Stimming is repetitive or unusual movements or noises. Stimming seems to help some autistic children and teenagers manage emotions and cope with overwhelming situations. If stimming affects children in negative ways, you can look at ways to reduce their need to stim.
Infants and young children often engage in self-stimulating behaviors; however, as they age and mature, these behaviors start to decline and are replaced by other activities (playing with toys and social interactions, for example). Even typical adults sometimes stim.
In a nutshell, stimming refers to self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds. Although stimming is one of many possible indicators a child might be on the autism spectrum or have ADHD, stimming behavior does not necessarily mean a person is neurodivergent.
Cracking knuckles every now and then, nose picking, pulling at skin, biting oneself or repeating a phrase over and over again are few examples of this. Parents should know that stimming in children can be a clue to developmental disabilities like autism, deafness, blindness and intellectual disability.
Examples may include arm or hand flapping, repetitive noises or words, repeatedly looking at objects sideways (for visual stimulation), listening to the same song over and over, head banging against hard surfaces, or hard blinking.
In some cases, a child may appear to have clumsiness and awkwardness in doing normal activities like walking and running. Some children also have repetitive behaviors such as hand clapping, twisting, or twirling.
Some common examples of stimming (sometimes called stims) include hand flapping, clapping, rocking, blinking, pacing, head banging, repeating noises or words, snapping fingers, and spinning objects.
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.
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.
Many autistic people feel they should be allowed to stim because stimming helps them to manage emotions and overwhelming situations. But if stimming is hurting your child or affecting their learning, social life and so on, it might be best for your child to stim less often.
Early signs of autism in young children up to 36 months may include: Limited speech. Difficulties in being able to follow simple verbal instructions. Showing little interest in imaginative play, such as pretend games.
In the case of vocal stimming (or verbal stimming), the child might make noises such as groaning, grunting, high- pitched screeching, squealing, humming, or repeating random words, words to a familiar song, phrases, or lines from a movie.
Newborn to 3 Months
Babies will also start smiling around this age, begin babbling, and grasp objects in their hands. Those who may be on the autism spectrum will mostly avoid any type of eye contact and will typically not smile or exhibit many facial expressions.
Understanding the Response to Affection
For instance, some children with ASD may appear disinterested when engaged in play or in response to affection from loved ones while others may have an overly affectionate child with autism. Individuals with autism can also have an aversion to touch.
These actions, known as stimming, are defined as “stereotyped or repetitive motor movements.” (Kapp, S. et al., 2019). Most children will grow out of this phase as they get older, but some children will continue to stim into their adolescent and even adult years.
Stimming can take many different forms: visual: staring off into space, drawing, spinning things like pens or coins. verbal/auditory: repeating sounds, excessive giggling, constantly clearing throat. tactile: rubbing fingers, chewing/biting nails, chewing the inside of cheeks.
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.
The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often appear early in development. Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months to 18 months of age or earlier. Some early signs of autism include: Problems with eye contact.
For the most part, due to its soothing effects, stimming provides several benefits for people with ASD to cope with communicating, learning, and behaving. In contrast, since stimming often includes unusual behaviors, people who stim may feel marginalized by their peers.
Stims may help to distract you, relieve stress, or calm you down. While stims serve a purpose for the person doing the repetitive behavior, they can be distracting for other people who are around them. Stimming and autism. While many people have a stim they use to self-regulate, it's not always obvious to others.
Individuals with ASD level 1 may have difficulty understanding social cues and may struggle to form and maintain personal relationships. A child with level 1 autism may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation.
In fact, research has shown that autism symptoms tend to peak around the ages of 2-3 years old. During this time, children with autism may struggle with language development, social interaction, and behavior. They may have difficulty communicating their needs and understanding the needs of others.
Stimming can also become a problem if behaviors persist for hours or become a daily occurrence. In these cases, they may actually cause distress and further impair the ability to self-regulate emotions.