Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyone else’s child do this? My daughter whistles, it’s becoming something she does more and more often. I get why she does it and she stims in other ways too (mainly clicking her fingers and pulling her hair). The whistling just seems to drive everyone nuts, I don’t know if I should gently point out that a) she’s doing it and b) other people don’t like it or if I should leave her to it.
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.
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.