‘I was diagnosed late with autism – here’s how I learned to deal with burnout’

This article is part of Community Care’s ongoing Choose Social Work campaign, which aims to champion the brilliant work social workers do every day and help the next generation of practitioners.

Since qualifying in 2020, I have loved being an adults’ social worker. But for a while, it didn’t seem to love me back.

It was only after struggling through constant burnout and imposter syndrome that I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in November 2024.

Struggling with small changes

Before my diagnosis, I was convinced that there was something wrong with me. Why could I not cope with things in the same way my colleagues could?

The thing I found most frustrating was that I could cope with the demanding parts of social work – crises, safeguarding investigations into abuse or neglect, working with people with complex needs. But I struggled with small changes, such as moving to a new office building or hot-desking.

Why did the new office have no clock or radio? Where would I park my car? Why are the computer screens a different size? Where should I sit?

These trivial questions kept me up at night.

Hiding worries out of fear

I remember struggling at university after I had a sudden change of tutors. My course leader had told me, “You can’t be a social worker if you can’t deal with change.”

This phrase stayed with me, eventually manifesting into internalised ableism. I learnt to hide my worries out of fear that I couldn’t do the job I loved and begun masking – a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear neurotypical and blend in. I ignored my difficulties and pushed myself to get on with the job.

On the surface, I was swimming calmly, but underneath I was frantically paddling to keep myself afloat. I couldn’t keep up this façade for too long, eventually falling into periods of sickness.

It was only after a lot of work on myself that I no longer felt afraid to ask for support and started to accept my difficulties as a part of me, rather than obstacles to my professional identity.

Taking steps to remain in work

I eventually approached my manager, discussed the adjustments I needed, and was put in contact with an occupational health service. Other steps I took to remain in work and prevent burnout included:

• I had regular catch ups with my manager, providing opportunities to discuss anything that was worrying me, instead of letting things snowball into uncontrollable anxiety or a meltdown.
• I brought fidget toys into the office. These help me regulate my emotions in an overstimulating environment.
• I reduced my hours to a four-day working week, allowing me valuable time to decompress and recover after a week of high-energy and demanding tasks. However, this was a risk, and I do fear that I will struggle financially long term to keep this schedule.
• I applied for Access to Work, a government scheme aimed at providing tools and support for disabled people to remain in employment. However, this has a lengthy waiting list. At the time of writing, I have been waiting for six months, so it hasn’t benefited me so far.
• I joined the British Association for Social Workers’ neurodivergent special interest group, which helped me feel less isolated. Up until that point, I hadn’t known any autistic adults with low support needs or who had been diagnosed late.

Avoiding autistic burnout

The risk of burnout is higher when you’re neurodivergent.

When I received my autism diagnosis, I didn’t know who I was anymore.

I found comfort in my social work role – it was a part of my identity that didn’t change. All my energy started going into my practice, which in turn was followed by periods of autistic burnout, which refers to “pervasive, long-term exhaustion, loss of function, and reduced tolerance to stimulus”.

To manage this, I learnt about energy accounting – a technique that tracks and manages energy levels when completing daily tasks.

I used the ‘spoon theory’, developed by writer and disability advocate Christine Miserandino, where spoons represent the physical and mental energy needed to complete tasks. When used, spoons can be replenished through self-care activities or borrowing spoons from your future self. Repeatedly borrowing spoons, with no opportunity to replenish energy levels, will eventually lead to burnout.

Making life adjustments

A busy day in the office used up a lot of energy due to the work demands, socialising and an overstimulating environment. When I got home, I would collapse onto the sofa and not move for the rest of the evening.

I realised I needed to make adjustments in other areas of my life to balance the energy demands. For me, this involved doing an online food shop, planning outfits the night before and making time for my hobbies.

I then used energy accounting to organise my daily work through colour-coding. For example, tasks that use a lot of energy are coloured red, medium are orange, and low-energy ones are green. This helps to balance my time according to my energy levels.

This theory is also a beneficial tool during assessments to help clients quantify how their impairment affects their daily life.

‘Autism has been a strength in my social work role’

There are also ways in which being autistic has been a strength in my social work role, rather than a barrier.

My autism means I am very thorough and detailed in my work and have a strong sense of justice, which has helped me advocate for the people I work with and challenge services when needed.

I now also hold a deeper understanding of my clients’ situation, especially when they don’t tick the ‘right boxes’ to access support. It is an experience I have been familiar with in the past.

Inside, I share their frustration and try to be more empathetic. But I cannot be too honest about why I understand their predicament.

Key lessons

If I were to advise anyone in a similar situation, I would say, ‘give yourself the time to relearn who you are and adjust to your diagnosis’.

Being neurodivergent can be an isolating experience. Reach out to supportive colleagues, managers and occupational health services to discuss reasonable adjustments.

You should also connect when possible with support networks, such as the BASW Neurodivergent Social Workers Special Interest Group or any disability networks within your workplace.

Remember, autism traits can be valuable social work skills. Autistic people do have a place within social work and can be an asset to any social care team.

Celebrate those who’ve inspired you

Photo by Daniel Laflor/peopleimages.com/ AdobeStock

Do you have a colleague, mentor, or social work figure you can’t help but gush about?

Our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone within social work who has inspired you – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.

Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.

*Please note that, despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry*

If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com