Managing Shutdowns

I always liken a shutdown to someone with a garden that has got out of control.  There comes a point where it gets more out of control no matter how much effort was put in, there are just not enough hours in the day to get it back in order.  So what then happens is that nothing is done.  The only real answer is to start everything again, clear every thing and go back to square one.

This to me is my shutdown.  So many demands put on me, when I know I should finish a job off but then am told to do something else.  So evenutally, the work has built up ... and no matter what it gets worse.  So evenutally, I get to the point I do nothing.  Shutdown and not only in the set task but in other parts of my life as well, even things I get enjoyment from.  And to get it back into order is very difficult, not an easy process.  Too many demands, and not feeling in control causes overload.  Overload means anxiety.  Anxiety causes meltdown and shutdown, not necessarily in that order.  So for want of ever more being required means that the result in the end is nothing is done.

Managers at work tend to think this is something I am doing on purpose.  Yet it is a problem that is caused by their ever increasing demands over things that I am not allowed my control over.  Managers seem incapable of listening, usually they think there i some sort of training that can make everything better.  They seem to think that counselling is the answer to anxiety, rather than removing the cause of the anxiety.  Problems are created in the modern way of living by having too many conflicting demands, too many officials, not enough understanding and too much contol by others.

I have said before on the forums here that problems for autistic people are often caused by the demands of society.  I can certainly work in my own way far more efficiently.  Being Autistic I work by the 'division of labout' method, it is far more efficient.  And unfortunately many managers, especially in the service industry do not understand this.

There are many instances of a repressed minority being bullied by a stronger majority.  And it is basically a form of slavery.  Not so long ago it was very acceptable to discriminate against women, and even more recently against peoples sexuality.  Nowadays, these are both illegal and subject to the force of the law.

These things usually happen slowly.  It took a long while from the Tolpuddle Martyrs being transported for requesting better conditions to trade unions being recognised as a legitimate body, it took a long time for slavery to be abolished (although it was only really toned down since working classes are still beholden to those with power) a long time to get universal suffrage and a long time to get anything approaching equality regarding sex, age, religion, colour etc.

What we do have to do is make our voice heard.  We are vastly outnumbered by neurotypicals, most NTs not understanding the condition and others thinking with a bit of 'counselling' Autism can be 'cured'.  NTs that accept our condition often think that we can be 'normal' if 'we try a bit harder'.  Many autistic people have great trouble expressing themselves, even though there may be great intelligence within.  After all Stephen Hawking (I'm not suggesting he is autistic) has great problems in expressing himself due to his disability but there is a brain the size of a planet in him.  And we do not know what there is within a lot of autistic people if a way for them to express themselves cannot be found.

So we have to tackle it a bit at a time.  Firstly, acceptance as to what we are.  We are not a threat to other people, we just want to lead our lives in our own way.  Yes we do know there are rules, but unless the need for these rules is explained we can have difficulty in complying.  And then we must be allowed to get on with our lives in our own way,

We must get people in authority on our side.  Yes, we have examples of autistic people who have done all right for themselves.  We might use these examples to help explain.  We must not be afraid to call ourselves 'disabled' but this has to be explained we are disabled by the ways of society and not much in a medical sense.  We are wired differently, we think in a different way, we have capacity for great knowledge and great input and offer a different way of thinking that can be very useful.  And we are not having tantrums if we don't get our own way, we are having meltdowns and shutdowns because of overload, because of conflicts of information and these are noticeable in us because we react in different ways and find it more difficult to suppress, and the mere act of trying to suppress feelings leads to more anxiety with its attendant meltdown and shutdown.

We should take every opportunity of writing to the press and broadcasters of the problems we face and the way we would like to be treated.  We shoud lobby MPs, not just stay quiet and allow ourselves to be bullied and controlled. 

I know all this is difficut, that is why it will be a slow process.  But we will have to start somewhere. The revolution starts

But also under the Legal framework you cannot discriminate against disability either.....does this include Autism under the Equality Act of 2010. 

"The Equality Act 2010 describes a disabled person as someone who has:

“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”

Mental impairments include autism and most autistic people are likely to fit this description, but you do not have to have a diagnosis to be considered a disabled person."

But also under the Legal framework you cannot discriminate against disability either.....does this include Autism under the Equality Act of 2010. 

"The Equality Act 2010 describes a disabled person as someone who has:

“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”

Mental impairments include autism and most autistic people are likely to fit this description, but you do not have to have a diagnosis to be considered a disabled person."

“Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.”

So the NAS considers autism a disability, they are at least part-funded by the Government and are universally accepted as the national autism charity in the UK.

www.gov.uk/.../disability.pdf see the section on “What is a Disability” on page 4, where autism is included.