i had a overload today in School.

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hi everyone, so i couldn't stay in school today because i had an overload, an overload is not quite a Meltdown but also not a shut down.

Meltdown- inability to control urges, usually violent, yelling, shouting, crying and self harm, caused by change in situation or routine or caused by inability to communicate

Shut down- often caused by sensory overload, being crowded, or a unfamiliar situation , causes the inability to process what i am seeing, slower reaction time and verbal decrease,

Overload- caused by a abundance of stress, socialization or tasks, causes inability to focus, anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, and crying.

im not sure exactly what caused the overload, maybe it was just a bad day or maybe im socializing too much, but i dont know how to tell my friends that i need time alone, (( i told one friend i am autistic and he doesnt 100% understand yet))

what should i do to prevent overloads at school?

I am sorry you had that ZombieBride. I hope you are feeling better now. As far as preventing them, that is hard to say. I think one thing that helps me is that I do everything I can to do things as slowly as possible. I noticed that that calms me a lot. If you are walking in the hall going to class, I would try to do it slowly. If someone is having a conversation with you, I would try to respond with slower speech. Even when I eat I find it is more calming to eat as slowly as I can. Also keeping yourself well fed and hydrated and well rested will help you overall. I wish there was a magic pill for sensory overload but unfortunately we just have to try to manage to do whatever we are able to control our environment and stay calm. But slowing things down helps me a lot.

You are welcome dear. I am glad I can help.

Happens to me a lot. Wish I knew some way to prevent it. Most of the time they sneak up on me. I know not enough sleep can trigger my overloads sometimes.

I had the beginnings of a meltdown not half an hour ago, so I know where you're at. It didn't escalate too far, but it's still tiring, and very irritating. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. What helps me deal with overload is complete physical and sensory isolation. Is there a place you can go that is devoid of other people, and which has minimal sensory distractions? It's hard to find such a place in a school, but perhaps the bathroom during class hours (not during passing period) would help. I've just sat there trying to collect myself for twenty minutes or more before, and while it's not perfect (flourescent lights and the occasional toilet flushing, especially those hellish automatic ones), it's a lot better than staying put and trying to deal with it in front of the rest of the class. Good luck ZombieBride.

As a teacher with 2 diagnosed ASD students (and possibly more) I suggest negotiating coping mechanisms with teachers. No doubt some will be more amenable than others, but if you get the student counselor (and/or coordinator) onside, it can help the teachers get onside.

Over the years, we've had a few students with ASD and other issues, and been able to help them cope as well as agreeing on strategies. One girl we had a couple of years ago had huge anxiety and would go into meltdown. We negotiated breaks just for her, and the other students accepted those as specific to her needs. There have been a variety of such issues over the last few years, and we have usually found a way to help, though not always.