Vocal stimming

She’s learning violin so hopefully that’s a bit of release for her. Her whistling isn’t usually a song it just two notes repeated over and over (imagine the whistle of someone trying to get someone’s attention that’s the best way I can describe it). 

Its been really interesting hearing others views, I am going to continue to leave her to it but have a chat about appropriate places. 

My parents didn't really give two shits, they found it funny more than anything. I'd be trying to sing like Chrissie Hynde or Barry White sometimes. I didn't know it was a stim until I read about them. They didn't even know I was autistic. My mom sings constantly anyway.

I'd be in trouble at school for mumbling a lot though!

I do it, have all my life. People around me just left me to it.. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 38. People just generally thought I was a bit weird.

I'll explain how it works for me as best as I can.

I'll have part of a song, something I've heard on TV, or in a film. Just general snippets of sound. The snippets build up over time and it's like pressure in my head. The stims help me release some of the information that's building up. I was much more noisy as a kid but when I got to about 7 or 8 I'd found a way to tone it down a little. I will let loose when there isn't anyone around, not loud, but just to get some of it out. I still talk to myself a lot, and I'll catch myself humming or singing. People see me do it, but people around here know me, and are OK.

I'd say try and get her to channel it into something like music. She seems to find expressing sound soothing. Music helps me a lot sometimes. There are lots of musical instruments that you can plug headphones into. That way she's got a release, it's far less noisy, if not silent, and she might find some kind of productive interest there.

I'm not sure how it works with your daughter, but that's my experience of how it works with me. Hope it was helpful. All the best.

Much to the consternation of others in my workplace, I often find myself whistling random tunes without realising I am doing it until someone asks me to stop. 

Tunes can be anything from 'Postman Pat' to opera and all things between, all whistled in my own inimitable way (and I am way, way past the age of the average Postman Pat viewer! (I am 64).  I find I work a lot better and am a lot more cheerful when I can entertain myself in this manner.

And yes, it does worry and upset me to have to stop, although I do understand that at times it must be a bit disruptive!

I would give her times when she can do it. Asking her to stop would cause stress and potentially increase the behaviour as she'd be thinking about it. It would be good for her to have a level of understanding that it can be annoying for people to help her socially but it's important that she knows that she needs to stim and that's ok. 

stopping the stim she uses to help her will only cause more problems, imagine being told to stop something that really helped you not being able to fully understand why, it sucks, my parents did that with me, it is not good so try and explain some places are not accepting of peoples stims or stuff like that, she should be allowed to do it within the safety of the home, everywhere else is situation dependant I guess

Thank you, my husband thinks we should just ask her to stomp this stim completely and encourage her to do something else where as I’m worried that would be stressful for her. 

a lot of the time yes i am aware of it, and yeah it would bother me if i was told to stop, personally it would be more beneficial to me to know where I can do it rather than just telling me not to without explaining why, everyone should be able to be free to stim, in some situations or places it may not be appropriate so knowing where is safe to do it may be a better way forward  

Would it bother you if you were asked to stop and are you always aware that you are doing it? 

i do vocal stimming, making noises with my mouth like sound effects animal noises or singing , making clicking noises with my tongue :)