Autistic meltdown

Autistic meltdown is a term that has been used to describe an intense and uncontrollable response to an overwhelming situation in some people on the autism spectrum.

Angry outbursts in people with autism have been referred to as meltdowns which manifest as an intense reaction[1]: 2561–2562  that may include crying, shouting, aggressiveness, or self-harm.[2]: 14  They can occur due to distress caused by unexpected changes, overwhelming social situations, or sensory overload.[3]: 35–38 [4]: 2034 

Unlike a tantrum, a meltdown is viewed as involuntary. Tantrums often have manipulative motives, when the child learns that they cannot get what they want if they cry or scream. In contrast, an autistic meltdown is not manipulative and arises from distress.[2]: 22–24 [5]: 61 [6]: 13  Meltdowns can be misinterpreted by first responders and law enforcement officers, leading to escalation of situations.[4]: 2033–2034 

References
  1. Sukhodolsky, Denis G.; Gladstone, Theresa R.; Marsh, Carolyn L. (2021). "Irritability in Autism". In Volkmar, Fred R. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2nd ed.). Cham: Springer. pp. 2561–2564. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_102263. ISBN 978-3-319-91279-0. S2CID 242421013. Historically, the term irritability was used in ASD literature as an umbrella category for severe disruptive behaviors including temper tantrums, aggression, and non-compliance ... anger outbursts in ASD have been described as 'immature' with labels such as 'meltdowns' being used to reflect the uncontrollable nature of these behaviors.
  2. Colvin, Geoffrey T.; Scheehan, Martin R. (2012). "The Nature of Meltdowns". Managing the Cycle of Meltdowns for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Corwin. pp. 14–26. ISBN 9781412994033.
  3. Colvin, Geoffrey T.; Scheehan, Martin R. (2012). "A Six-Phase Model of the Meltdown Cycle". Managing the Cycle of Meltdowns for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Corwin. pp. 27–60. ISBN 9781412994033.
  4. Beardon, Luke; Chown, Nick; Cossburn, Kleio (2021), "First Responders and Autism", in Volkmar, Fred R. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2nd ed.), Cham: Springer, pp. 2031–2039, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_102159, ISBN 978-3-319-91279-0, Many autistic people experience meltdowns. The public often finds it hard to tell meltdowns and temper tantrums apart, but they are different things. A meltdown is an intense response to a situation an autistic person finds overwhelming. To cope with such a situation, the autistic person may need to engage in repetitive body movements (stimming). Interrupting this may increase levels of anxiety exacerbating the situation. Some possible scenarios that could lead to incorrect initial perceptions on the part of first responders include [...]
  5. Habermann, Lisa; Kißler, Christian (2022). "Von der Überlastung zum "Wutausbruch"" [From overload to "tantrum"]. Das autistische Spektrum aus wissenschaftlicher, therapeutischer und autistischer Perspektive (in German). Wiesbaden: Springer. pp. 61–70. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-37602-4_3. ISBN 978-3-658-37601-7. Insbesondere bei Menschen mit Autismus ist zu unterscheiden, ob es sich tatsächlich um einen Wutausbruch, oder vielmehr um einen Meltdown handelt. Ein so genannter Meltdown, der die Folge eines Overloads sein kann, wird häufig mit einem Wutausbruch verwechselt. Es ist jedoch für die pädagogische Praxis wichtig, Meltdowns von Wutausbrüchen zu unterscheiden, da Wutausbrüche und Meltdowns aus der Sicht des autistischen Menschen jeweils etwas vollkommen anderes bedeuten und unterschiedliche Ursachen haben.
    [Particularly in autistic people it has to be distinguished whether something is a tantrum, or rather a meltdown. A so-called meltdown, which can be the cause of [sensory] overload, is often confused with a tantrum. However, for pedagogical practice, it is important to distinguish meltdowns from tantrums, as tantrums and meltdowns are something completely different from the autistic person's perspective and have different causes.]
  6. Richards, Hope; Lipsky, Deborah (2009). Managing Meltdowns: Using the S.C.A.R.E.D. Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 9781846429170.

Further reading
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