The term stimming is frequently associated with autistic behavior and viewed in a negative light. However, stimming encompasses a wide range of actions that everyone engages in from time to time, even if they don’t realize what they are doing is stimming.
Although there is often a stigma associated with stimming, this is unfounded since it is helpful to so many, whether neurodiverse or neurotypical. Instead, stimming should be seen as a necessary and expected form of self-care.
What is Stimming?
Stimming, or repetitive self-stimulating behaviors, are often associated with autism. Stimming may look different for everyone. Some common examples are flapping hands and rocking back and forth. However, others may stim by twirling their hair around their finger, jigging their foot, or tapping their fingers. Still others may hum or repeat a word over and over.
Part of the diagnostic criteria for autism includes stimming, but most neurotypical people engage in some form of repetitive actions at least occasionally. This is most common when dealing with strong emotions related to stress, anger, or excitement. It is common for almost everyone to stim when bored. If someone starts tapping a pencil on their desk during a long meeting or starts singing while waiting in a long line, they are stimming.
Stimming is Self-Soothing
It is not surprising that neurotypical people stim because it is self-soothing. Most stimming behaviors are not harmful. In fact, they are helpful in aiding just about everyone in managing emotions. Although individuals with autism may stim more than their neurotypical peers and may do so in more unusual ways, stimming is a part of almost everyone’s life from time to time. That is a good thing because of the self-soothing benefits stimming provides.
Stimming can help with overstimulation by allowing someone to focus attention on the stim rather than an environment that may be overwhelming. It can help with under-stimulation by activating the senses. Stimming can also produce calming changes in the body. When someone engages in stimming, whether they are neurodiverse or neurotypical, they are recognizing that they need to be soothed in some way and are taking the steps necessary to regulate themselves. This is a typical and expected part of the human experience.
Everyone Stims
Dr. Henry Roane, vice president of clinical services for Elemy, says: “To be honest, everyone engages in some sort of stimming behavior when they’re bored, stressed, anxious, etc. So it’s totally normal.” Dr. Roane went on to explain how stimming is not limited only to neurodiverse individuals by stating that “You can link some of the ‘self-soothing’ side of [stimming] to mindfulness and relaxation training.”
As an example, Dr. Roane explains that in mindfulness and relaxation training, participants are taught to engage in deep breathing, focus on a specific noise, or position their hands a certain way. According to Dr. Roane, these are calming strategies that are very similar to some stimming behavior. Given that so many types of stimming are helpful, and even desirable in some situations, there is usually no need to stop someone from stimming if it is not harmful.
When Stimming is Problematic
At times, stimming may veer into problematic behavior although this is relatively rare. Stimming may need to be addressed when it poses a risk of physical injury or illness or if it is preventing someone from participating in other activities they enjoy. For example, if someone is banging their head, it may be soothing to them at the moment, but it poses a risk of injury. Similarly, if someone constantly bites their nails, they may be at increased risk of illness due to bacteria on their hands and the possibility of infection from broken skin.
If repetitive behavior of any type increases to the point that someone is not able to participate in activities they previously enjoyed or becomes unable to perform activities of daily living they enjoy stimming may also be problematic, even if it does pose a risk of injury or infection.
When this happens, redirection can be helpful. A person engaging in headbanging may instead be given a fidget toy or ball to throw against the wall or a pillow to cushion the blow. Someone else may need to be taken to a quieter environment.
If a person engaging in stimming is instead reacting to being under-stimulated, moving the person somewhere that they can stimulate their senses without fear of injuring themselves is an alternative. Having some sensory toys, such as fidgets or interesting lights, can help. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy can help provide alternative methods of stimming that fill a person’s need to stim but in a safe way.
Stimming is Self-Care
Outside of the rare cases where stimming poses a threat to someone’s well-being, stimming is a helpful form of self-care. That means there is no need to focus on stopping the behavior the person finds soothing. Although some forms of stimming are not often used by neurotypical individuals, such as hand flapping or turning in circles, it serves the same purpose neurotypical people use from time to time to cope when they tap their foot or play with their hair.
How someone stims, whether neurodiverse or neurotypical, is highly individual. Variations in how people stim are to be expected. Finding what works for you and paying attention to what you need to be calm and regulated is a form of self-care.
As Dr. Roane noted, some neurotypical people invest a lot of time and money to learn self-care techniques that come naturally to many neurodiverse individuals. Anyone who has been to a yoga class where participants are instructed to breathe in a certain way over and over or focus their attention on a certain body part has seen this in action.
Even though stimming is not normally thought of as a type of self-care, it’s time to recognize that’s what it is for neurodiverse and neurotypical people alike.
What People With Autism Say About Stimming
Those with autism who find stimming useful have attempted to explain why over the years. Listening to their voices can help us all understand why stimming is so important and how it functions as a form of self-care.
Temple Grandin, a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior who has autism herself, has said that “when I did stims such as dribbling sand through my fingers, it calmed me down. When I stimmed, sounds that hurt my ears stopped. Most kids with autism do these repetitive behaviors because it feels good in some way. It may counteract an overwhelming sensory environment.”
Other people with autism have described stimming in various ways. They have portrayed it as similar to letting steam out of a pot to prevent it from boiling over, turning down the volume on the radio to focus on something more important, a way to release tension and remain calm, a method for creating a “bubble of comfort,” and as natural and necessary as breathing.
Some of these reasons may sound familiar to neurotypical people who engage in their own forms of stimming. Even if neurotypical people don’t understand why people with autism find stimming helpful, it is important to understand why those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) should not be stopped from stimming and how it is helpful for their well-being.
Stimming Should Be Normalized
Like other forms of self-care, no one should be criticized for engaging in techniques that help them remain centered and calm. This is true even if their form of self-care does not look exactly the same as yours.
We should normalize and embrace engaging in stimming as a form of self-care, whenever and wherever it is needed. In most cases, it can be done nearly anywhere with no risk of harm. This simple form of self-care should be embraced and even celebrated as an important tool in everyone’s arsenal to remain calm and regulated.
References
Signs and Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. (March 2022) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Repetitive behaviors and ‘stimming’ in autism, explained. (March 2020) Spectrum.
‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming. (October 2019) Autism.
The Emotional Mind: The Affective Roots of Culture and Cognition. (April 2019) Harvard University Press.
