Autistic Burnout – Understand it, Support It, Prevent It
$199.00 USD
6 hours of content! “Autistic burnout isn’t just stress—it’s our bodies and brains shutting down from long-term survival mode.” Autistic burnout is a widespread but widely misunderstood experience. In our recent survey of over 300 individuals who have experienced autistic burnout, the profound and lasting effects on daily life were evident. Many respondents shared that they have never fully recovered, highlighting the urgent need for greater awareness, support, and prevention strategies.
- “I have spent years in burnout, and I still don’t feel like I used to. I wish people understood how deeply this affects every part of my life.”
- “People think burnout is just being tired, but it’s a complete shutdown—like my body and brain just refuse to keep going.”
- “I lost skills I had for years. I couldn’t function at work. I had to leave school. I had to start over.”
And yet, most professionals, caregivers, and even autistic individuals don’t fully understand the signs, causes, and recovery or prevention strategies for autistic burnout, making this 6-hour course essential for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Description
Registration Fee: $199*
When is this course:
- April 28, April 30 and May 2, 2025. All @ 12-2pm Eastern Standard Timezone
- Can’t make it? No problem! 6-months of unlimited access to the course recording is available to all that register
This live course includes:
- 6-hours live instruction with Tanya, David & Kelly
- 6-months unlimited access to the recorded version
- Access to 3+ exclusive downloadable handouts
- Personalized certificate of completion
Course Description:
Autistic burnout is more than exhaustion—it’s a full-body shutdown that can strip away energy, skills, and even the ability to function. Yet, autistic people, families, and professionals often don’t learn about autistic burnout until a crisis point is already reached. In a recent survey of over 300 autistic individuals, many shared that burnout left them unable to attend school or work, socialize, or care for themselves, with some saying they never fully recovered.
Why does burnout happen? The survey revealed clear patterns including:
- Masking & Social Camouflaging – “I spent years pretending to be someone I’m not. Eventually, my brain and body just stopped cooperating.”
- Sensory & Executive Function Overload – “Everything was too much. I felt like I was drowning in noise, light, and demands I couldn’t keep up with.”
- Lack of Diagnosis & Late Identification – “I didn’t even know I was autistic until I was already deep in burnout. I just thought I was failing at life.”
- Unaccommodating Work & School Environments – “I was forced into spaces that broke me, and when I struggled, I was called lazy.”
- Chronic Invalidation & Trauma – “People told me to ‘just try harder’—that made everything worse.”
So why don’t we talk about it more? Many autistic individuals don’t recognize burnout until they’re already in crisis, and professionals often misdiagnose it as depression or laziness. But burnout is preventable, and recovery is possible—when we truly understand what’s happening.
This 6-hour course is for autistic individuals, loved ones, and professionals who want real answers. We’ll explore the science behind burnout, share community reports about the lived experiences of burnout, challenge harmful myths, and introduce affirming, research-backed strategies that actually work.
What you’ll learn:
- What is autistic burnout, and why is it so often misunderstood? Explore how it differs from general burnout or depression—and why it’s frequently misdiagnosed or dismissed.
- Breaking the myths: Burnout isn’t just “being tired” or “not trying hard enough.” Reframe common misconceptions and replace them with affirming, research-backed insights.
- How does burnout impact daily life? From skill regression and cognitive overload to sensory distress and emotional shutdowns, uncover the wide-ranging effects that can last months, years, or even permanently.
- Why do so many autistic people struggle to recognize burnout before it’s too late? Learn how interoception, alexithymia, and chronic invalidation make it harder to identify burnout—and what can be done to change that.
- How does burnout disrupt the ability to sense and respond to interoceptive body signals? Many autistics report differences in recognizing hunger, thirst, pain, and exhaustion during burnout, often missing critical body cues until they reach a crisis point. Understanding interoception’s role is key to early detection, effective recovery, and long-term prevention.
- Why conventional recovery advice fails autistic people: Discover why solutions like “just rest” or “take a break” often don’t work—and what truly supports sustainable recovery.
- What actually helps? Unpack practical, affirming recovery strategies that go beyond surface-level self-care and address the real root causes of burnout.
- How can we prevent burnout before it happens? Learn how to create sustainable environments, provide adequate accommodations, understand how to robustly support sensory profiles and reduce masking demands to protect energy and well-being.
Who this course is for:
- Autistic Individuals – “I wish I had known about burnout before I completely collapsed. I want others to have the support and knowledge I never did.”
- Family Members & Caregivers – “My loved one is going through this, and I don’t know how to help without making things worse. I want to understand what actually helps.”
- Therapists, Educators & Medical Professionals – “I want to recognize the signs of burnout early and provide real, affirming support—not outdated advice or myths that only makes things harder.”
- School Professionals & Educators – “I see my autistic students struggling, but I don’t always know how to help. I want to understand what burnout looks like in school and what changes actually support autistic learners.”
- Employers & Workplace Leaders – “We need to stop pushing autistic employees into burnout and start creating sustainable environments that respect neurodivergent needs.”
Why This Course is Different
- Built on Lived Experience + Research – This course is informed by real autistic voices, firsthand burnout experiences, and the latest research, ensuring strategies that are both evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming.
- Interoception, Alexithymia & Sensory-Focused – Burnout isn’t just emotional exhaustion; it disrupts body awareness, emotional recognition, and sensory regulation. Learn how interoception and alexithymia make burnout harder to detect—and what to do about it.
- Prevention-First Approach – Recovery is important, but prevention is essential. Instead of just reacting to burnout, we’ll focus on how to create environments and routines that reduce masking, energy depletion, and long-term shutdowns.
- Inclusive of All Environments – Whether in school, work, healthcare, or at home, this course offers practical strategies for educators, employers, professionals, and caregivers to create real, sustainable change.
So, who are we?:
Tanya Adkin is an Autistic autism specialist, researcher, and Social Work Assistant with 20 years of experience across children’s services, education, and health. She began her career in disabled children’s social care and holds a Master’s in Autism.Tanya is passionate about translating theory and policy into practice. She specialises in assessing and working with autistic individuals and families who may be considered ‘complex.’ With extensive experience in advocacy and SEND, she delivers neurodiversity-affirming training and promotes strengths-based approaches to support autistic people in navigating social care, education, and health systems.
David Gray-Hammond is an Autistic, ADHD, and Schizophrenic man in recovery from addiction (now approaching 9 years sober). He has extensive experience working with Autistic people with complex mental health needs, and regularly provides training to authorities and healthcare trusts. David works frontline with Autistic people as well as in independent academia researching Autistic mental health. He has written several books, the most recent of which A Guide to Autism and Psychosis was a best seller in it’s amazon category. All of his work is informed by his lived experience.
Kelly Mahler earned a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University in Dallas, PA, and has been an occupational therapist for 23 years, serving both school-aged children and adults. She is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association Emerging and Innovative Practice Award and a Mom’s Choice Gold Medal. As an international speaker, she is passionate about presenting on topics related to the twelve resources she has authored, including: The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Framework for Developing Mindful Self-Regulation—used in over 30 countries worldwide