Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, I was only recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, It was six years ago and only recently have I taken the diagnosis very seriously.
Some sort of enlightenment has dawned but one behaviour I have that may or may not be stimming is thumb sucking, it is usually only something I do asleep, which is where my ego has no control, but, on public transport, which I use but little, I find I want to suck my thumb maybe to reduce stress, and I do feel that people bite their nails or smoke in public so why should I desist?
I know that the wider public considers the habit rather odd in a person of my age but would the enforced discontinuation of it be masking?
When using computers, which I hate, it is also better to suck rather than shout I find.
I have of course repeatedly had the New Year Resolution of I really must stop sucking my thumb many times, except once in about 1998 in Eskdale where I pointedly sucked my thumb at a New Year's Day Party. Is it O.K. to do this, is it stimming or is it just flagrant attention seeking? The fact that I do it more often in private does suggest that it is more than an affectation but another inescapable fact is that it is corrosive to self esteem and that this is not entirely down to negative public reaction.
Some public reaction, funnily enough, was quite supportive, but never it there ever going to be a thumb sucking pride parade unless some toddlers get strangely politically aware.
Well I was just wondering if anyone else here had seen or heard of this as a stimming behaviour? The internet is very wide of course and so I have come across an autistic thumb sucker or two who was an adult, but that maybe nothing to do with autism.
I sucked my thumb until I was 8 and my parents told me I needed to stop as it was marking my thumb. Before people talked much about autism many things were considered unusual like not liking hugs.
Reading other posts I see people mention lip biting. I do that now or make noises which I then try to turn into a cough.
When you think about it, not that long ago people thought it odd if you walked along talking. Now people do it all the time on their mobiles. So why not do what you like if it is not offensive.
Very true, I used to walk and read a book too, I was deemed crazy and now that everyone has a mobile phone they all do it and I unconsciously talk out loud to myself and do daft noises.
Trouble is that I think with thumb sucking people do see it as offensive, it even goes back to Shakespeare...Romeo and Juliet...'Do you bite your thumb at us Sir?'
Thank you.