• Replies 6 replies
  • Subscribers 69 subscribers
  • Views 2108 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Stims or Tics?

ParentingAutism

Hi again, 

My 14 y.o keeps having these random outbursts, I spoke about some of the challenging ones in another post... 

Anyways, when I stand close to her she will out of the blue try bite me. She will randomly flap her hands, and she will look at me confused, she will also say 'That took me by surprise' and start laughing slightly. I mainly spoke about them in this post:

HELP!!! - Parents and carers - Home - National Autistic Society - our Community (autism.org.uk)

I'm getting confused about her behaviour... 

Any help is very much appreciated

Thanks x 

  • in reply to Dfactor

    Hi, she is using her chew toys again which is helping her a lot. We are going to buy some new ones. Thanks fr your advice. 

  • Have you tried giving her something new to stim to? 

    While I was growing up, I had a very difficult time communicating with my words that I would have my own episodes, especially when I had to deal with my emotions. I loved music though. I started getting piano lessons when I was in the third grade. Music made a huge difference in my life because it is an outlet that enabled me to communicate emotionally.

    If she can stim to an abstract hobby, perhaps it can help her to stim productively into a better outlet.

    Due to the help I have gotten for my autism, I need music less and less because I do not deal with my autism as much as I used to. When I need the outlet to evoke my emotions, I turn to music. 

    There are things words just do not do justice to what I am feeling. Maybe... just maybe... an abstract hobby can do something.

  • I neigh like a horse; whenever I'm excited in a conversation.

    Also, I collect elastic bands dropped on grounds for stimming; saves having to rely on Amazon.

    My brother was - undiagnosed - Autistic; and believed, whenever he was 16, that he was a Vampire. It's that phase in childhood.

    What Peter said; about the inability to suppress tics.

  • My understanding of tics is generally People with tics aware of their tics but find it very hard to suppress them. People with autism are often not aware of their stimming or at least not aware that it’s disturbing anyone. 

    autistic people are human beings. Any human being in emotional turmoil might direct violence towards themselves or others. Particularly true of children with serious emotional baggage. It’s just that you may not notice the warning signs that someone is ready to snap in an autistic person. They may not be able to explain it even after the fact.

    it may not be pleasant to think about but isn’t it quite dangerous to assume your child’s behaviour is some form of tick rather than an expression of frustration and anger? Feelings she finds it very hard to express verbally.

    Before assuming a tick wouldn't it be best to examine her life and the things in it that might be causing her feeling of distress, frustration and anger?