Autistic Stimming Gains New Acceptance

Stimming, the restricted and repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping, body-rocking and arm-waving have long been treated as something to eradicate in people with autism. After all, these behaviors are weird and distracting and simply don’t fly in mainstream settings, right?

Mercifully, this negative perception is giving way to the realization that repetitive behaviors actually help guide typical development in ASD individuals. A growing body of evidence suggests that repetitive behaviors can help autistic people relieve sensory overload, cope with anxiety and express emotion. Some repetitive behaviors activate the brain’s reward circuitry and are experienced as soothing pleasure. Taking away stimming is now seen as doing more harm than good.

The negative perceptions of stimming began in the 1940s as Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger both described it as a way for ASD individuals to shut out the world. They claimed it inhibited socialization, interfered with learning and impaired cognitive ability. While therapists today no longer attempt stop stimming with physical restraint, slapping or electric shocks, they still encourage children to adopt alternative behaviors in place of less socially acceptable ones. Many autistic people still object to this as an infringement upon their right to control their own body.

Researchers point out that infants display repetitive behaviors as they are learning how their bodies move. This leads to goal oriented action such as crawling, then walking. These scientists are interested in the role of sensory feedback in autistic infants interrupting normal development so that stimming lingers on as a coping mechanism. This is a new frontier in autism research.

An industry has sprung up around sensory needs and there are many wonderful products for the ASD population now. A google search renders an abundance of possibilities from weighted blankets to adult chew toys as sensory accommodation is popularized. The real issue now is to flip the script and educate neurotypical people to accept autistic stimming in others.

This is incredibly important in educational settings where ASD children are still castigated and/or punished for stimming. This obsession with autistic normalization can lead to school failure and it becomes even more dangerous when police and other first responders misinterpret the behavior of autistic individuals they encounter. There are far too many tragic tales of individuals with autism suffering because first responders didn’t know how to deal with autistic stimming. Mistaking the behaviors for drug use, they often proceed out of ignorance to escalate the situation.

The sea change in attitude about stimming is heartening and represents a gain in the dignity of individuals with autism. It is imperative to get everyone on the same page moving forward.

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