
August 29, 2022 Stimming in Children with Autism
Stimming is a common behavior that children with autism engage in. It refers to self-stimulation or self-soothing, and it deals with repetitive movements, sounds, or words that help a child with autism center themselves in response to their environment. This article will explore what purpose stimming serves, examples of stimming in children, and what techniques can help manage it.
What Is Stimming?
Professionals often refer to stimming actions as stereotypies or stereotyped movements. Stimming is a self-stimulating and self-soothing behavior that involves repeated movements. Lots of people engage in stimming by tapping pencils while they think, twirling their hair, or drumming their fingers. However, stimming is most commonly seen in children and adults with autism. Stimming is part of the diagnostic criteria for autism.Scientists believe that stimming is something children with autism do to steady themselves in response to anxiety, an overwhelming environment, or an understimulating environment. There are different types of stimming, including:- Tactile (touch)
- Olfactory (smell)
- Visual (sight)
- Auditory (hearing)
- Vestibular (balance)
Types of Stimming
One of the most common forms of stimming is tactile. Tactile stimming can include:- Hand-flapping
- Finger-flicking
- Rubbing hands
- Scratching hands
- Biting hands
- Rubbing objects
- Picking at scabs
- Swallowing objects
- Humming
- Grunting
- Screeching
- Repetitive speech
- Blinking repeatedly
- Staring at certain objects
- Turning lights on and off
- Lining up objects
- Smelling objects
- Tasting objects
- Licking objects or hands
- Rocking back and forth
- Spinning or twirling
- Hanging upside down
- Repeatedly jumping