Common among people with ASD, stimming involves repetitive motions that alleviate anxiety, manage strong emotions, and help with sensory processing. Stimming differs from fidgeting and often includes unusual behaviors, like hand-flapping or repeating meaningless words and phrases.
Stimming – or self-stimulatory behaviour – is repetitive or unusual body movement or noises. Stimming might include: hand and finger mannerisms – for example, finger-flicking and hand-flapping. unusual body movements – for example, rocking back and forth while sitting or standing.
Self-stimulatory behavior is not unique to individuals on the autism spectrum and can be seen in neurotypical individuals as well.
Stimming is characterized as repetitive motions that you may use to help you cope with emotions. Examples of stimming include: Biting your nails when you feel anxious. Twirling your hair when you feel bored. Flapping your hands when something excites you
Often, stimming links to feeling anxious, excited, stressed, or angry. In other words, people may stim more when certain situations or triggers overwhelm them.
Some people stim in response to anxiety or stress, while others stim when they're bored or fatigued. In some cases, stimming can even be a way of coping with sensory overload. While autistic people are more likely to stim in response to certain stimuli, neurotypical people are also known to stim in certain situations.
Stimming is a universal behavior that can occur in anyone. It is not exclusive to ADHD or any other medical condition. Stimming exists on a continuum. Some people may stim, while others may not.
Self-stimulatory behavior, often called “stimming,” is when a child or adult repeats specific movements or sounds as a way to self-soothe or remain engaged in a situation, often referred to as “fidget to focus.” Many people assume that only individuals with autism engage in self-stimulatory behaviors.
Causes of stimming
Stimming actions can vary in intensity and type and can occur due to various emotions. Autistic people of any age may stim occasionally or constantly in response to excitement, happiness, boredom, stress, fear, and anxiety. They may also stim during times when they are feeling overwhelmed.
Although usually described as instinctive and reactive, according to several participants, stimming could also be under conscious control and used actively to prevent emotional dysregulation.
Stimming is not included as a symptom of ADHD in the last Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM), the guide used by clinicians to diagnose mental health disorders. Stimming, however, is included in the DSM-5 (the most recent edition) as a symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“With this definition, anxiety can be considered a form of neurodivergence, although it may not be as commonly recognized as ADHD, autism, or trauma,” she says. Many people utilize self-identification to categorize themselves as being neurodivergent, explains Claney.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
Difficulty Communicating and Awkward Communication
Signs that someone is finding it difficult to communicate include: – Difficulty reading social cues and participating in conversations. – Difficulty empathizing with other people's thoughts and feelings. – Struggling to read people's body language or facial expressions.
Understimulation: Stimming helps provide extra sensory input when needed. Pain reduction: Repeated banging of the head or body actually reduces the overall sensation of pain. One hypothesis is that stimming causes the release of beta-endorphins in the body, which then causes a feeling of anesthesia or pleasure.
If you hide your adult ADHD symptoms from other people, that's called masking. Basically, you're trying to seem more “normal” or “regular.” ADHD causes some people to act hyperactive or impulsive. It makes other folks have trouble paying attention. And still other adults have a combination of those symptoms.
Underlying Medical Condition – In some cases, nonverbal children may use stimming as a result of frustration with pain or distress that they cannot verbalize. If a child repeatedly holds or gestures toward a certain body part during stimming, get a medical exam quickly to rule out any painful conditions.
The short answer to “Should I stop my child from stimming?” is no. You don't want to stop it, as long as they're not harming themselves or another person. These behaviors are calming to the kids.
Stimming is a common activity even in non-autistic individuals. Hair twirling, nail-biting, toe-tapping, and knuckle-cracking are all common stimming examples.
Neurotypical people stim for the same reasons that autistic people do—to cope with boredom, alleviate feelings of sensory overload, manage frustration and anxiety, and because stimming can become a pleasurable habit.
Not all stimming is stress or anxiety related. Stimming is a natural part of being on the spectrum and often not a cause for concern. However, a sudden increase in stimming may be a sign that additional support or accommodations are needed until the child is able to develop new coping strategies.