We have been asked a few times about ‘stims’, and while we have mentioned them within other articles (see directly below, in an article on autistic meltdown), we thought it would be useful to delve deeper in a single blog post.
Understanding stims
Understanding stims is key to understanding how autists process emotions and sensory input. Stims, and the action of stimming, refers to ‘self stimulating’ behaviours; they’re not limited to autists (many of us twirl our hair, or tap our fingers to an imaginary beat, for example); but most autists stim.
Stims may be used for various reasons; for example in times of anxiety; in periods of happiness or contentment; when the body is in need of regulation; and simply because the individual feels good.
Most people, if they have heard of autism stims, think of hand flapping, which is the stereotypical one used most commonly in the media. But perhaps rightly so, as a repetitive hand movement is a very common stim, in times of dis-regulation, sensory overload or anxiety.
Most autistic individuals stim to some degree; they can be very subtle however, and autists who are late-diagnosed may not even realise that their habitual behaviours are stims. For example, clasping or rubbing one’s hands together, or wrapping hair around a finger.
Here are some examples of physical autistic stimming-
Clapping or flapping the hands, or moving them rhythmically.
Finger clicking or snapping, e.g. with the thumb and third finger.
Beating out a rhythm with the hands or fingers (and feet), to a beat in your head.
Flicking or stroking fingernails.
Playing with jewellery, especially if it has movement, e.g. a ring with a spinning section.
Touching something smoothly tactile, like a watch, a clothing label, or piece of jewellery.
Proprioceptive stims e.g. rocking or moving the body – and as well as a ‘big’ movement, this can be the tiniest movement, for example isolating and clenching a small muscle.
Moving the joints somehow, to achieve a ‘click’ or mobilisation – e.g. moving the joint to the edge of its socket.
Vocal stims
Examples of vocal stims can be humming; singing without recognisable words; and making mouth noises (for example sucking on the teeth or cheeks, or clicking the tongue).
Cognitive autism stims
There are also cognitive autistic stims that autists carry out, that seemingly provide some kind of sense of control, comfort or regularity. These could be a particular numerical sum, or counting in a particular formation. (Many autists use echolalia, and sometimes a favoured phrase or number sequence that sounds appealing may be used as a stim.)
Other stims
There are also other stims, such as: visual stims, e.g. staring at lights or an interesting kinetic picture (like the one at the top of this page), or watching a spinning object; auditory stims, e.g. listening to the same song on a loop; olfactory and oral stims such as sniffing objects or licking and chewing on things; facial tics and features of Tourette syndrome; dermatillomania or picking at the skin (e.g. scabs or hairs), trichotillomania (hair plucking) and also pressure stims – perhaps sitting in a certain way to achieve a sense of pressure.
Self injurious autistic stims
Some individuals may direct a repetitive action on themselves, e.g. hitting their head or face. Stims like this can be detrimental; e.g. in the case of hitting oneself, they are not desirable or helpful in the long term, and can lead to self-harm. In such cases the need to stim may be directed to another object, such as a squeezy toy or boxing punchbag. Using pressure or movement may also be a useful alternative, e.g. pressing the hands against a wall or pressing up from the floor, or bouncing on a Swiss ball. Weighted pressure blankets may also be useful, e.g. to sit or lie under. These ‘tools’ may work to help redress sensory dis-regulation.
Letting off steam
Although some proponents of behavioural training seemingly seek to reduce stims, and frame them as some kind of antisocial behaviour, in fact there is nothing wrong with autistic stims. Remember that autistic individuals may have problems not only with processing feelings, but also sharing their emotions in the expected way. Stims are very often a way of putting an emotion into a physical representation.
So, the above everyday examples of behavioural stims are perfectly normal and acceptable, especially in children who are finding a place in the world; stims should not be discouraged.
They are simply a way of recalibrating, finding a sense of calm, and satisfying an inbuilt need for repetition. “Autistics are easily overloaded, and simply need to release tension more frequently. When I stim, I often feel like an old fashioned boiler letting off pressure; sometimes in tiny bursts, sometimes in huge belches of steam,” writes Kirsten Lindsmith.
Stims can be valuable communicative information, if an autist finds (in that moment) talking difficult. A stim can indicate rising anxiety, for example. This is valuable information for family members accompanying a young autistic child somewhere, and a potential sign that the environment could be stressful.
In the workplace
In situations such as the workplace where autistic stims are not necessarily encouraged or accepted, there are ways to make them less noticeable; e.g. there are many fidget toys or gadgets like pens, chewy stim toys and pieces of tactile jewellery that can divert attention.
Many autistic women for example enjoy having smooth, manicured nails that fulfil a nice sensory need, and touching the nails can be very discreet.
(NB, follower JFC has pointed out that our question: ‘It would be interesting to find out to what extent smoking and vaping is used by autists, to satisfy the need to stim; especially in the workplace’, could be misleading, in that smoking indoors is banned. It was more pondering the concept of the Smoking Break, a social gathering that takes place outside, and whether some autists may smoke or vape to satisfy a stimming need, while also navigating the social landscape. We’d welcome any feedback from smokers/vapers on this matter!)
What else causes autistic stimming?
Sensory challenges are often cited as big causative factors for stims, as the stimming can create a tactile input (e.g. flicking a muslin or blanket, or a clothes label). The action can help self-soothe and calm the individual, if the stim is linked to anxiety or over / under stimulation from noise, lights, socialisation etc.
It’s proposed that stimming can actually cause the release of beta-endorphins in the body, which then causes a feeling of ‘numbness’ from sensory overload, or plain old pleasure.
The main hypotheses and known causes for stimming are: blocking out excess sensory input (in overstimulation); managing emotions; providing extra sensory input (in understimulation); reducing pain; and self-regulating.
A little disclaimer – here at Spectra.blog we don’t claim to be experts about Autism; the information we post here is based purely on our own exposure and experiences. We’d also love your feedback on our posts!
Also published on Medium.
Please excuse me for being pedantic, but I personally regard the comment about smoking and vaping ‘especially in the workplace’ as a means of ‘stimming’ a bit confusing and misleading, especially as the consumption of ‘conventional’ tobacco products literally inside the workplace (and in indoor public places in general) is totally out of the question and has been especially since 2006-07.
As for vaping, there don’t as yet seem to be any specific laws against it in the same sense as ‘conventional’ tobacco products.
No offence nor disrespect intended towards smokers in general (ASC or not) I have always found the smell of cigarette smoke extremely overwhelming and nauseating (if not a personal health hazard through passive smoking) and in the pre-ban era (especially in the 90s) I hated being in many (indoor) environments where it was the norm and us non-smokers simply had to either ‘put up and shut up’, or stay away.
As I have already said, this isn’t intended as a bash at all smokers and I appreciate and thoroughly acknowledge that most of them indulge in their habit responsibly and appropriately (e.g. outdoors in designated areas).
As for stimming in general, I remember as a child being chastised for many of my stims and even told I probably asked for it when I was bullied and ridiculed by other kids, both at school and out in the wider community.
Sorry for my extended rant,
JFC.
Rant accepted! And good point re ‘especially in the workplace’ being potentially misleading, we will amend that with a credit, as we didn’t literally mean indoors; more the ideal of people having ‘smoking breaks’, which in themselves can be a social event.
I started vaping a few days after I got back from my godmothers funeral, picked one up randomly after I got fired 2 shifts back, (and I had had to leave a week earlier that mt family cuz they said they’d fire me. Which. They did anyways.) Was going to quit anyways cuz it was horrible there and they made me actively hate barbering. But ita been over a year now and I just found out I’m level 1 autistic.
I have found that vaping really has become a stim for me as, not knowing I was autistic, I have repressed many of my stims. I used to kinda, contolled jerk my head to the side to make that clunk feel at the top of the Neck, and I’d do a similar thing with my jaw to make it click, moving it from side to side. My mom was on me alot about it (worried about damage it might cause. But also, not knowing what I was doing) it took years to train myself to mostly stop, I rarely do either now. My main thing I cannot stop once I get going is moving my eyebrows up and down this specific way. Unfortunately very visible in public. Tho less so than my jaw and neck stuff. I also used to, untill past few years, would clench my glutes, often one side at a time back and forth, particularly while reading on my stomach. But the past few years have been…… trash. Lol.
I havnt allowed myself any time to calm down or relax properly. Anytime I wasn’t being productive I was procrastinating something to an impressive degree that I was still in constant stress so I’d never allow myself the comfort of just sitting down and rocking while reading or watching something or lying down for my favorite hip shaking stim which is, just the most comforting thing ever.
So. Surprise surprise, with all those repressed stims, vaping motions and having something to play with and flip in my hand has definitely become a comforting stim to me now. I can put the vapr down for a long period of time and not miss nicotine. But when im needing thst stim I’ll vape non stop. Which means I end up not feeling the nic affects at that point anyways and is just about the comfort of the movement. And in public ill roll it in my hand in my pocket, as I often do with my phone, but alot more convenient.
Currently I’m bringing back my comfort stims and I am realizing just how much I missed them, and just want to go hug my younger self and tell her that it’s OK to have these weird comforting twitches and movements. Let her know she’s autistic and adhd and a boatload of other crap. I wish I could have had found the relief at finding out that I’m not just broken and wrong, but just my own brand of normal that I have finally been able to find after years and years of searching and trying to understand.
Thank you Kris for your considered message and very sorry your original post was missed. This makes perfect sense and i believe is true for many folks. Congrats on ‘bringing back your comfort stims’ – awesome self-care!
I’d like to point out that autists have been around longer than the smoking inside ban. When I don’t have a smoke in my hand is when people comment on how much they move.
I’m trying to quit vaping/nicotine usage, and I find that I stay on track best when I’m not being social. As soon as I go to a social event, I chain-vape constantly, and I think it’s my way of discreetly stimming. I get very nervous in social situations and I won’t even want or need to hit my vape… I just do it.
YES, this makes sense! Thank you – something i had suspected for sure. Kathy
Hello! I’m 21 years old and have been working on getting assessed and diagnosed with autism so I’m currently a “self identified” autistic and I was really interested in the question/comment about smoking/vaping being used as a stim! I started vaping as a senior in HS after the suicide of a friend of mine. I vaped consistently for about a year before I went away to college and no longer had a need/access to vape products. Every time I returned home, either for a few weeks at Christmas or 2 months in the summer I would pick up the habit again. I started to consistently vape again with my partner for about a year and once 2021 started we decided to give up vaping as it became too expensive and to give our lungs a break. I personally started to suspect my vaping was a stim when we first stopped vaping. After reading that detoxing from nicotine can be hard and is best to do it slowly, my partner and I picked up some alternative nicotine products. I realized very shortly after chewing my first piece of “nicotine gum” that I actually hold no attachments to nicotine and that my constant urge to vape stemmed more from liking the taste and feeling of smoke in my mouth.(I do not experience a nicotine “buzz” or any other bodily sensations from vaping normally, only if it’s the first hit off a new vape or if I’m picking up the habit after awhile of not vaping) As of now (June 2021) I’m vaping pretty consistently, I have a specific brand and flavor that I vape and nothing else will do. And I am currently exploring non vaping alternatives(at least non nic vaping alt to start, as I’m only human!!!) that hits all the marks that vaping as a stim hits for me.
Thanks so much for commenting Taylor. I agree that vaping / smoking is so stimmy! It’s also i think a coping strategy in terms of ‘doing something with our hands’ if feeling out of place, and it adds an ‘escape’ eg to ‘go for a vape’ etc and remove yourself from a room / scenario without seeming rude. We all find ways to cope don’t we! Kathy