FAQautism

We typically think of “stimming” as one of three actions common in autism – rocking, hand posturing, or hand flapping. But, in reality, our friends with autism display dozens of other non-functional, stereotyped, repetitive motor mannerisms. Let us look at some examples of stimming.

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These are some of the “stimming” incidents I observed during a day last week of music therapy in public school classes for youngsters age 3 to age 22.
+ When given a bit of “down time” in his early childhood class, Nathan pick’s tiny pieces of thread, grass, or other minute items he finds on the floor. Louis is standing, spinning around, and flapping a ribbon.
+ When required to sit still in a school assembly, Matt rocks a bit, hums under his breath, and thumbs through a book incessantly.
+ An elementary student is able to remain calm as long as he is holding a stack of cards in a plastic card box. Sometimes he rocks, hums, and thumbs through the cards, and sometimes he puts them in a box, then flaps them in front of his face.
+ A junior high student occasionally jumps up, flaps his right hand very hard in front of his face, holds his face in a tight, agitated expression, makes a bit of a sound, turns red in the face, then relaxes and sits after about 1 minute.
+ A high school student quietly repeats nonsense phrases and sounds for about 5 minutes at unexpected intervals. He appears disconnected and does not respond to other people.
+ Several students of various ages unexpectedly stop what they are doing in school and start quoting a script of a movie or television show. Some of the youngsters gradually start rocking and talk louder, somewhat as if they are agitated.
+ An elementary age student constantly picks sores on his arms, legs, face, and stomach, sometimes making the sores bleed.
+ A junior high student shakes toilet paper, Kleenex, and any other light paper he can find. He hums and does not respond to other people or reminders to pay attention.
+ A third grader repeats the words of childrens’ songs, beginning under his breath, then increasing in volume and speed, using affective speech that distorts the pronunciation of common words.
+ An articulate high school student in standard classes often rocks and flaps her hands when she is intensely focused on the teacher or other speaker.

Tip for the day: These are just a few examples of the stimming behavior observed in a day of music therapy in the public schools. Questions to consider: When is stimming socially inappropriate? Is it just a matter of degree? Does stimming increase or decrease comfort and calmness? Does stimming interfere with functioning and learning or does it increase focus?

A question for parents, teachers, and therapists: How can we sharpen our skills for systematically addressing challenging issues that arise in the lives of our friends with autism. Click on the Toolkit tab on our website for great resources; http://FAQautism.com

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com