Stimming

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I thought most of my stims were nervous habits/tics before I knew about stimming and Asperger syndrome.

I always bite my lower lip, the skin around my fingers and sometimes my nails when I see or read something that intrigues me... it helps me understand it better. I clap my hands and snap my fingers when I'm happy and excited. I like to tap my fingers and my foot when I daydream. When I'm talking, I either shake my left hand around or doodle-clean-doodle-clean if a desk or paper is available around (I used to pace in circles when I was smaller... my parents went mad whenever I talked) because it helps me concentrate on talking. I also rub my right wrist at a desk if I read or hear something painful and gruesome. I rock back and forth sometimes when I'm bored or anxious (mostly in social situations, lol). I also love to stare at things, especially the sun at sunset for 1-3 minutes and become oblivious of the outside world. I talk to myself (not out loud, in my head) when I'm depressed. I also have a mild form of echolalia, it usually happens when someone talks to me while I'm doing something else. I repeat what they said because it helps me focus my attention on what they're saying; or I repeat questions when I become distracted on tests, but I do that in my head because I'll get thrown out of the class otherwise... it's harder but it still works.

Since I have found out about my Aspergers, I have noticed that I love thinking deeply, but I enjoy it so much that I seem to get over excited and will suddenly get up out of the chair and pace off into another room and wonder why I am there; before I knew about my differentness, I just used to think I did it to help me concentrate, but it doesn't, it interrupts me a bit.

The other day, I was thinking deeply whilst outside and I suddenly stopped walking towards the shop and turned around abruptly and just caught myself before I walked off the other way. I am a bit disturbed by this now I have noticed it. I don't care if it happens indoors, I just don't want to do things that are too different outside, so I must be careful not to think too much when I am out.

I know I'm not affected by that problem. I'm all male. I've never heard of any study indicating that. males and females tend to have different strengths, and the brain shows that. AS people have a common set of strengths. Some others are a tossup, and there are different levels though. So it is understadable the brain is affected as it is. BTW stimming is not even really concious, so it isn't distracting.

Steve

FYI:

I have been told that autism.org is actually run by people who want to cure autism and are therefore probably bias about what is good and what is bad. Usually, people who want to cure autism see anything out of the norm as something to be fixed, thus explaining why they see stimming as a distraction, while I'm noticing that it actually helps most of the people I've spoken with.

AUTISTICS.ORG however, is maintained by autistic people and a better reference tool.

Thanks~

I used to do all kinds of stimming as a kid. Over the years I started doing few things I do that I saw NT people sometimes do that make me stand out less at least at a glance. This includes clicking pen lids and bobbing my knee up and down.

Stimming can be controlled CONCIOUSLY, and a LOT of KIDS do it! I did in ways I don't generally now, and noticed others as well!!

MOST were NT!

Steve

I will bounce my leg. But not very many people like me doing that.

Silently tap my fingers.

Fidget with my favorite click pencil.

Bob my head getly so no one can see me doing it.

Rocking my foot.

The list goes on and on...

But when I'm at home, I just let it all rip. Taping my finger, rocking, bouncing my leg vigorously. Everything vigorously!

I do this quite a lot myself. Often I find myself getting up and going to an empty room to pace around while thinking...usually not productive thinking either But it helps me get my space, particularly when I feel "people-d out."

My worst form of stimming is leg-twitching. I've noticed a few NT's who do it to, but when I'm in a situation I feel awkward in, or when I just feel the need to move while sitting down, I twitch my right leg quite heavily. Most people don't care, but my mother always tries to get me to stop when she notices me doing it >_>

I am so relieved that someone else does this too

I do this often when I am not doing anything but thinking. Other times I "stim" by rocking
back and forth. Another thing I sometimes do is stim in sync with some external stimulus,
ie: tapping my fingers in sync with a car's turn signal.

I do much of my best thinking while walking. That or smoking. Usually both.

my son barks or flops up and down on the floor. I need to be in constant motion.

Triple clicking paragraphs of text on a computer to highlight them. I'm always doing that.

Stimming is a new term for me. I am astounded with the types of stims discribed (and how many I have) on this thread! Internal music and dialog? I always have a tape of something playing, music, dialog, conversations... I have only a few physical stims, like fidgeting, foot tapping. As a kid I was a really bad hair chewer, or picked at my hands with a pin (not cutting, not intending to cause pain).

My son is a stimmer. It drives me bananas! Is that common? To be driven nuts by someone elses stimming? I disagree that it can be entirely controlled. My son, it was tic like, he would rock, I would stop him, he would nod his head, I would stop him, he would foot tap, I would stop him, he would hum, I would stop him... Each and everytime, the stim morphs instead of disapearing! I thought it was Tourettes! Always hightend when he is concentrating!

At 12, he does not stim as much, however he will rock back and fourth in a door jam if I am talking to him. He reminds me of a pinball machine! And if I am giving him homework instructions, he stims, it seems to help him concentrate, he mostly only does it when he is concentrating (or self soothing) however, sometimes it seems to distract him too.

I was once absolutely terrible for pacing. I would run up and down up and down for hours on end, exhausting myself. Since I stopped myself my stress levels have soared, and when I'm stressed the hands will flick incessantly (did I spell that right?).

Is stimming really related to AS or autism? or could be anything else?

I believe I might be the only one here who has this particular stimming problem and I have it for all my life since I can remember

I have to do leg swinging when I am in bed when ready to sleep, I can't sleep without doing it. I only can sleep on my sides, when I am in my left side I swing my right leg, when I am in my right side I swing my left leg. if I don't do it I feel like my foot is going to freeze or paralized. I also get the sensation of falling if I don't do it.

Sounds very crazy and very strange I know, I never tried to understand why was that, until lately that I am relating it to AS, but it could be something else. No one knows about this, is very embarassing if someone I know finds out

Previous posts don't give this kind of stimming I think, does anyone has something similar or am I the only one?