The Cascade of Collapse: Mechanistic Autoethnography of Late-Diagnosed High-Capacity Autism Spectrum Disorder

This autoethnographic paper presents a mechanistic framework for understanding systemic collapse in late-diagnosed, high-capacity autistic adults. Drawing on lived experience and existing literature, the model traces a sequential cascade of interacting mechanisms: baseline load-sensitive instability (wobble), adaptive compensatory camouflage, internal equilibrium load, navigational paralysis, environmental destabilization through the inclusivity paradox, and ultimate systemic collapse. Following collapse, a higher-order reconstructive mechanism—PDA subordination—enables partial restoration of executive function and autonomy. The framework conceptualizes adult autistic burnout not as random decompensation but as the predictable outcome of cumulative strain in a load-bearing system operating beyond regulatory tolerance. Key contributions include the concept of wobble as dynamic baseline instability, bidirectional masking strategies, and the inclusivity paradox—wherein low-structure, high-entropy environments designed to be affirming may paradoxically increase cognitive load for individuals requiring stable external scaffolding. While based on single-case observation (N=1), the model generates testable hypotheses for understanding functional regression in high-masking autistic adults and has implications for early identification, environmental design, preventative intervention, and post-crisis reconstruction. The paper demonstrates that autoethnographic analysis can reveal systematic mechanisms underlying adult autistic collapse, offering a systems-level perspective that complements existing trait-based and outcome-focused research. Due to communication differences associated with ASD, AI assistance was used for language parsing, structural organization, and formatting conventions, as disclosed in the paper.