Overstimulation – Children may use stimming in response to sensory overload. Focusing on one behavior may help the child feel centered instead of overwhelmed by sensory input. Under-Stimulation – Children may use stimming to provide sensory input if their desired senses feel underactive.
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.
“Stimming, which is clinically referred to as 'self-stimulatory behaviors,' is identified by its repetitive movements and/or vocalizations,” explains behavior analyst Laura Howk, MS, BCBA. It's often (though not always) associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
Self-stimulatory behavior is not unique to individuals on the autism spectrum and can be seen in neurotypical individuals as well.
Stimming is repetitive or unusual movements or noises. Stimming seems to help some autistic children and teenagers manage emotions and cope with overwhelming situations.
It's important to keep in mind that just because a person engages in self-stimulatory behavior, does not necessarily mean they have autism or ADHD. Neurotypical individuals also engage in self-stimulatory behaviors.
In reality, neurotypical people stim, too - they just might not realize it. Common examples of stimming include rocking, clenching fists, tapping fingers, and humming. Some people stim in response to anxiety or stress, while others stim when they're bored or fatigued.
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).
Hair twirling, nail-biting, toe-tapping, and knuckle-cracking are all common stimming examples. Autistic stimming is often engaged when a person is feeling overstimulated by things they cannot control or when they are understimulated, or to reduce pain, or to self-soothe.
Stimming helps people cope with emotions such as frustration and boredom. It may also help them concentrate, especially on challenging or boring tasks. Over time, stimming can become a habit.
Risks of Stimming
Instead of reacting negatively to stimming behavior, people can choose to redirect their attention to something else or acknowledge it with acceptance. Self-harm. Some stims are harmful. Head banging, hair pulling, and biting nails may have health consequences.
One key symptom of autism spectrum disorders is repetitive behaviors, such as repetitive actions like self-stimulation behavior, or stimming. These behaviors can involve one part of the body, the entire body or an object.
Stimming is self-stimulatory behaviour which is also known as stereotypic behaviour in layman's term. Even adults engage in stimming behaviour by biting nails, twirling hair, pacing around the room or tapping pen on the table. Sometimes the stimming behaviour can be quite annoying to people around.
If you have anxiety, you may find yourself stimming as an unconscious effort to: distract from tension. regulate emotions. relieve sensory sensitivities by grounding you in your body.
What Is Posturing in Autism? Posturing is the act of holding one's fingers or hands out at an angle. It is merely one example of stimming or self-stimulatory behavior. It's also defined as arching the back while sitting.
Stimming helps with self-regulation in stressful situations and environments for Autistic people. As for fidgeting, it may be done to help people get a mental break. Levine et al. (2000) suggest that fidgeting may help with sustaining attention by increasing physiological arousal.
What Is Happy Stimming? There is a type of stimming called "happy stimming."1 This is when people stim to express pleasure rather than to focus or calm down. Happy stimming can involve any type of self-stimulatory behavior, but it's typically done to express enjoyment rather than to manage negative emotions.
Stimming or self-stimulating behaviour includes arm or hand-flapping, finger-flicking, rocking, jumping, spinning or twirling, head-banging and complex body movements.
OCD stimming involves ritualistic behaviors, such as a teen flicking a light switch every time they enter a room or washing their hands every hour.
Mild autism is level 1 autism spectrum disorder. It means a person does not have severe symptoms and needs a lower level of support than someone else with autism. People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others.
Examples of stimming behavior include: Repetitive behaviors: fidget tool use, snapping/unsnapping or zipping/unzipping fasteners, flicking, twirling hair. Hand mannerisms: flapping hands, snapping fingers, unusual finger placements. Body movements: rocking back and forth, jumping, scratching, pacing.
There is no way to stop stimming, but parents can take steps to understand and reduce their child's self-stimulatory behavior.
Masking is when a person with ADHD acts in a “socially acceptable” way to fit in and form better connections with those around them. This usually involves camouflaging their symptoms by controlling their impulses, rehearsing responses, and copying the behaviors of those who don't have ADHD.
People with ADHD may also engage in "happy stimming." This type of stimming done to express happiness rather than as a way to improve focus or impulse control.