Supporting a colleague having a meltdown

Note: In her blog, Mahlia uses the term ‘meltdown’. It is a response to stress and some prefer to use other terms to describe this.

How to support someone having a meltdown at work

A meltdown is an intense outward response to an overwhelming situation. It can happen when an autistic person becomes completely overwhelmed by their environment and/or situation, which leads to a temporary loss of control. This is then expressed verbally (crying, shouting, screaming) and/or physically (lashing out, kicking, biting). It is by no means a temper tantrum and should never be mistaken for this. Plus, I’d emphasise that the person is by no means being an attention seeker – no one wants to experience a meltdown. Instead, it is simply the sensation of being overwhelmed beyond anything comprehensible, that the body then needs to release these very intense feelings.