion (16) Keri Bowers (48) Kimberly Gerry-Tucker (34) neurodiversity (42) Nils Skudra (31) nonverbal (14) parenting (36) poetry (23) Ron Sandison (67) savant (15) savant syndrome (14) sensory overload (15) Special Education (17) Stimming (17) synesthesia (15) Tom Iland (15) World Autism Awareness Day (84)

Subscribe to The Art of Autism blogs

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 26,345 other subscribers

We Respect Your Privacy

Read our Email Privacy Policy

Best Autism Blog 2020

ABA Top Autism Blog

Actually Autistic Blogs

Actually Autistic Blogs List

Blog Stats

  • 4,992,292 hits

Archives

Guidestar Seal of Transparency

Search this site

Best Autism Blog

Disclaimer on Content

Read our Disclaimer on Content

Categories

  • #ActuallyAutistic Perspective (456)
  • #ActuallyAutisticPoets (46)
  • About The Art of Autism (6)
  • Advocacy (67)
  • Art Gallery (35)
  • Art of Autism Peace Project (24)
  • Art of Autism Projects (38)
  • Art/Music (53)
  • Artists (126)
  • Autism – General (49)
  • Autism and Holidays (14)
  • Autism Shift (39)
  • Autism Speaks (7)
  • Autism Unveiled (89)
  • AutisticsofColor (42)
  • Book/Movie Review (60)
  • Bullying (7)
  • Casting Call (8)
  • Covid19 (22)
  • Creative Writing (5)
  • Dear Me (15)
  • Education (31)
  • Employment (42)
  • Females and Autism (67)
  • Humor (1)
  • In the News (55)
  • Innovative Programs (23)
  • Interviews (47)
  • Mental Health (67)
  • Mentorship Project (3)
  • Music (5)
  • Parent Perspective (83)
  • Poetry (32)
  • Research (5)
  • Resources (6)
  • Sibling Perspective (16)
  • Spirituality (36)
  • Temple Grandin (16)
  • Uncategorized (13)
  • Video (13)
  • Writing Resources (2)
Copyright ©2011- 2020. The Art of Autism. A registered Trademark. All rights reserved. The Art of Autism, 855 S. Main Ave., Ste K. #313, Fallbrook, CA 92028
Back to top