Stimming

I do not think stimming is a compulsory part of being autistic. I have never rocked or flapped my hands, which are archetypal types of stimming. When I came across the concept of stimming I thought, "but I don't do that". However, on reflection, I realised that as a child I used to spin on the spot or run around in tight circles. Even today, I fiddle with mechanical things (small objects that open and close or click) to the extent that my wife fairly often takes them off me. I also jiggle my legs and feet. Whether these behaviours are self-regulatory or not is a grey area with me, because I tend to do them when happy or in a neutral mood. When I am anxious or negatively over-stimulated, I just become still and internalise everything, unless I am pushed into a meltdown, when I explode with rage. Thankfully, meltdowns are very rare.

I do not think stimming is a compulsory part of being autistic. I have never rocked or flapped my hands, which are archetypal types of stimming. When I came across the concept of stimming I thought, "but I don't do that". However, on reflection, I realised that as a child I used to spin on the spot or run around in tight circles. Even today, I fiddle with mechanical things (small objects that open and close or click) to the extent that my wife fairly often takes them off me. I also jiggle my legs and feet. Whether these behaviours are self-regulatory or not is a grey area with me, because I tend to do them when happy or in a neutral mood. When I am anxious or negatively over-stimulated, I just become still and internalise everything, unless I am pushed into a meltdown, when I explode with rage. Thankfully, meltdowns are very rare.