Normal stimming? Autism stimming?

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My question has been removed from another thread, so I will make it a new subject.
All that talk about stimming makes me wonder what separates "stimming as symptom" from "normal stimming".

Most people do it, tap fingers, click pens, bite pencils, nails and other things. There are lots of restless legs and feet, twirling of hair, and the list goes on.
The main purpose seems to be getting rid of exess energy from boredom, impatience, nervousness and more hidden states. We all know it.

Reading these pages, I get the impression, that certain typical stims are connected to autistic states: rubbing hands, rocking flapping, pacing in circles, staring at spinning/blinking objects, running water etc.

Why? Does it help bring balance into a sensory overloaded system? If so, - then, why especially these particular activities?

I have been asking my friends about their stims without telling them why, - and most of them do some of the "autistic" stims too now and then. I do some of them too, and I don´t have AS, - only a bunch of traits.

Do anyone have an explanation?
- not too highbrow, pleeeeeze.

I think stemming is something that's looked for in children as one indication of many of autism. I don't know why adults get so fixated on this. It's simply a matter of certain unusual repetitious motions being an indicator and only one of very many indicators of autism.

But here's what I personally would call true autistic stemming:

I was in school with a lot of autistic kids. One girl was always working her hands almost as if she was doing sign language, and I mean always. A boy I knew liked to lay on this back and wiggle his fingers in front of his face until he was rousted. Lots of kids rocked back and forth, rapidly, dramatically. One kid always had his fingers in his mouth and was constantly chomping on them. One kid I knew constantly arched his back and stuck his tummy out. Another kid was constantly lifting his shirt up and down. Another kid was always slapping the back of his head and neck.

Ok, so autistic stimming is has a far more dramatic and "strange" expression....., but do anyone know the function of it?

As far as I know it's largely sensory, like said above to stimulate hyposensitive senses and or compensate for or numb hypersensitive ones.

Thanks for answers

I've seen NTs stim before, and no, they weren't Aspies in disguise, they really were NTs.

I remember when my cousin's parents split up when he was 10, he went through a phase of nodding his head every few seconds or minutes, perhaps a couple of times each time. He even done it when walking along the street, and it was very noticeable. He did grow out of it about a year later. He's 17 now, and I know he's a perfect example of an NT.

Like the OP said, I often see people tapping fingers and feet, twiddling hair, etc etc. People don't just sit or stand stock still like a statue. I think it's how you move which can be a small difference between normal stimming and Autistic stimming. Like I sometimes see people pacing about when waiting somewhere for a taxi or a bus or anything, but somehow they look ''normal''. But if an Autistic paced about, he or she might be pacing more as a way to calm their nerves or something, and may move their arms stiffly as they do it or bob their head up and down or something (unless they don't stim and can pace without noticing any odd body language). I can't really explain what I mean, explaining body language differences is like trying to explain the differences between blocked sinuses without a cold and a blocked nose with a cold. Both similar but also different.

I think that whether the person is aware of it or not, it's a real urge, which I don't think NTs get.

I do stim when I am stressed, but I also do it when I am calm because I just need to, it is a pleasurable feeling, and I couldn't not do it. If in public I would rarely do it, or only do a minor unnoticeable thing, but I couldn't go any great length of time without doing it.

With NTs, I imagine it's a minor habit or nervous reaction.

The function would be the same various reasons many of us may do it.
To deal with stress, overstimulation, happiness, it could be a number of reasons... i can't even list them all

The most common reasons NTs stim is for self-comfort or for fun and pleasure. That also seems to be how it is for non-humans? So I think those are probably the main reason for autism stimming too. People with sensory issues probably also do it for sensory modulation (especially hyposensitive people), but another reason autistic people stim so much is probably because autism issues can create a lot of stress. I've also seen it suggested that hypersensitive people have a higher capacity for pleasure. Like we rock back in forth while other people ride roller coasters or something?

I'm going to guess it's related to some kind of neurological "reward system" (e.g. triggers dopamine release or something). I tried to google for details, and I found some stuff about lab animals being implanted with something that can electrically stimulate the ventral tegmental area of the brain, and the animals choose to activate the stimulation more often when they are in stressful circumstances.

Would nail biting count as a stim? as i have only ever had them cut twice in my life and that was at a very very young age, i am 39 now and most of the time dont realize i am doing it, and yes they are bitten as far back as they can go... was just a thought!?

It's probably a spectrum, like everything else.

NTs stim too, probably for the same reason we do (it is even possible to be NT and have SPD - my aunt is that kind) but do it less often, are better in figuring out when and what stim is acceptable and can control the urge better.