I have not been professionally diagnosed as autistic, though I am awaiting the diagnostic process. I am wondering a bit about (what I think are) my autistic meltdowns, as they are almost the same as (what I think are) my panic attacks. People often call them panic attacks as well, also with no panic involved. In both cases I am shaking, hyperventilating, sweating more and some other things. As far as I remember my latest panic attack, I don’t think I was really craving having as few stimuli as possible and wasn’t crying either (both usually being the case with the autistic meltdowns).
So: how are your meltdowns like? How are they different from panic attacks for you?
Difficulty speaking, severe tension running through my shoulders, neck, and jaw. Fist clenching. A lot of rocking with some spastic shaking. Very similar to what you’ve described, save for the sweating.
Sometimes, I’m actually able to dissociate myself from them, so I can sit there and mentally call play-by-play while my body remains locked up and over-stimulated. That’s a bit of a wild ride.