It’s time to start submitting your stims and getting the conversation rolling! The idea of this blog is to explore how stimming is experienced by autistic people, and to build a database of behaviour types. What are your stims? How do they feel? What parameters of the stim are the most relaxing? What music is best for stimming?
I want to hear how happy you all become when you do your favourite stims. I want to see diagrams of what kind of movements have the biggest effect. I want to see pictures of what you imagine when you stim. I ask not just what stims you have, but how you conceptualise stimming as a sensory experience.
I’m interested in what triggers them as well (add warnings if they’re traumatic). One of my major triggers is actually reading about stimming, so this will be an interesting blog to run!
The blog is currently run by Alyssa.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Types of Stimming
My dream for this page is to create a gradually increasing database of stimming behaviours, with explanations of each by actual autistic people.
No allistic theories here!
- Rob
Categories from Autism Wiki, with borrowed examples within brackets. Thanks also to this Wrong Planet forum for providing many examples.
Sort by: SENSES | REASONS | MOODS
Visual
(Flapping hands, blinking and/or moving fingers in front of eyes, staring repetitively at a light), pressing on closed eyes to create visual effect [pressure phosphene], …
Auditory
(Snapping fingers), tapping on objects, listening to the same song on a loop, rolling Rs, “cat noises”, repeating words, putting hands over ears, singing, clicking tongue…
Tactile
(Scratching, rubbing the skin with one’s hands or with an external object), pinching the skin, putting thumb inside fist, sucking thumb, rubbing hands/feet together, petting preferred textures, tying knots/twirling string, twirling/stroking hair…
Vestibular
(Moving body in ryhthmic motion, rocking front and back or side-to-side), spinning, pacing, walking in circles, walking on tip-toes, jumping up and down…
Taste
(Licking body parts, licking an object)…
Smell
(Smelling objects or hands, smelling other people)…
Rhythm
Tapping on surfaces/objects/self, clicking fingers, making repetitive vocal sounds, bouncing legs, foot tapping, hand flapping, clicking pens, …
Pressure
Pressing down on nails, clenching teeth, pulling at clothing,
Pain
Slapping head, hitting head on walls, pulling hair, pinching/scratching skin,
Happy
Hand flapping, pressing tightly against body, tapping on objects,
Excited
Stressed
Slapping head, hitting head on walls, pulling hair, scratching skin, rocking,
