Meltdowns

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What's the difference between meltdown with someone who has aspergers and a neurotypical?

I think each individual handles it differently, not unlike NT's just i think many have a hard time in extreme stressful situations, or when stress builds up to a level that our brains cant handle, and short circuit if you wish... best way of explaining it would be, imagine the worst stress you feel and amplify that by ten! So yeah we need a bit more time to recuperate! It is also not just the stress we feel ten fold but all senses are heightened depending on the individual... I use we sparingly, as i don't mean we literally but figuratively, hence the reason its called a spectrum, because everyone is different again like NT's, I don't think we are really all that different, just in a few different areas Just my thought, i am sure there are many better explanations to mine, but its 7am here and my brain is finally calming down enough for a little sleep

Also need to point out i am new here, and have just found i am on the spectrum myself, so am also learning alot of things, so please dont take me literally, only a figurative view from one individual... But alone time tends to be pretty important, it sure is for me...

For me it also varies in intensity... Imagine been in a dark room and someone coming up behind you and giving you a fright, you get an initial shock then a buzz of adrenaline, and you might tremble with shock a little for a few minutes, and your brain suddenly goes into fright or flight but you cant move, amplify that, and extend that feeling continuously for sometimes months at a time... body shaking like you have hypothermia without the hypothermia, and brain just going haywire, cant sit down, cant stand up, pacing, don't know what to do that can make you feel at ease... Yes its pure hell... I have always said i don't think an NT would be able to handle 30 seconds in my body on a good day, i give them 10 seconds on a bad day before they feel like they are going insane! haha... it really isnt pleasant at all for the individual going through this, you only visualize a very very very small part of whats going on, on the inside of an individual going through such hell

The smaller meltdowns can tend to be more subtle for me, they are the social situations where there is in effect to much input and you freeze, cant speak, mumble, soften your speech, talk nonsense and just want to get the hell out of there! haha... i have learnt to cope (sometimes) by realizing the onset if it doesn't happen instantaneously, subtly try to leave, most people dont realize i am actually having one as i sometimes might seem to appear fine on the outside, but over time have learnt to mask it until i get out of there to a safe quiet place... then for me the guilt comes in, the wanting-ness to still be part of the social interaction but having no way of controlling it.... Its a damned if you do damned if you dont world in many aspects for myself.... but now i know why this happens, and i am not alone, the burden is a little less intense.. I live a life of self psychology and the psychology of others... In effect its in someways like leading a double life... Not quit being accepted for who you are ( no one has ever yet really seen me for myself) nor accepted when you try to fit in, because that often backfires.... But i have to emphasis, this is NOT Aspergers (well maybe it is in some ways), it is society and its expected ""Norms"" that often effect us/myself with secondary symptoms, Aspergers in itself is pretty damn awesome, it the trailing baggage thats the B$tch! so to speak... If society as a whole changes, then those secondary symptoms will i think be less prevalent, until that time, some of us fight a constant often silent war.

I don't think there is any difference in the meltdowns themselves. Push any person into an situation that causes an extreme enough state of distress -- one that massively exceeds their ability to cope with their distress and with whatever is causing it -- and they could have a meltdown.

The differences would be in what causes meltdowns (and it would depend on the specific NT and autistic individuals you're comparing). The specifics of what causes extreme distress and exceeds coping ability for an NT are likely to be quite different than for an autistic person. (e.g. An NT is unlikely to experience extreme distress and pain from ordinary sensory stimuli -- a sensation that might cause an autistic person agonizing pain might cause only mild discomfort or no discomfort at all for an NT. )

This explains it well