There are enormous misconceptions about Autism, and those who have this disorder. One of the many is Stimming. My son has been stimming more these days, so it's one of the many topics I have been "perserverating" about.
For those who may not be familiar with this little gem, stimming, to quote this generation's Encyclopedia Brittanica, Wikipedia, " is a repetitive body movement that is hypothesized to self-stimulate one or more senses in a regulated manner. The term is shorthand for self-stimulation, and a repetitive movement, or stereotypy, is referred to as stimming under the hypothesis that it has a function related to sensory input.
Simply put, flapping, rocking, vocal noises, visually stimming through the corners of your eyes, are all classic examples of what many people who have sensory processing issues,(which would include those with Autism and other developmental delays and neurological issues) do to help calm or self regulate.
My son is a slap happy kid who likes to harmonize as he quickly smacks the side of his leg. If he were on stage with a bango, during a ho-down or emceeing a Square dance, or doing the Hambone dance, it would be completely appropriate. Hell, it would be amazing. But this is not when he chooses to go all out. He does this when he gets excited or anxious. In the playground, or in class, or during an assembly, in the supermarket, at the movies, in a resteraunt. You want all eyes on you in a minute, this is all you have to do...put your hand on your thigh and let it rip, real fast, humm a few bars of something catchy and you have the floor.
Think stimming is only something people on the spectrum do? Think again. My nails are gone, chewed completely down, and now I'm working on the sides of my fingers....you would think they were chocolate. The hair many like to twirl incessantly, absentmindely...the foot that is continuousy kicked while hid under the desk....the fingers that strum on the tables, the pencils that follow the beat.....the soft rocking from side to side as you wait on line...the tapping of your toes.....all examples of stims. The line that defines what is appropriate and what is not, what is subtle, what is functional and what hinders " normal" life can sometimes be fine, and in some cases subjective. So it becomes my job to not only figure out why he is stimming more lately (could it be yeast again, could it be something that might be bothering him? Could it be a nutritional deficiency or an infraction? Could it be a new demand placed on him?) and then to find a way to help Gabe transition into a more subtle stim that would fulfill the need he has to release the anxiety and excitement in a way that would not be disruptive to others. Luckily, because Gabe is now verbal, he can tell me now that it's something inside him that HAS to come out. It's the form HAS takes that needs to be rethought.
Here's the part that gets me. For all the live and let live, for all the religious talk, for all the political correctness, and the no tolerance for bullying bull in school, there is still a long way to go when it comes to respecting those with disabilities. There is still that us and them mentality. When it comes to people on the Spectrum, it's the intensity of how we take in our world through our senses, and how we are able to communicate it that differentiates us. We all stim, we all perserverate, we all need to get that excess energy out, we all need a way to ease our anxieties or deal with our excitability. We are not always appropriate. Our behaviors more often than not, leaves little to be desired. How different are we really when it comes right down to it? I have the audacity to suggest that Gabe should stim in a more subtle way and of course less frequently, meanwhile I say this nailess and pretty soon fingerless at the rate I'm going...with a good 20 extra pounds added on and hair twirled into knots so big I can tuck it under and call it a French Twist....though we all know it's a Stim Twist.
My son humbles me. Nothing like a magnifying glass held up against you to help you see the connections. The gene pool this kid was doing the back stroke in, was perhaps not the most filtered and purified.....at best it's questionable. I am half of the proof.....
But he is remarkable none the less. Slap happy and all..........hey, at least he now keeps his clothes on!
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