← Back to CalendarSeptember 2
Autistic Burnout Awareness Day
A day dedicated to raising awareness of autistic burnout, a state of profound exhaustion that research links to chronic life stress and a mismatch between expectations and abilities without adequate support. Autistic burnout is distinct from occupational burnout and from depression.
History
Autistic people described burnout in their own communities long before researchers studied it. A 2020 study in Autism in Adulthood by Dora Raymaker, Christina Nicolaidis, and colleagues, built with autistic co-researchers, defined autistic burnout and found it distinct from occupational burnout and clinical depression. We mark September 2 as a day to share that understanding.
How to Participate
- →Learn the difference between autistic burnout and depression, they require different responses
- →Reduce demands on autistic people in your life when burnout signs appear
- →Understand that recovery from autistic burnout can take months to years
- →Advocate for workplace and school adjustments that prevent burnout buildup
- →Listen to autistic people describe their burnout experience without minimizing it
BURNOUTMASKINGMENTAL-HEALTHRECOVERY