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

This paper introduces the Cascade of Collapse, a novel mechanistic framework for understanding systemic failure in late-identified, high-compensating autistic adults. Drawing on autoethnographic methodology, the author traces the sequential interaction of six mechanisms: baseline load-sensitive instability ("wobble"), adaptive compensatory camouflage (a bidirectional demand-mitigation strategy distinct from conventional masking), internal equilibrium load (invisible cognitive expenditure in low-stimulation environments), navigational paralysis (a goal-directed erosion aligned with autistic inertia), the inclusivity paradox (where low-structure supportive spaces amplify rather than reduce load), and threshold-driven systemic collapse. The model conceptualizes collapse not as random decompensation but as predictable cascade failure when cumulative strain exceeds regulatory tolerance — a transition from elastic compensation to plastic deformation. Following collapse, a higher-order autonomy-preserving reconstructive mechanism enabled partial restoration of function. The framework reframes behaviours typically labelled as avoidance, inconsistency, or dysfunction as mechanistically meaningful responses to cumulative load. It introduces the inclusivity paradox as a critical challenge to well-intentioned environmental design, proposes bi-directional camouflage as an extension of existing masking research, and positions autistic inertia within a broader cascade of goal-directed erosion. Grounded in lived experience and integrated with literature on allostatic load, executive dysfunction, and autistic burnout, this paper offers a hypothesis-generating model with implications for early identification, environmental scaffolding, and post-crisis reconstruction. It demonstrates that autoethnographic observation can illuminate the internal architecture of autistic collapse.