Student unable to physically move at times

We are struggling to understand one of our students. They are 16, diagnosed with autism, possible ADHD and PTSD but not seeking professional help. We have always struggled with this student in particular, all the others we can figure out and understand very quickly but in this case, it's been extremely difficult. They are verbal but uses PECS on a daily basis. 

We've never seen this before and are seeking help from professionals but we would like to see your opinions. At times, they will just flop or lie down on the floor and can't physically move any part of their body. Sometimes it is out of the blue, other times it happens in times of distress and overhwelm. For us it's serious because its happened when they've absconded from school and was found by staff lying on the floor. When they are in this state, they can't move, can't talk, can't communicate and is in a vulnerable position and can't protect themselves from danger. 

It can last from 10 minutes to hours at a time. Usually what happens is they'll lay on the floor and once they are down they can't move. After a while, they will be able to move fingers, then squeeze hands, then wiggle toes and very slowly get all their movement back but it takes ages for her to start talking or even open her mouth again. We aren't sure what is happening during all this, parents are aware and have reported a similar thing but it's difficult because it just looks like she just relaxing lying down. Parents said they aren't going to the doctors or seek help because they find them useless so it's just knowing what to do to help. 

Has anyone experienced this before, like I said it can be unpredictable or predictable at times and can happen when they're happy working. Thank you very much for reading, it means a lot. 

  • If it can happen when they are happy working, then it would be definitely worth getting it checked with a GP that they are not some form of absence seizure or catatonia

    'Catatonia is a psychomotor disorder, meaning it involves the connection between mental function and movement. Catatonia affects a person’s ability to move in a normal way. People with catatonia can experience a variety of symptoms. The most common symptom is stupor, which means that the person can’t move, speak, or respond to stimuli.'

    -- getting those things ruled out would be pretty important.

  • Thank you.  Sadly that got a lot worse as I got older in medical environments, eventually it smashed out of shut down into melt down - of the swearing, wall thumping kind.  I had no more clue than the medical profession as to why, except to say that I was living in abject terror and some monster was coming up from the deeps to take me over and it was nothing I was choosing.  No one believed me, I figured out I was having an autistic meltdown for myself in the end.  Still, now that I have a diagnosis some medical people are starting to listen more sympathetically and planning for how to get me medical treatment a bit better.  That in turn is bringing down the anxiety a smidgin.

    You're right, all it takes in the end is for others to try and understand.

  • They have explained that it's a feeling/sensation in their body which sometimes comes out of the blue and other when they're struggling. They said it happened once when doing work happily then started getting dysregulated, melting down then not moving. If we can pinpoint what the feeling/sensation is, then we can help them better. We believe this feeling isn't anxiety and the student says it's annoying at times especially when they're happy and doing work. 

    We are aware of shutdowns, and we've seen students shut down but with this particular student this is different. We know when this student has shutdown and we know how to deal with it but what I've described isn't they're 'usual' shutdown, so either it's a really severe shutdown or there's something else going on. It's strange

  • Dawn: I feel for you mostly because I still have serious problems regarding anxiety-attacks.  I 'freeze' renders me paralysed but people do not understand what l am enduring because it is internal.  I often have memory lapses and my heart beats so fast I feel dizzy like I am having a heart-attack due to chest pain.  My left side of my neck and shoulder going into my are freezes in pain.  Following and previous days I suffer migraine and can not keep food down.  These problems got worse from the bullying and harassment from certain people - the police have been so good to me.

    I hope you have manged to over-come that problem and are having a better time at this stage in your life.  It is such a shame that NTs choose not to understand and are quick to write us off.  

  • You need to make sure it's not one of those rarer forms of epilepsy that can cause a kind of temporary catatonic state.

    I totally understand the parents. Doctors are often pretty clueless, but I would persaude them to get that checked out.

    If that isn't the explanation, well you are describing a form of Autistic shut down and that could well be what you are seeing. Not on that scale or as frequently, but my mother reports a few instances which had similarities when I was a toddler. In doctors' surgeries, I would lock up and freeze completely, unable to talk or respond physically in any way.

    The cause was simple; abject terror. The fear and the sensory over load had reached intolerable proportions. But no one knew I was afraid or overwhelmed. It did not express in any other "normal" way. I was just thought to be shy or uncooperative.

    If she's verbal, at a quite, relaxed time see if she can describe what experiences before this happens to her.

  • Could simply be overwhelmed, panic, shutdown, disassociation,  or possibly these are fits. When one has epilepsy, it can look like you’re sleeping, or you could look like you’re awake, but without moving. They do co exist with ASD. A medical, check might be prudent, since this could me a heart issue.

  • your student sound unique, have you tried writing to professor Baron Cohen or Professor/Dr Tony Attwood?  I have read many books by Tony Attwood and he is world known.  Baron Cohen is the head of Autism in this country, he may know what this student's problem is.  Autism is chiefly a nervous-system problem, something is happening to cause it.  I suggest that you leave the person to go through what he/she is going through because from experience 'we' people on the spectrum are unable to 'control' what is happening when it happens.  Brain does what the brain does  is what I say.  Ask the student what it feels like?  What he/she is feeling just before and then kindly very gently ask questions to try to understand.  I think it could be a type of anxiety attack where the person needs to 'shut down' because everything gets too much.  Hope this helps.

    from Jacqui