Autistic individuals tend to engage in self- stimulatory behaviours to self-soothe or self-regulate. This is called as stimming. Stimming behaviours are usually repetitive behaviours which prevent autistic individuals from performing meaningful tasks.
Some of the stimming behaviours seen in autistic individuals are:
-Body movements such as rocking, tip toe walking, head banging, hand flapping, hand biting, etc.
-Visual seeking: Observing moving objects like the fan
-Making repetitive noises
-Mouthing of objects
-Repetitive feeling of particular textures
Stimming behaviours make it difficult for autistic individuals to be part of social settings. Especially at a young age, stimming prevents autistic kids from learning in school. Some stimming behaviours can also cause physical harm.
According to autistic individuals, they stim to manage the overload of sensory inputs or self-soothe anxiety. Some autistic individuals may stim even when experiencing positive feelings. When attempting to manage stimming behaviours in children, a behavioural therapist may try to understand why a child is engaging in stimming and refer to therapy accordingly. Not all stimming behaviours need to be stopped, especially if it leads to being replaced by more self-injurious behaviours.
