Citations:meltdown

Noun: "an autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the person is overwhelmed by intense, seemingly disproportionate emotions, behaving erratically and becoming unable to mask"

 * 2016, Laura, quoted in Wenn Lawson & Kirsty Dempster-Rivett, The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum, page 26:
 * Now if I am really anxious, I can take a moment to think about what is making me anxious and what to do about it; before I would just spiral into a meltdown really quickly, with no understanding of why.
 * 2019, Bill Nason, The Autism Discussion Page on Stress, Anxiety, Shutdowns and Meltdowns: Proactive Strategies for Minimizing Sensory, Social and Emotional Overload, page 171:
 * However, if the accumulation of stress chemicals, stimulation and/or demands are occurring too fast or are too intense to block out, then a meltdown is probable.
 * 2021, Luke Beardon, Autism in Adults, unnumbered page:
 * Either way, it is clear that the individual will be damaged by every exposure to a situation that causes such heightened anxiety that the only course of reaction is meltdown or shutdown.
 * 2021, Carly Jones, Safeguarding Autistic Girls: Strategies for Professionals, pages 61-62:
 * Their [autistic girls'] distress could come out in all sorts of ways and result in meltdown or shutdown.
 * 2021, Pia Hämäläinen, Autism in Code: Extrapolating from Theory and Experience, page 20:
 * They may also contribute to autistic shutdown and meltdown.
 * 2021, Debbie Riall, The Autism Resource Manual: Practical Strategies for Teachers and Other Education Professionals, unnumbered page:
 * Some autistic pupils might not move when requested if they are in shutdown or meltdown.
 * 2021, "Melissa", quoted in Felicity Sedgewick, Laura Hull, & Helen Ellis, Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It, and the Impact It Can Have, page 207:
 * I grew more nervous when I saw the police passing through the station, knowing the stories of arrests or questioning that autistic people are often met with during meltdown.
 * 2022, Barb Cook & Yenn Purkiss, The Autism and Neurodiversity Self Advocacy Handbook: Developing the Skills to Determine Your Own Future, page 33:
 * If you're experiencing challenges that are extremely stressful and may lead you to being overwhelmed, or set off a meltdown in the workplace, this may be very concerning to your work colleagues.