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Recovering from autistic burnout

ohhello!

Hi there! 

I'm a 17 year old female who's just been diagnosed with autism a couple months back and I'm looking for some advice. Essentially, I'm in my final year of high school and I'm really struggling a lot with my Spanish class. Last year I was really good at Spanish but now I'm failing and I don't really know what to do. I have a meltdown every time I enter the class and a lot of the work just makes me feel totally out of my depth. To further this, it feels like no matter how much revision I do, nothing works which has kind of caused me to give up, stop revising and just try and take a rest because I genuinely am struggling so much. 

My main issue is thought that I'm burnt out. I feel tired all the time, I've lost motivation to do literally any work and my ability to speak fluently and do anything in Spanish has diminished almost completely. I was top of the class last year and now I'm struggling. I've talked to my teacher but it still ultimately all boils down to everything being my fault. But I'm so burnt out and so tired all the time that having the energy to do any more work is hard. I don't want to fail and I don't really know how to care for myself when reaching burnout like this so I was wondering if any of you had tips on dealing with procrastination and burnout?

Have a nice day :)

  • I struggled a lot with languages at school because of the expectation of verbal communication. I know when I am stressed or overwhelmed then speech is the first ability to shut down.

    When you are burnt out and tired then speaking, especially in another language, requires a huge amount of effort. It's possible that's why your ability to speak fluently has diminished so much. I agree that a rest is a good idea and then maybe try and focus only on the written side of the work for a while.

    You're trying to process a relatively recent autism diagnosis at the same time, which is going to add to the pressure you are under. It's a shame your teacher can't be more understanding instead of blaming. You clearly need more support.

    Do you really want to continue with Spanish? Autists tend to be drawn more to our interests and you may have lost the motivation because your interests have changed. 

  • It happens. Take a few days to chill. Whether or not you have a Statement of Educational Support, either you or maybe your parents if you feel like you aren't being taken seriously by your teachers could talk to the SENCO- Special Educational Needs Coordinator lead in your school. It takes a lot of persistence, but try and get a Statement of Educational Needs before you turn 18, as this could get you more help if you decide to go into higher education. I hope this advice helps. 

  • Overloads, shutdowns and meltdowns are hard ones to tackle in a neurotypical environment. I cannot profess to know the exact way to solve your issues, but it will definitely help to take stock of the draws on your focus:

    Sensory sensitivity is a big one, to reduce the loudness of your sensory environment (light, sounds, textures, smells, tastes) will help. Again this is a hard one to accommodate in a school environment. 
    The academic environment most suited to autistic individuals is: working in silence, going slowly and methodically, not editing, preferring to error check, unchanging conditions, lack of distractions, staying on topic, and seeing the logic in each step. 
    As impossible as it sounds, it may be worth seeing if your teacher can accommodate you, rather than blame the victim.

    As far as the positives go, those with AS, work far more efficiently and comfortably if they can work to their interests. I’d you can find a link between academics and your interest you may be able to bypass this lapse in executive function that you are experiencing. 
    In honesty, your stress is a stress that I have felt and failed to overcome in schooling, but unlike my experience you know or have access to know your support needs.  
    It is never going to be helpful to you gain an automatic negative association with schooling, do slow down and make positive steps for you, you clearly need some support on the ground.

    I hope that considering or addressing some of these factors will help negotiate a better learning situation. Have a nice learning experience:D

  • I'm sorry you're feeling burnt out and out of your depth. The last year of high school is quite stressful even if you are a really good student, it's OK to feel like that.

    My tips for burnout would generally be, try to take a couple of days COMPLETELY off if there's any way you can. It's good that you say you are taking a bit of a rest. Don't be peer pressured if other people seem to be working more hours than you - quality is better than quantity :) If  you just keep working everyday, not taking any days off revision etc, you never clear your head. Hopefully if you do that you might end up more refreshed and be less overwhelmed by everything. I would also say, when you start again, 1 day completely off per week is better than 2 half-days off. When you take time off you should get fresh air/exercise and enjoy yourself, take your mind completely off of the work.

    I have quite a lot of experience with revision, and I normally find it's better to go back to the basics or the bits I like to build up my confidence when I'm overwhelmed. Sometimes you get to a point when you sort of hate the subject, but you work a lot better if you can relax a bit and find enjoyment in it again. Buy some nice new stationery, it makes it more fun :)

    Also, I sometimes found that GCSE/A level end-of-course revision classes themselves stressed me out and I was more productive when I skipped the revision classes and worked alone in the library (I got A*s in all of my GCSEs and A levels so it seems like it was a good decision for me). You could ask if you can work by yourself sometimes, if a calmer environment is better for you.

    Have a nice day too :)

  • Hi. Slight smile

    Spanish often seems an afterthought in schools - the courses tend to be rather crammed-in, as if Spanish is just a poor relation to the more major European languages. So everything's rushed. More generally, I think that not a few teachers don't realise what for them is a passing thing - for example, pupils' understanding of the various tenses - can completely throw students and so hinder their progress. So, blaming you for everything might be a lazy cop-out - a good teacher would consider their own efforts first, and question these.