Autistic burnout

New Rochelle, NY, May 21, 2020 “What is autistic burnout has been a term frequently used by autistic adults? Its characteristics, and what may cause or alleviate it, are discussed in Autism and Adulthood.

Autistic adults use the term to describe a chronic state of exhaustion, loss of skills, and reduced tolerance to stimulus. These characteristics are long-lasting and permeate peoples lives.

According to the study, autistic adults say chronic life stress and a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate supports is very difficult. Autistic burnout had a negative impact on autistic adults health, capacity to live independently, and quality of life, including suicidal behavior.

Autistic burnout has been a matter of extreme and under-examined urgency for far too long. I hope our work opens a new avenue of research into understanding, relieving, and preventing it in our community, says coauthor Dora Raymaker, PhD, Portland State University.

While the autistic community frequently talks about autistic burnout, the concept has been almost completely absent in the scientific and clinical literature. Its time we start listening to autistic adults and pay attention to what may be an important mediator of poor outcomes, says senior author, Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, and Editor-in-Chief of Autism in Adulthood.

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Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number1R21MH112038 and by Oregon Health & Science University/Portland State University Collaboration Seed funding. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal

Autism in Adulthood is a new peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research and scholarship on the most pressing issues affecting adults on the autism spectrum, from emerging adulthood to later life. Led by Editor-in-Chief Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University, the Journal is the premier source for original research, in-depth analysis, and inter-professional dialogue, providing new insights and evidence to promote practice, systems, and policy change. For complete information, please visit the Autism in Adulthood website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and Brain Connectivity. Its flagship publication, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firms 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.