Stimming

Lellynelly said:

Hi all. I'm quite new here. I'm a 51 year old female, currently self-diagnosed relying on scoring 41 on the AQ50, and the testimonies of close friends who have known me all my life. I have been refered for dx by my gp and am currently awaiting an assessment. My question is this: many of the autistic teens I work with openly stim, either by rocking or twirling/flapping hands. But I never see or hear of adults stimming. Is it something that can be 'grown out of' or do adults just do it behind closed doors. I personally do flap my hands but I am aware of it and stop myself if in public. If I get stressed while out I play a game on my phone or bite my nails.

Hello I am male and self diagnosed at 54 years old, I have been meaning to start a post regarding stimming but as usual to much going on in my head to do it, this post gives me the opportunity to ask as well as tell what I do.

At an early age I remember spinning my whole body three times clockwise and three times anti-clockwise! One day a boy who I thought was my best friend called out to me and said "hey are you some sort of spastic?" I desperately tried to cover up by saying no I am just happy and dancing about, he would not stop teasing me after that And told everyone I was loony. I was heartbroken by what he had said, also I have difficulties in working out the difference between casual aquaintes life long connected best friend ever types. I have always assumed if they talk to boring old me and listen then that connection means TOTAL loyalty. Needless to say I never spun round ever again.

not even sure that was stimmingut I felt compelled to do it,

All my life I have spent every second of my life counting! And I count everything, I try so very hard not to,even thinking about my reply to this the word stimming came into my head but also then i rocked my jaw from side to side to count the letters! So 8 it was.

it exhausts me and the urge increases as I get nervous.

it has become very complicated as well as I like the number to end as an even one. I even cheat to achieve that.

so if the total for the word "carer " makes five letters I count each part of the letter,c=1 a=2 r=2 e=2 r=2 total is nine, not good so I will add a full stop for ten,,,hooray it's equal number. Or some times I change it to capitals C=1 A=3 R=3 E=4 R=3 total fourteen hooray equal again without a full stop.

imagine doing this all day,car number plates,road signs,cats eyes,white lines,bricks above a window or door,ridge tiles along the top of a roof. There is no consequence to my counting, nothing bad will happen if I don't, so why do I do it? Just to add insult to it my short term memory has always been terrible,my maths are terrible, I add by picturing everything in parrelel lines,two rows of dots,left right one two left right three four,patterns.but I always forget even if it's something I count the same every day?

Another thing I do is go on about things to much lol.fixed focusing to the point of obsession.

I am so glad I found like minded people who(hopefully) understand me.

Hi Lone warrier, I was very interested in your response. I'm not convinced it can come under the heading of stimming but there is something going on there that rang a bell with me. I have always has an obsession with the numbers 4, 8, and any multiple of 8. the thing with 4 comes into many things. for example. if I scratch my head with my right hand I have to then do it twice with my left and then once again with my right to kind of make a 4 unit symmetry: RLLR. I then have to do the pattern again starting with my left hand: LRRL of course this then means I only have half the symmetry because I have done one starting with right and one starting with left so the pattern has to continue so it finishes: eg RLLR LRRL LRRL RLLR. Of course that then constitutes a whole new sequence which would then have to started with my left twice and then my right again ad infinitum. It can then become quite hard to stop.

I also visualise numbers, - 1-20 travel in a line away from me, then at 20 they turn a corner and start moving in a line to the right until 100.

I visualise days weeks and months too in patterns. If I am counting days for example working out when a particular date is, I count as I 'point' to the day - the invisible day that I am visualising - and it looks to others as if I am just moving my finger in an odd fashion in the air!

Hi Lone warrier, I was very interested in your response. I'm not convinced it can come under the heading of stimming but there is something going on there that rang a bell with me. I have always has an obsession with the numbers 4, 8, and any multiple of 8. the thing with 4 comes into many things. for example. if I scratch my head with my right hand I have to then do it twice with my left and then once again with my right to kind of make a 4 unit symmetry: RLLR. I then have to do the pattern again starting with my left hand: LRRL of course this then means I only have half the symmetry because I have done one starting with right and one starting with left so the pattern has to continue so it finishes: eg RLLR LRRL LRRL RLLR. Of course that then constitutes a whole new sequence which would then have to started with my left twice and then my right again ad infinitum. It can then become quite hard to stop.

I also visualise numbers, - 1-20 travel in a line away from me, then at 20 they turn a corner and start moving in a line to the right until 100.

I visualise days weeks and months too in patterns. If I am counting days for example working out when a particular date is, I count as I 'point' to the day - the invisible day that I am visualising - and it looks to others as if I am just moving my finger in an odd fashion in the air!