I do many of those! It's so important for people to realize that stimming isn't just the stereotypical ones like hand flapping or spinning. It can be more subtle.
I wish I would’ve known it decades sooner! Even now I’m looking back at so many things I did in high school during class to alleviate TONS of stress and I wish someone could’ve helped me understand why I needed to do them so much (blinking, tapping, squeezing my stomach?, picking off nail polish)
@@MomontheSpectrum hi I have a question… so I know I have autism like I’ve read all about it and everything checks out and even people say I act autistic but my mom says I’m a hypochondriac and that I don’t have it but I want to talk to her about it how can I do it ?
@@michealtheodoremouse2842 I’m pretty sure I’m autistic and a hypochondriac, but I’d definitely like to see an answer to this! I have a feeling if I were to talk to my sister or dad about being autistic they’d say that I’m not. Luckily my brother and mom believe that I am though.
Yep… and my current song of choice is abcdef… by Gayle. Lol Over and over and over. I have the same stims. I also rub the back of my bottom teeth with the tip of my tongue. Ahhhhh…
I do all of this except for biting the inside of my cheeks, I only do that if I’ve already accidentally bit it so there’s a piece of gum hanging in there
@winterthehomiedoggo why shouldn't it be funny? I was under the impression that stims for ADHD and Autistic people were pleasant, and even good for their brain. So what's so objectionable about calling stims a funny experience?
@pippaschroeder9660 lol didn't know it's called stimming I have symptoms of ADHD and got diagnosed when I was an adult. I can't stop fidgeting. It's either my hands or shaking my legs when I sit still, I even catch myself doing it. It just feel good. 😅
I bite my nails when I'm bored, wring my hands a lot when I feel nervous or anxious, and crack my knuckles a lot when I'm either stressed, sad or angry, the drumming I do any time, some times when I feel stressed, bored or tense.
Good to see this. I realize a moment when I had to wait in front of a laptop to do a certain task and it went sooo slowly, I just started to move a little. My teacher came by and asked in laughter if I was doing kind of rain dance to make the laptop magically work faster. I just moved to feel comfortable, but didn't know it could be stimming. It's a little shock to see all those details I did in the past from another perspective.
Watching this as I'm drumming (right hand), twitching my biceps, toes and fingers (left hand), rocking gently in my office chair to the music, and blinking a lot. Geez. I had no idea these were stims.
I’m not diagnosed with anything but I relate to this so much!! My usual stims are flappy hands, jumping up and down, running, nail biting, and pacing! I do have one painful stim and its lip picking/skin biting but i am trying to get out of that habit!❤
I’ve just recently been learning about stim/stimming, and I do a lot of things like blinking, shaking my leg, taking screenshots over a over again and just odd repetitive things.
tiny braids and twirling my hair (I used to chew on it as a kid), picking my lips and cuticles, chewing my cheeks, curling my toes under my feet (this is how I sit almost all day), and i LOVE to dance! Despite the noise and crowds at concerts, I have realized why I love them so much - there is no other place I can release so much energy and not stand out. I can only handle 1 or 2 per year but man, what a catharsis!
Yeah, there are many "weird" stims I found recently thinking back. When I was young I used to for example rhythmically activate and release muscles in my thighs and butt when listening to music, without any movement of the legs, just as that. At school I often did that even without any music, for example when focused on something :D . What I love to do recent years is pressing my nail-rims into middle of my chin, middle of the palm or/and center of the last finger-parts, the opposite of the nails... I dunno why but there must be some important points of nerves, cause it just feels good/calming :D I also used to pull my hair on specific places, such as on the corners of forehead, without pulling the hair out completely. Just the sense of it feels good.... Also letting curls of hair going through fingers is awesome... the touch and sense of the "shape" on the skin just feels good :D Could those be also stims? I think they are... Btw, biting lips makes similar good sense as the nail in middle of chin etc... Yeah, I really relate, thanks 😄❤
Yes I think these things could definitely be stims! I actually had one more shot I wanted to add in the video of me pushing my hands into my chin and cheeks but it made the video too long. There are others on the spectrum I’ve heard from who like to do this too! Thanks for sharing.
All of these sound like ones I do!! My primary is looping a particularly silky piece of hair around my finger and then running it over my lips over and over. Sooo soothing. So silky. I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember… my other big one is “typing” words or number sequences whenever my fingers need something to do.
....and I don't need to go for the formal diagnosis. And I talk a lot with myself or rehearse possible conversations with some people. Loudly, of course, although I am alone. I know it is not ok, so make sure that nobody gets me, but I can't help it !!🤣
I do all of these, but instead of rapid blinking, I open them really, really wide just randomly, or I close them super tight or blink slowly it's so weird 😅
I do rhythm with my teeth and fingers pretty much, if not it can take over my background thoughts. I also have a sound thing I do but I don’t really know how to describe it.
I wish that I could tie my hair into knots.🤣 I bit my nails so severely to the skin as a child/teens due to abuse. Dancing & drumming to music and my own head tunes, i still do.🤣🤣
I had to rewatch this multiple times to catch the text because this song is one of my favorite auditory stims. Much of the music from the Trolls films is on repeat in my house.
My stims are cricket feet, dancing in the house and in the car, knitting as much as I can in spite of all the distractions, knitting side quests when I get bored with the sweater, and chewing my lips. And omg the earworms just shift and change and drive me mad.
Yeah, I do many of these things. I'm a gifted adult, and suspect I may be autistic, maybe also ADHD. I have many of the signs. One of those people who would find all of these things out later on in life as an adult. Would definitely explain A LOT about my childhood experiences, which then carried into adulthood, and why something has always felt off. I've also been one of those people who have always had to try extra hard to make myself look "normal".
The only time in my life I've been able to sit without bouncing my legs and feet around was when I was deep in the middle of an extended burnout/depression, before I figured out that I'm AuDHD and how to take care of myself properly. Obsessive grooming behaviors ramped up around then, but I've always had random dancing and singing, lots and lots of drumming, pacing, making noises with my lips (pops and motorboats), going up and down on my toes when I have to stand still, wiggling my toes and fingers, and of course talking to myself every time no one's around and half the time that they are.
I'm just playing with my hair, opening and closing the clip on my neck, playing with jewelry (especially rings if I have any), adjusting the tightness of my watch, playing with my tea mug...
I used to play with my hair so much just one specific spot would be greasy faster than the rest. I still do it, but mostly I take my hair down and put it up 30 times a day. I also play with my hands when I have to talk to people I don’t know and ask questions. I dance when I’m cooking dinner at night. It’s a great way to relax. I actually do all of these in some way.
High heels. I call them my stompy boots. I wear six inch heeled lace-up combat boots everywhere but work. It helps give me stability for my toe-walking (never actually grew out of that) and I LIKE the striking sensation in my lower legs.
I blinked so much as I child that my mum spent 12 months taking me to eye specialists and I had to go through tons of horrible eye tests but they found nothing wrong. Some doctor just said in the end that it was stress and we all learned to live with it. Earlier diagnosis would have saved me 12 months of gross eye tests! Finally diagnosed at 34.
I always need to move around I find due to what I think is more ADHD Stims. Just like I fidget with my fingers, my feet need to play footsie with themselves or shake. My body just needs an outlet to exert energy when I am trying to sit/stand still. It is nearly impossible. My kids and I dance and sing a lot to move energies around. I tend to rock now and then without intending to. I noticed my dad does that often as well. I have a habit of picking at things like my nails, eyes, skin, etc. I find I do that especially so when I am bored or tired. I make random noises or sayings out loud. I have OCD Tendencies that make me feel like I need to organize and clean often. I noticed my youngest, my son.. does happy stimming more so. Like turning in circles, running back and forth in certain spots and subtle hand flapping. He can concentrate on an activity and looks people in the eyes as well as includes them in play. If anything, he may be more high functioning. My oldest is more ADHD. She can't sit and do one thing. She bounces around from one thing to another. She has behavioral and defiant issues that developed in utero when I had severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It can be hard for her to regulate her big feelings and get it into words. She also had hearing and speech problems that we worked on in early childhood development. Everyone is different. Not everyone has the same Stims. Thank you for enlightening the online world more about this topic. It is not talked about a whole lot.
Women tend to be better maskers due to the fact women tend to have more close knit social groups and as such, they can "parrot" or "mirror" their contemporaries. This unfortunately also has the effect of leaking it harder to notice autistic traits and thus make it less likely for early diagnosis. Autism rates seem to be fairly equal between males and females but formal diagnosis occurs earlier in men on average as a result. Women also as a result may seem more "normal" in behavioural archetypes and as a result, their mental health can be all over the place due to the exhaustion of masking autistic traits all day every day. These women may then as a result have a meltdown of dramatic proportions which may escalate into self harmful behaviours/actions out of desperation for control over themselves. Don't forget, women are typically more socially fluid than men and as such their interpersonal dynamics may seek less harmful until they get "outed" which can result in ostracisation and being abused by their former friends when such behaviours manifest. It's important to speak to these people early on, focus on their behaviours and offer open communication. Their symptoms may be hidden, but they're not absent. Upon noticing traits of autism, monitor their situation and seek further investigation upon getting preliminary evidence. On doing this, we can then make a positive change in so many lives and perhaps reduce our morbidly high depression rates and maybe even save lives.
I really like chewing gum, it's so soothing. But also that cracking of bones in the Fingers is incredible. Stimming in what everything Form is just so nice, I cant do without, but it's rallye annoying when working in the same room as someone else.
+MomontheSpectrum *As a self- and other-trained musician, I mime any of a number o' parts on Song tracks.* Bass guitar and drumset primarily, but also keyboards and even chorus conducting.
Picking, singing what I'm saying randomly, switching dialects for no reason, being generally socially uncomfy or awkward, picking my face when stressed...etc. It feels good to see other ppl experience this, too. It feels less lonely. I was expected to be the normal eldest child because my brother was diagnosed at an early age. His is pretty severe, so he needed a lot of attention and help. I was expected to be the helpful "normal" older sibling and guilted for my signs and symptoms. Now, as a mid 30s adult, I'm diagnosed and making the best of my life as who I really am, without the masking and expectations. 🖤 I'll dance if I wanna dance. I'll sing if I wanna sing, I'll fidget if I need to fidget. I try not to pick, but it's a work in progress. 😅 Point being, I'll do what I do because it's ok and safe for me to be me. 🖤🖤🖤
Soooo I’m a diagnosed ADHD and I’m only now learning at age 34 as a mom that I think I’m also autistic. I’ve stimmed for as long as I can remember but never understood why. I never got proper education on ADHD so I’ve basically been living my life constantly masking and pretending to be “normal” while feeling completely the opposite on the inside and never understanding why. Tight eye blinking, hand flapping, jumping, dancing, biting the inside of my cheeks, grinding, picking my lips and popping my lips, pinching the skin on my hands, hitting my leg or the bottom of my feet, cricket feet I learned was a thing 😵💫 vocal stimming as well. There’s more but I feel less weird learning all these stims are things other people do as well.
Same 😊 Had no idea about playing with our hair in any fashion being considered an stim=) I play with my hands often when I'm waiting on something or.. I'm thinking, also the drumming stim is my favourite! 😁🥰 I engage in that one whenever I'm feeling good/ immensely happy or excited; I also sing an lot and.... Vocalize in general whenever I need extra stimulation 😊 These things is what I love very much about being an Autistic person! Said with love and kindness 😃💜 xoxoxox
@Wesley Hinson I would never under any circumstances change being Autistic for the world! It's the best part of me the biggest part! 🥰💕 ..... This is a page and channel about embracing people, that are Autistic for who they are not try and cure us
Sometimes men stim covertly, too! Especially if late diagnosed due to being born in the '70s, they come from a family environment where they had to conceal it because it was just considered bad behaviour.
I twirl my hair, knot it, circle my feet and toes and occasionally rock but I don't rock in public. I'm only just realizing I'm autistic at 56. My son was diagnosed in his late 20s.
As a kid (and now) I sometimes blink super fast, I didnt know why. My parents asked doctors and they sead its just like a tick probably will go away, with time i realised that happend when I am felling u comfy or scared or anxious. And always stim with my fingers. I also do the think where i put my hand tughether, so like it looks like fingers cross or like make a patters yk like 1 finger from lesr hand the 1 fingers from the right. Idk how to explain it. And I would put my hamfs like that to my head and squeze my hands and smile and sometimes shake. I would do that hand think when I was happy or exsided like when I felt like an emotion was sm i cant handle alone. I true tp hide it bc people sead it weird. Idk if Thats just a normal thing, but I am not thinking much of it.
I finger tap on tables, shake my legs, bite my nails, rock back and forth or side to side. I flick my fingers, or rapidly tap my thumb to the next nearest finger. I wiggle my toes up and down, hum or sing as well. All of those I suppose would be considered me stimming though this is a new terminology I have just learned recently as I discovered I maybe autistic. Never thought of it as stimming, just thought of it as anything, but now I realize I do it when I am overstimulated or anxious...so I do it a lot in public settings😅
I felt called out at the “playing with hands” cause I’ve done that my entire life and still do it, I even gave my hands names, I pretended my fingers are a family etc. And I have just SOOO many memories of playing with my hands 😭
As I sit here with chapped skin under my lower lip from doing the mouth thing a lot over the last 2 days. (I also do all of the others except blinking, especially the finger twisting/popping and drumming.)
Not diagnosed (suspect I am autistic) ... I do most of these. I think all except the blinking (at least I don't think I do the blinking). I tend to wrap hair around my finger or tug on the end of my braid more than tie knots.. but I have done knots several times.
I've never been diagnosed, but do bite my cheeks. Among other things like drumming. I knew something was wrong when I was put in those special ed and speech classes back in elementary.
I bite the skin off my lips until they bleed, pick my nails so short it's painful, and also detangle my hair using a single unfolded paperclip lol. I've done at least one of these daily for as long as I can remember.
I am just 40 and was diagnoses with asd just a few months ago along with my fibromyalgia diagnosis (something i am wondering if it is linked to so long without a diagnosis) and have had an interesting ride. I do so many of these and when i worked in a call centre (yes i somehow surived this) i used to drum and shake the desk enough to annoy everyone and have no idea
My other thing is I will think of a line from a song and I have to tap it on my fingers so that the last note/syllable is either my thumb or pinkie. Example: if the line from the song has 7 notes/syllables, I start with middle finger tap to one end (thumb or pinkie) and then go to the other end (pinkie or thumb). I am very strict that the last note of the line from the song must end at thumb or pinkie. So I have to figure out the "start" finger. I have musical talent (played an instrument in high school) so that figures in.
I do almost all of these to this day. My biting lip thing though is my covert on because it is this spot on the inside of my mouth that I catch with my eye teeth and roll back and forth when I need comfort or am not thinking about it. Add to that, just get me in a restaurant and hand me a straw. I am going to carefully take that straw and open it all the way up, then have it folded tightly along with everyone else's paper. Used to make my mom crazy watching me do it.
I do a lot of this but I am not diagnosed with that. I don't know what to think. Thought it was just my anxiety or my ADHD which can of course make me anxious as well...
I always thought I was 'normal' and I still remember wrapping my hair around my finger at night and having to get my parents to cut it off. That spot is still shorter because I still do it, just less and not cutting off circulation absentmindedly. I also have realized the less structure and schedule my life had, the more I struggled. I thought for a long time that I couldn't have anything because I was much more functional than my brother with severe ADHD and it got really bad after a traumatic change, but really I just thrived only when I knew what was expected of me and what to expect. I want to be tested for ADHD but I don't think I have the money right now.
I used to play with/put a stand of my hair in my mouth until I got yelled at for “sucking on my hair” a few times, then I moved onto biting my nails for years of my childhood
good video. i use to twist my hair alot, pull rough strands of hair out, chew my nails, clack my teeth together to made uo rhythms but have grown out of most of those now that im older but not some.
Bite the tips of my thumb/thumbnails and finger nails, snapping constantly, i flap my arms like a bird when i get excited about...idk just excited about things you wouldn't get excited about, fidgeting with my nails all the time, sometimes i make a fist with one hand and rub it rapidly on my other hand when i get excited.
I have always known I am autistic and I always feel insecure if I watch a video someone took of me and I am blinking so much I didn’t know that Is an autistic Stim. I thought it was just another weird thing about me. I feel better about it now
I do excessive blinking, lip biting/teeth grinding, playing with my hands, nail biting, drumming on surfaces, pacing around and i used to pick at a mole until it had to be removed because the doctor thought it looked malignant (luckily it wasnt but by the time i went to have it removed i had tore it off and the gp was just removing the skin underneath where it used to sit). I’ve done all of these for years and had no idea i was actually stimming even though people used to mock me for doing these things and i couldnt stop myself from doing them
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I do many of those! It's so important for people to realize that stimming isn't just the stereotypical ones like hand flapping or spinning. It can be more subtle.
I wish I would’ve known it decades sooner! Even now I’m looking back at so many things I did in high school during class to alleviate TONS of stress and I wish someone could’ve helped me understand why I needed to do them so much (blinking, tapping, squeezing my stomach?, picking off nail polish)
I am autistic and so is my mom and brother and maybe the rest of my siblings
@@MomontheSpectrum hi I have a question… so I know I have autism like I’ve read all about it and everything checks out and even people say I act autistic but my mom says I’m a hypochondriac and that I don’t have it but I want to talk to her about it how can I do it ?
Sometimes I feel like I’m not autistic because I don’t flap my hands or spin, which I normally see on social media.
@@michealtheodoremouse2842 I’m pretty sure I’m autistic and a hypochondriac, but I’d definitely like to see an answer to this! I have a feeling if I were to talk to my sister or dad about being autistic they’d say that I’m not. Luckily my brother and mom believe that I am though.
Oh the times I've been asked, "You know you just tied your hair into a knot, right?" Yes, I'm aware. I do it all the time. LOL
Haha why is it so satisfying?
I like to braid mine
@@MomontheSpectrum mind blown!!!
I tie my hair into slip knots so I can just pull and it’ll undo. I also do it with my hoodie strings :]
When I was young and had long hair I would tie my hair in knots and I could crochet it into a chain stitch.
Remember: none of you need to feel ashamed for stimming
Pick my lips, bite the inside of my cheeks, curl or dig my toes inside my shoes, sing in my head, check my cuticles, so many covert stims 🙃
hey I was gonna comment saying biting the inside of my cheeks! Haha yay someone gets it 😆
I sing in my head 24/7
Yep… and my current song of choice is abcdef… by Gayle. Lol Over and over and over. I have the same stims. I also rub the back of my bottom teeth with the tip of my tongue. Ahhhhh…
Yes! All those! I wouldn't even know that it's called stimming and I wouldn't even notice doing it till I start bleeding...
I do all of this except for biting the inside of my cheeks, I only do that if I’ve already accidentally bit it so there’s a piece of gum hanging in there
My personal favorite, that is activated without me realizing it, every time I sit down, is bouncing my left leg up and down
Since my ADHD diagnosis, I catch myself stimming constantly. It’s a funny experience.
@winterthehomiedoggo why shouldn't it be funny? I was under the impression that stims for ADHD and Autistic people were pleasant, and even good for their brain. So what's so objectionable about calling stims a funny experience?
As a fellow adhd’er I am unable to keep my hands still so I am stimming constantly as well.
@pippaschroeder9660 lol didn't know it's called stimming I have symptoms of ADHD and got diagnosed when I was an adult. I can't stop fidgeting. It's either my hands or shaking my legs when I sit still, I even catch myself doing it. It just feel good. 😅
@@mdiesel23 ADD and Autism can cross over. Everything you describe can definitely be symptoms of inattention.
fr 😔 literally all the time
I bite my nails when I'm bored, wring my hands a lot when I feel nervous or anxious, and crack my knuckles a lot when I'm either stressed, sad or angry, the drumming I do any time, some times when I feel stressed, bored or tense.
When you tied the knot I felt so so seen. The little things are the big things. Thank you. Keep going. ❤
You’re absolutely right I was just talking with someone about this last night. The little things are the big things.
I am learning so much about my daughter, myself, and my mom through content creators like you!
Good to see this. I realize a moment when I had to wait in front of a laptop to do a certain task and it went sooo slowly, I just started to move a little. My teacher came by and asked in laughter if I was doing kind of rain dance to make the laptop magically work faster.
I just moved to feel comfortable, but didn't know it could be stimming.
It's a little shock to see all those details I did in the past from another perspective.
Watching this as I'm drumming (right hand), twitching my biceps, toes and fingers (left hand), rocking gently in my office chair to the music, and blinking a lot. Geez. I had no idea these were stims.
My poor lips and cheeks need a holiday from me stimming on them all the time 😅
the rapid blinking! I do too much, I thought it was my eyes being very dry. When I was a kid I used to cut my curls and play with them lmao
Omg that’s adorable
So did İ! İ thought İ did it for better vision😂
I tap my fingers and sometimes do figure-8s on them.
I'm so impressed with the amount of information I've already learned from just a few of your videos.
I’m not diagnosed with anything but I relate to this so much!! My usual stims are flappy hands, jumping up and down, running, nail biting, and pacing! I do have one painful stim and its lip picking/skin biting but i am trying to get out of that habit!❤
Dancing is my biggest one I will literally just twirl around in circles listening to music for hours on end 😅
And it’s not because we do that naturally, it’s because of societal expectations of women/fem presenting people being ‘non disruptive’
I’ve just recently been learning about stim/stimming, and I do a lot of things like blinking, shaking my leg, taking screenshots over a over again and just odd repetitive things.
tiny braids and twirling my hair (I used to chew on it as a kid), picking my lips and cuticles, chewing my cheeks, curling my toes under my feet (this is how I sit almost all day), and i LOVE to dance! Despite the noise and crowds at concerts, I have realized why I love them so much - there is no other place I can release so much energy and not stand out. I can only handle 1 or 2 per year but man, what a catharsis!
Yeah, there are many "weird" stims I found recently thinking back. When I was young I used to for example rhythmically activate and release muscles in my thighs and butt when listening to music, without any movement of the legs, just as that. At school I often did that even without any music, for example when focused on something :D .
What I love to do recent years is pressing my nail-rims into middle of my chin, middle of the palm or/and center of the last finger-parts, the opposite of the nails... I dunno why but there must be some important points of nerves, cause it just feels good/calming :D
I also used to pull my hair on specific places, such as on the corners of forehead, without pulling the hair out completely. Just the sense of it feels good.... Also letting curls of hair going through fingers is awesome... the touch and sense of the "shape" on the skin just feels good :D
Could those be also stims? I think they are...
Btw, biting lips makes similar good sense as the nail in middle of chin etc...
Yeah, I really relate, thanks 😄❤
Yes I think these things could definitely be stims! I actually had one more shot I wanted to add in the video of me pushing my hands into my chin and cheeks but it made the video too long. There are others on the spectrum I’ve heard from who like to do this too! Thanks for sharing.
All of these sound like ones I do!! My primary is looping a particularly silky piece of hair around my finger and then running it over my lips over and over. Sooo soothing. So silky. I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember… my other big one is “typing” words or number sequences whenever my fingers need something to do.
Oh! Try pinching between your eyebrows. Very relaxing.
Lol
....and I don't need to go for the formal diagnosis. And I talk a lot with myself or rehearse possible conversations with some people.
Loudly, of course, although I am alone.
I know it is not ok, so make sure that nobody gets me, but I can't help it !!🤣
I constantly pick at my skin, tap on things (without realizing) and bop my head around lol. I also wiggle my toes and bite my lips
I do all of these, but instead of rapid blinking, I open them really, really wide just randomly, or I close them super tight or blink slowly it's so weird 😅
I do rhythm with my teeth and fingers pretty much, if not it can take over my background thoughts. I also have a sound thing I do but I don’t really know how to describe it.
I wish that I could tie my hair into knots.🤣
I bit my nails so severely to the skin as a child/teens due to abuse.
Dancing & drumming to music and my own head tunes, i still do.🤣🤣
I'm also a severe nail picker. I pick them so short that it hurts.
I like to run my fingernails through my hair on my scalp. It's really effective when combined with redoing my pony tail.
Me who developed trichotillomania as a result of my autistic stims
since i cut my hair ive been trying the drawstrings of my hoodie or my earphone cable into knots lmaooo
I’m autistic! I stim by touching my hair.❤️
I had to rewatch this multiple times to catch the text because this song is one of my favorite auditory stims. Much of the music from the Trolls films is on repeat in my house.
Trained myself not to do any of these things "out loud". Everything makes so much more sense now. Thank you!!
hey :) how did you manage to stop lip biting?
Do all of those except the nail biting. I brush my eyebrows the most with my fingers. People look at you weird but helps calm me down
My stims are cricket feet, dancing in the house and in the car, knitting as much as I can in spite of all the distractions, knitting side quests when I get bored with the sweater, and chewing my lips. And omg the earworms just shift and change and drive me mad.
My repeating to the hellfire breakdown 25 times:
Yeah, I do many of these things. I'm a gifted adult, and suspect I may be autistic, maybe also ADHD. I have many of the signs. One of those people who would find all of these things out later on in life as an adult. Would definitely explain A LOT about my childhood experiences, which then carried into adulthood, and why something has always felt off. I've also been one of those people who have always had to try extra hard to make myself look "normal".
Our adult son loves my happy coffee dance! I take the first sip, slam it down, and do a very mom-like jig. 😂
The only time in my life I've been able to sit without bouncing my legs and feet around was when I was deep in the middle of an extended burnout/depression, before I figured out that I'm AuDHD and how to take care of myself properly. Obsessive grooming behaviors ramped up around then, but I've always had random dancing and singing, lots and lots of drumming, pacing, making noises with my lips (pops and motorboats), going up and down on my toes when I have to stand still, wiggling my toes and fingers, and of course talking to myself every time no one's around and half the time that they are.
I'm just playing with my hair, opening and closing the clip on my neck, playing with jewelry (especially rings if I have any), adjusting the tightness of my watch, playing with my tea mug...
I used to play with my hair so much just one specific spot would be greasy faster than the rest. I still do it, but mostly I take my hair down and put it up 30 times a day. I also play with my hands when I have to talk to people I don’t know and ask questions. I dance when I’m cooking dinner at night. It’s a great way to relax. I actually do all of these in some way.
High heels. I call them my stompy boots. I wear six inch heeled lace-up combat boots everywhere but work. It helps give me stability for my toe-walking (never actually grew out of that) and I LIKE the striking sensation in my lower legs.
The more I learn about Autism the more it confirms I need to be tested.
I blinked so much as I child that my mum spent 12 months taking me to eye specialists and I had to go through tons of horrible eye tests but they found nothing wrong. Some doctor just said in the end that it was stress and we all learned to live with it. Earlier diagnosis would have saved me 12 months of gross eye tests! Finally diagnosed at 34.
I always need to move around I find due to what I think is more ADHD Stims. Just like I fidget with my fingers, my feet need to play footsie with themselves or shake. My body just needs an outlet to exert energy when I am trying to sit/stand still. It is nearly impossible. My kids and I dance and sing a lot to move energies around. I tend to rock now and then without intending to. I noticed my dad does that often as well. I have a habit of picking at things like my nails, eyes, skin, etc. I find I do that especially so when I am bored or tired. I make random noises or sayings out loud. I have OCD Tendencies that make me feel like I need to organize and clean often.
I noticed my youngest, my son.. does happy stimming more so. Like turning in circles, running back and forth in certain spots and subtle hand flapping. He can concentrate on an activity and looks people in the eyes as well as includes them in play. If anything, he may be more high functioning.
My oldest is more ADHD. She can't sit and do one thing. She bounces around from one thing to another. She has behavioral and defiant issues that developed in utero when I had severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It can be hard for her to regulate her big feelings and get it into words. She also had hearing and speech problems that we worked on in early childhood development.
Everyone is different. Not everyone has the same Stims. Thank you for enlightening the online world more about this topic. It is not talked about a whole lot.
Apparently just talking to yourself is one; I thought everyone talked to themselves.
Women tend to be better maskers due to the fact women tend to have more close knit social groups and as such, they can "parrot" or "mirror" their contemporaries. This unfortunately also has the effect of leaking it harder to notice autistic traits and thus make it less likely for early diagnosis. Autism rates seem to be fairly equal between males and females but formal diagnosis occurs earlier in men on average as a result. Women also as a result may seem more "normal" in behavioural archetypes and as a result, their mental health can be all over the place due to the exhaustion of masking autistic traits all day every day. These women may then as a result have a meltdown of dramatic proportions which may escalate into self harmful behaviours/actions out of desperation for control over themselves. Don't forget, women are typically more socially fluid than men and as such their interpersonal dynamics may seek less harmful until they get "outed" which can result in ostracisation and being abused by their former friends when such behaviours manifest. It's important to speak to these people early on, focus on their behaviours and offer open communication. Their symptoms may be hidden, but they're not absent. Upon noticing traits of autism, monitor their situation and seek further investigation upon getting preliminary evidence. On doing this, we can then make a positive change in so many lives and perhaps reduce our morbidly high depression rates and maybe even save lives.
Dude…tying hair in knots🤯 I do that sometimes…also picking nails daily. And some others, but those are my most common.
I really like chewing gum, it's so soothing. But also that cracking of bones in the Fingers is incredible. Stimming in what everything Form is just so nice, I cant do without, but it's rallye annoying when working in the same room as someone else.
+MomontheSpectrum *As a self- and other-trained musician, I mime any of a number o' parts on Song tracks.* Bass guitar and drumset primarily, but also keyboards and even chorus conducting.
Picking, singing what I'm saying randomly, switching dialects for no reason, being generally socially uncomfy or awkward, picking my face when stressed...etc. It feels good to see other ppl experience this, too. It feels less lonely. I was expected to be the normal eldest child because my brother was diagnosed at an early age. His is pretty severe, so he needed a lot of attention and help. I was expected to be the helpful "normal" older sibling and guilted for my signs and symptoms. Now, as a mid 30s adult, I'm diagnosed and making the best of my life as who I really am, without the masking and expectations. 🖤 I'll dance if I wanna dance. I'll sing if I wanna sing, I'll fidget if I need to fidget. I try not to pick, but it's a work in progress. 😅 Point being, I'll do what I do because it's ok and safe for me to be me. 🖤🖤🖤
I don't tend to do a lot of rapid blinking, but I slow blink for a bunch of visual stims (afterimages, etc.).
flexing those muscles inside your ears to drown out noise or to the beat of a song you have stuck in your head!
Soooo I’m a diagnosed ADHD and I’m only now learning at age 34 as a mom that I think I’m also autistic. I’ve stimmed for as long as I can remember but never understood why. I never got proper education on ADHD so I’ve basically been living my life constantly masking and pretending to be “normal” while feeling completely the opposite on the inside and never understanding why. Tight eye blinking, hand flapping, jumping, dancing, biting the inside of my cheeks, grinding, picking my lips and popping my lips, pinching the skin on my hands, hitting my leg or the bottom of my feet, cricket feet I learned was a thing 😵💫 vocal stimming as well. There’s more but I feel less weird learning all these stims are things other people do as well.
The hand playing and eye blinking! I also chew my fingers to bits!
Same 😊 Had no idea about playing with our hair in any fashion being considered an stim=) I play with my hands often when I'm waiting on something or..
I'm thinking, also the drumming stim is my favourite! 😁🥰 I engage in that one whenever I'm feeling good/ immensely happy or excited; I also sing an lot and....
Vocalize in general whenever I need extra stimulation 😊 These things is what I love very much about being an Autistic person! Said with love and kindness 😃💜 xoxoxox
Hi Stacey! Thanks for your comment!
@@MomontheSpectrum you're so welcome ☺❤ xo
@Wesley Hinson I would never under any circumstances change being Autistic for the world! It's the best part of me the biggest part! 🥰💕 .....
This is a page and channel about embracing people, that are Autistic for who they are not try and cure us
Yes!! I'm currently a bit fixated on tying my hair in knots and it's SO annoying! Feels so good though...
Sometimes men stim covertly, too! Especially if late diagnosed due to being born in the '70s, they come from a family environment where they had to conceal it because it was just considered bad behaviour.
I twirl my hair, knot it, circle my feet and toes and occasionally rock but I don't rock in public. I'm only just realizing I'm autistic at 56. My son was diagnosed in his late 20s.
Thank you so much for these videos!
As a kid (and now) I sometimes blink super fast, I didnt know why. My parents asked doctors and they sead its just like a tick probably will go away, with time i realised that happend when I am felling u comfy or scared or anxious. And always stim with my fingers. I also do the think where i put my hand tughether, so like it looks like fingers cross or like make a patters yk like 1 finger from lesr hand the 1 fingers from the right. Idk how to explain it. And I would put my hamfs like that to my head and squeze my hands and smile and sometimes shake. I would do that hand think when I was happy or exsided like when I felt like an emotion was sm i cant handle alone. I true tp hide it bc people sead it weird. Idk if Thats just a normal thing, but I am not thinking much of it.
Used to use rapid walks for stimming with music like a lot… not the same when you are in an electric wheelchair but has some of the function
Phew I don’t blink like that! 😂😂😂 But I do everything else....🤔😬🤣
I finger tap on tables, shake my legs, bite my nails, rock back and forth or side to side. I flick my fingers, or rapidly tap my thumb to the next nearest finger. I wiggle my toes up and down, hum or sing as well. All of those I suppose would be considered me stimming though this is a new terminology I have just learned recently as I discovered I maybe autistic. Never thought of it as stimming, just thought of it as anything, but now I realize I do it when I am overstimulated or anxious...so I do it a lot in public settings😅
I do the rapid blinking thing, and bite my nails
This would be me if I were born a girl. I don't tie my hair in knots... but everything else...totally.
Omg,NEVER knew dancing…that’s me🙈
if anyone relate to this lovely youtuber. GO SEE DOCTA ASAP. Ty for your hardwork mom
I felt called out at the “playing with hands” cause I’ve done that my entire life and still do it, I even gave my hands names, I pretended my fingers are a family etc. And I have just SOOO many memories of playing with my hands 😭
Im 9 years old and i have autism and tic syndrome and im nerodivergent and i do these ALL the time😄
As I sit here with chapped skin under my lower lip from doing the mouth thing a lot over the last 2 days. (I also do all of the others except blinking, especially the finger twisting/popping and drumming.)
When I was younger I ALWAYS tied my hair in knots 😆😆😆
Not diagnosed (suspect I am autistic) ... I do most of these. I think all except the blinking (at least I don't think I do the blinking). I tend to wrap hair around my finger or tug on the end of my braid more than tie knots.. but I have done knots several times.
I do every single one except the hair knot thing!
👋🏻 🤠
I've never been diagnosed, but do bite my cheeks. Among other things like drumming. I knew something was wrong when I was put in those special ed and speech classes back in elementary.
Sometimes I get the urge to blink my eyes many times. Never knew it was a stim!
I’m an autistic guy and I do some of these stims!
Just realize I stim by blinking. Learned something new about me today.
NOT ME DOING ALL OF THIS BUT TYING MY HAIR INTO KNOTS BCUZ IDK HOW TO-
I bite the skin off my lips until they bleed, pick my nails so short it's painful, and also detangle my hair using a single unfolded paperclip lol. I've done at least one of these daily for as long as I can remember.
I do all of these things, but I’m pretty sure I’m not autistic.
Well who knows lol
I suppose it depends on why you're doing repetitive movements and the level of need to do them.
Came to say this
I do some of these too and I’m not autistic. I do have anxiety and some vague OCD-traits though
I am just 40 and was diagnoses with asd just a few months ago along with my fibromyalgia diagnosis (something i am wondering if it is linked to so long without a diagnosis) and have had an interesting ride. I do so many of these and when i worked in a call centre (yes i somehow surived this) i used to drum and shake the desk enough to annoy everyone and have no idea
My other thing is I will think of a line from a song and I have to tap it on my fingers so that the last note/syllable is either my thumb or pinkie. Example: if the line from the song has 7 notes/syllables, I start with middle finger tap to one end (thumb or pinkie) and then go to the other end (pinkie or thumb). I am very strict that the last note of the line from the song must end at thumb or pinkie. So I have to figure out the "start" finger. I have musical talent (played an instrument in high school) so that figures in.
I do almost all of these to this day. My biting lip thing though is my covert on because it is this spot on the inside of my mouth that I catch with my eye teeth and roll back and forth when I need comfort or am not thinking about it. Add to that, just get me in a restaurant and hand me a straw. I am going to carefully take that straw and open it all the way up, then have it folded tightly along with everyone else's paper. Used to make my mom crazy watching me do it.
I do a lot of this but I am not diagnosed with that. I don't know what to think. Thought it was just my anxiety or my ADHD which can of course make me anxious as well...
it can also be a release of anxiety, doesn’t always mean autism but in the right context it can
Literally all of these things are absolutely normal and basic lol
REMINDS of the time I used to tie my hair in knots and eat it and when I was in third grade
How about picking at fingernails or tearing paper?
Definitely! I pick at my fingernails and my son loves shedding paper.
Yesss paper is a good one
Definitely! And of course it’s hard to say if anything is “autistic” stimming without other info but in the right context, definitely!
I Do These All The Time
I always thought I was 'normal' and I still remember wrapping my hair around my finger at night and having to get my parents to cut it off. That spot is still shorter because I still do it, just less and not cutting off circulation absentmindedly. I also have realized the less structure and schedule my life had, the more I struggled.
I thought for a long time that I couldn't have anything because I was much more functional than my brother with severe ADHD and it got really bad after a traumatic change, but really I just thrived only when I knew what was expected of me and what to expect. I want to be tested for ADHD but I don't think I have the money right now.
i do all this turns out i have adhd 💀
ADHD and Autism overlap. So we do some of the same things.
@@Catlily5 yeahhh
Tying hair in a knot. I forgot I used to do that!
I used to play with/put a stand of my hair in my mouth until I got yelled at for “sucking on my hair” a few times, then I moved onto biting my nails for years of my childhood
I don't have autism but i stim when i get happy lol
Awesome!
Great impression of me! I wish playing with my hair didn't annoy people so much as it does
good video. i use to twist my hair alot, pull rough strands of hair out, chew my nails, clack my teeth together to made uo rhythms but have grown out of most of those now that im older but not some.
I hum or sing or whistle constantly
Bite the tips of my thumb/thumbnails and finger nails, snapping constantly, i flap my arms like a bird when i get excited about...idk just excited about
things you wouldn't get excited about, fidgeting with my nails all the time, sometimes i make a fist with one hand and rub it rapidly on my other hand when i get excited.
Omg! I just wondered recently if the fact that I always cover up my social anxiety by dancing (by myself) also is stimming.
I have always known I am autistic and I always feel insecure if I watch a video someone took of me and I am blinking so much I didn’t know that Is an autistic Stim. I thought it was just another weird thing about me. I feel better about it now
💞
I do excessive blinking, lip biting/teeth grinding, playing with my hands, nail biting, drumming on surfaces, pacing around and i used to pick at a mole until it had to be removed because the doctor thought it looked malignant (luckily it wasnt but by the time i went to have it removed i had tore it off and the gp was just removing the skin underneath where it used to sit). I’ve done all of these for years and had no idea i was actually stimming even though people used to mock me for doing these things and i couldnt stop myself from doing them