UNSW 3DN's Dr Samuel Arnold and Julianne Higgins have won a 2021 Autism CRC Award for Achievement in Autism Spectrum Research for their project investigating autistic burnout and its risk factors.
Dr Janelle Weise, Aishani Desai and Professor Julian Trollor from UNSW 3DN are also part of the project team along with Professor Liz Pellicano from Macquarie University.
The project found that autistic burnout is a debilitating condition. Fatigue from masking autism, social interactions, overload of cognitive or sensory input, or other stressors can lead to autistic burnout. This involves significant mental and physical exhaustion and interpersonal withdrawal, along with either reduced day-to-day functioning, problems thinking or losing touch with reality, and increased intensity of autistic traits.
Please click on the link below for more information on the project as well as the award.