Autistic Inertia
Difficulty starting, stopping, or changing tasks. Like Newtonian physics: object in motion stays in motion, object at rest stays at rest.
AutismExecutive FunctionCognitive Processing
Layer 2: Validated
Clinical Recognition
Predicted by Monotropism theory (Murray, Lawson). Increasingly used by autism specialists and OTs. Explains transition difficulties.
Community Validation
High recognition in autistic communities. Explains 'why can't I just start/stop?' without moral judgment.
Published
17 December 2025 by Team Heumans
Autistic Inertia is the difficulty starting tasks, stopping tasks, or switching between tasks. Once you're doing something, you can keep going for hours—but starting feels impossible. Once you've stopped, getting started again requires enormous activation energy.
It's literally like Newton's laws of motion applied to the autistic brain: an object at rest stays at rest, an object in motion stays in motion. Transitions—from rest to motion or motion to rest—are the hardest part.