Communication & Meltdowns
During meltdowns and shutdowns, it can be incredibly difficult for autistic individuals to express their needs or identify what’s triggering them—sometimes it’s impossible. That’s why communication cards can be such a powerful support tool. These simple, visual prompts help bridge the gap when words fail, offering a quick and accessible way to convey needs, boundaries, or sensory overload cues.
I’ve created several sets of hand-drawn communication cards, and one of them includes a dedicated section for meltdowns and shutdowns—alongside cards for other situations and needs. You can explore that set here and use it as a practical, compassionate tool for yourself or someone you care about.
Keep reading to explore the slides and see how these tools can make a big difference in overwhelming moments.
During overwhelming situations, meltdowns and shutdowns, it can be hard and often impossible for an autistic person to identify triggers and needs or to communicate them at all. This can be extremely overwhelming and triggering on its own.
You might not be able to identify emotions and/or physical pain at all or you might be so overwhelmed that you have no idea what’s wrong.
You might know what the problem is but you might have no idea how to communicate it, and when you try it, you might get even more overwhelmed with further misunderstandings.
Communication cards can be helpful making possible or simplifying communication and giving you some quick tips about what you might need or what might be triggering.
I made 12 customizable communication cards for meltdowns and shutdowns with 6 common triggers and 6 things that could help.
also made some blank cards so when you identify a new trigger after a meltdown/shutdown, you can make a new communication card ready to use the next time you need it. These blank ones are also great if you want to write your own words/phrases/Gestalts (scripts or chunks) on the cards or if your mother tongue is not English.
If it helps, you can keep your meltdown/shutdown cards separated from your basic communication cards, so you don’t get even more overwhelmed by too many choices.
If you are a loved one of an autistic person, you can have your own copies of these cards too so when a meltdown or shutdown happens, you can have an instant cheat sheet to see what could be helpful or what might be triggering based on past experiences.