Respect the STIM......

bouncing is A.J.'s favourite process to de-stress

What is STIMMING?

Everyone at some point in time has had or does have a form of this by the way of different repetitive actions…… toe-tapping, leg-swinging, nail-chewing, hair-twirling, finger/pen-tapping, doodling on paper, pacing, and the list could go on……

Yes, that’s right………

You don’t have to be labelled ‘Autistic’ to do this, yet many ‘Neuro-Typical’s’ still judge these people on their behaviour without understanding why they do it or how it can actually help them.

Hopefully the following details will help others make sense as to why these people shouldn’t be treated any different to anyone with little ‘habits’.

We all do this to calm ourselves and help manage issues such as nervousness, stress, anger, fear, or anxiety, while those with ASD will use this process in an automatic non-controlled self-stimulating manner when trying to maintain stability due to their excessive sensory issues. 

The word Stim refers to ‘Self-Stimulatory Behaviour’ and is medically referred to within an autism diagnosis due to the excessive repetitive motions that can become an impairment to their every-day functioning. To categorise similar behaviour under this banner-

Stimming is the self-soothing behaviours

Involuntary Movements resulting from medical conditions or side effects of medications

Meltdowns are excessive uncontrollable behaviour due to Sensory Overload

These repetitive behaviours can become important to either:

-help block out excessive sensory input- due to Over-stimulation

-help provide additional sensory input- due to Under-stimulation

-help manage their emotional balance

-help reduce pain sensations by releasing a calming body chemical called ‘beta-endorphins’

-Hypo or Hyper -sensitivities from a dysfunctional brain or periphery system, craving stimulation

‘Stopping’ any of these forms of ‘stimming’ from occurring will be detrimental to their overall well-being, and will automatically be replaced by another form that could inadvertently become more harmful.

The use of self-regulation through stimming actions as a comforting tool, from hand-flapping to hitting themselves, to jumping and bouncing around a room, are all based around those emotional and environmental imbalances, such as these examples from the following sensory areas-

Visual - Staring at lights or objects, repetitive blinking, hand or item flicking in front of eyes,

Auditory - Tapping or snapping fingers, making vocal sounds, squealing, etc

Tactile – Rubbing or scratching their skin using hands or other objects, feeling textures,

Vestibular (sense of balance) - Rocking front to back, side-to-side, etc

Taste – chewing or licking body parts or other objects,

Smell - Smelling or sniffing objects, people, etc

My little one has experienced different forms over the years, from excessive pacing, head-banging, nail/finger chewing, along with shirt/fabric sucking and rubbing it on his lips repeatedly causing a rash, and even now he has begun ranting repeatedly about his most favourite topic of the moment without seemingly taking a breath, and most important the use of his trampoline for nerve-ending sensory rebalance.

While many may question “Should a child be allowed to stim?

My answer would probably be “yes”, of course after first being assured the reason behind the stimming are not related to any medical or threatening issues.

Like all people that do any repetitive behaviour, there are benefits to the stimming process, for my child it is to become calmer and to help focus on one thing at a time, while also blocking unwanted sounds or visual components.

‘Managing’ when and how the stimming occurs may be something that can be addressed and monitored, as long as it is done with reasonable consideration of the child’s personal needs.

By creating a different way to allow an appropriate type of stimming to occur and become a productive part of their learning process, used as a break release or down-time between each different activity, will allow the child the comfort of being themselves and encourage more involvement in required activities.

There are also ways to incorporate these mannerisms into activities through the format of

Creative Arts/Drama style lessons as a way for others to also become involved in using stim-style activities, letting their inner emotions take control, be silly, be themselves, release in different ways, express and interact with ASD kids and better understand at their level how they feel and why.