Just Keep Stimming, Stimming, Stimming

To Stim or Not To Stim ---- Not a question at all

What is Stimming?
Stimming is defined as:

"Stimming is a repetitive body movement that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner. Stimming is known in psychiatry as a "stereotypy", a continuous, purposeless movement.... Common forms of stimming among autistic people include hand flapping, body spinning or rocking, lining up or spinning toys or other objects, echolalia, perseveration, and repeating rote phrases. There are many theories about the function of stimming, and the reasons for its increased incidence in autistic people. For hyposensitive people, it may provide needed nervous system arousal, releasing beta-endorphins. For hypersensitive people, it may provide a "norming" effect, allowing the person to control a specific sense, and is thus a soothing behavior." -Autism Wiki

Now, in English: Stimming is any repetitive behavior that a person shows when they are attempting to self-soothe in an over or under-stimulating environment.  It is most commonly associated with developmental disabilities such as Autism or Down Syndrome. It's important to realize that you may witness these children stimming more than most, however EVERYONE stims in one way or another.

Who displays "stimming behavior"? - Well, we've kind of already answered this but I'll elaborate: We all do! Children, adults, neuro-typical individuals, individuals with special needs, every race known to man, every age group, men and women, boys and girls --- every PERSON has a way in which they self soothe.

Types of "stims":

:

Sense	Stimming Actions
Visual	Flapping hands, blinking and / or moving fingers in front of eyes; staring repetitively at a light
Auditory	Making vocal sounds; snapping fingers
Tactile	Scratching; rubbing the skin with one's hands or with an external object
Vestibular	Moving body in rhythmic motion; rocking front and back or side-to-side
Taste	Licking body parts; licking an object
Smell	Smelling objects or hands; other people

 -Autism Wiki

The list above is an extremely small list of common stims witnessed most often. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands more! My Rainbow Rider displays almost all of the stims listed above. It's just part of who he is and how he is learning to cope. We will dive into that part a little further into the post....
Not everyone shows the exact stimming mentioned in the above chart. Some stimming is so subtle I bet you never knew it was considered a "stimming behavior".
For example, when I am nervous I twirl and pull at my hair. Since I am deep down incredibly shy, I catch myself doing this quite often.. This is one of the ways my mind calms itself in environments where I find myself the most anxious. I also tap my foot on the ground, really fast, for hours sometimes. I won't even realize I've been shaking my leg until someone places their hand on my knee, like a silent cue to stop. I find myself do this when I am bored, when my environment is under-stimulating. Oddly enough my Father and Sister tap their feet as well.

• Nail-biting
• Tapping pencil or pen
• Hair Twirling
• Chewing on things
• Fiddling with objects, fingers, anything really
• Cracking Knuckles
• Doodling
• Picking at Fingers
• Scab Picking
• Pacing
• Repetitive Movements of Fingers and Toes (serving no purpose)

I'd be willing to bet, if you sat and really put some thought into the actions of the neuro-typical people in your life, or even yourself, you'll realize that EVERYONE engages in one or more of the things listed above.

So, Why Do We Stim?
Temple Grandin, a widely known and highly respected Autistic, an author, speaker, cited expert in many publications, and video producer, states in her article "Why Do Kids With Autism Stim?"...

"When I did stims such as dribbling sand through my fingers, it calmed me down. When I stimmed, sounds that hurt my ears stopped. Most kids with autism do these repetitive behaviors because it feels good in some way. It may counteract an overwhelming sensory environment, or alleviate the high levels of internal anxiety these kids typically feel every day."

We stem for the very same reason we breathe, our mind subconsciously does it for us. We don't need to concentrate on breathing in order for it to happen, it just does. The same applies for stimming, usually it has been occurring for quite some time before the conscious mind has time to catch up. We stim when we are concentrating, when we are excited, when we are anxious or mad, when our environment is so underwhelming that our brain recognizes the need for more stimulation, and vice versa. Name a situation or emotion and there would be hundreds of stims associated to it.

Why Would We Want To Stop The Stimming?
 If stimming is, by it's very definition, a neurological response to an over/under whelming environment than one should question any person's intention of eradicating self stimming behavior. Thank about it: If a child is portraying repetitive actions that are not self-injurious, or a danger to people around him, than what is the big deal? Our Rainbow Kids experience a great deal of difficulty when mentally processing their surroundings ALL OF THE TIME, why would we stop them from learning to self-regulate?
Some adults try to lessen the stimming actions in public because it makes others around them uncomfortable. ---I call bullshit---- Let's call it for what it is, it's because the stimming can be embarrassing. There is NOTHING wrong with admitting this. It's one of the many unspoken truths of the Autistic Mother! I'm not saying it's the child who is embarrassing, not at all. What is embarrassing, and INFURIATING it the stares and ignorant judgement from the other adults in the room.
If your child's attempts at coping with an environment he doesn't understand bothers other people in any way shape or form; kindly give them that upside down bird you've acquired and move along...

  I went into details about this in a previous blog:

A Few Things Every Autism Parent Should Know Part 1: "Look at it this way, you are doing them a favor. Exposing individuals to things that push them outside of their comfort zone offers a valuable learning experience. You are raising awareness in its most raw and unedited form. Screw sugar coating it. Meltdowns, sensory processing disorders, stimming --- they are all a part of Autism. One would never expect an individual who uses a wheelchair to apologize for being unable to walk, or expect the deaf to apologize for needing an interpreter."

For Pete's sake let the kid stim. You don't see anyone chastising you for the ways in which you stim. Let the child learn to rely on him/herself by tapping into self taught coping strategies used to modify their environment within themselves.




The Flip Side
If behaviors become a danger to the person or the people around the child please seek medical intervention immediately. This is an entirely different situation. Often it is not stimming that causes violent behavior, it's often found to be frustration from a lack of verbal skills. Do not play around and waste time when your child shows the ability to hurt himself or others. I can not stress this enough!



Why I Think Stimming is Au-Some
I've learned all of my son's various stims and which he displays under different circumstances. This has proven to be an incredible tool that was added to my Mommy Tool Belt. When my son is biting his lip or the skin around his fingers I know without him even saying it, he's been getting picked on. When my son rocks back and forth at his desk while facial grimacing and contorting his hands I know the work he is doing is hard and he needs a breather. When he jumps around, flapping his arms, for hours sometimes, I know this is because he is thinking "happy thought". When I ask him why he was so excited he will dive into a tucked away memory and describe it so vividly that you very easily could close your eyes and re-live that moment with him.
It reminds me of Peter Pan and how he taught Wendy to fly. My boy has the
"Think Happy Thoughts" thing down to an art.

You can see here how Au-Some stimming has proven to be for my son and me at least. Even in the moments where communication lacks, I have been trained to interpret his reactions to his environment, making it easier for me to either accommodate them or to assist him in coping with them should he need it. Not to be repetitive, but when we stop caring what ignorant ass-heads think, the more we will begin to understand the intricate details of these beautiful Ranbow minds.

What are your thoughts on stimming? Put them in the comments below!

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Until next time, my friends...

 

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