Signs of Anxiety

What anxiety looks like? 

Anxiety can impact on a person’s ability to engage in school, home or community life. 

Common types of anxiety in autism include: 

• generalised anxiety disorder 
• fear of social situations (social anxiety) 
• fear of open spaces and crowds (agoraphobia) 
• other specific fears (phobias) 

When a person experiences anxiety they may react or respond in many different ways as a means of trying to control their distressing experience, such as:

• seeking lots of reassurance 
• avoiding situations and objects – such as not wanting to go to school 
• overthinking things and ‘getting stuck’ 
• a strong preference for routine and sameness 
• repetitive behaviour like rocking, stimming or flapping or other sensory based movements 
• running away or leaving the environment 
• self-harm 

Is anxiety hard to spot in children who speak few or no words?  

There is increasing recognition of autistic burnout, caused by a number of factors including persistent dysregulation and anxiety, masking, frequent sensory overload and constant social demands. 

Daily expectations and pressures placed on autistic child or young person cause fatigue and long-term stress.  It is important for non-autistic people to think about how they can modify environments, adjust their communication styles and reduce demands to prevent burnout in autistic friends and family.   

View more on burnout