Do NTs stim?

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I'm just sitting here trying to work something out for my job sitting flicking some post-its agains my lip because it helps me concentrate and I thought to myself, "how do people manage to think without doing things like that?" The other thing I've been doing lately is playing with the lid of my lip balm, opening and closing it.

Do NTs stim? If not, why not? How can anyone manage to sit completely still and concentrate at the same time?

Yes.

Yes. ^

Yes, but not to the extent we do. There's lots of normal stims everyone has such as twirling hair, tapping fingers.. but we are more prone more advanced stims. Such as chewing on things, complex body movements, making odd facial expressions, enjoying deep pressure, etc.

Of course they do; however, they make an effort not to stim in public.

Indeed. They can chew their nails, tap their fingers and twirl their hair. It's not to the degree that many autistics stim, but it still counts as self-stimulatory behaviour.

my NT sister chews her tongue, as did my NT grandmother.

Yes they do specifically allistics also have group stimming events with repetitive camp music where they stim under the influence of MDMA at group stimming events called raves but these group stimming events are mainly attended by younger people. That is one area where stimming is carried out. Other allistics may twirl their hair or chew the end of a pen etc.

Was that bit about raves a joke/sarcasm?

Also, hurtloam, I stim by opening and closing things all the time. Especially if what I have makes an audible "click" when it closes like some pen caps, the side of my cellphone case, clickable pens, a clipboard I use at school with a side clasp, etc. Usually I find I'm doing it subconsciously until someone tells me to knock it off because it's annoying.

NO. The above described are NOT autistic stims.


Autistic Stims originate from SENSORY HYPERSTIMULATION and a stim is a REPETITIVE BODY MOTION that diffuses anxiety - ROCKING, SWAYING, HAND FLAPPING, ETC.

If it is not physically soothing, it's not a true autistic stim.

Twirling hair, nail-biting and puny meaningless gestures like that are NOT AUTISTIC STIMS. They are fidgety habits - they may be caused by some level of anxiety, but not to the extent of autistic INTENSE WORLD constant hyperstimulation. They have more in common with self harm habits than with autism.

It is mindless confusion over obvious things like this that convince me there are a great many misdiagnoses where HF/AS are concerned. If you truly suffered from autism, this would be a no-brainer.

Willard, I disagree.

Someone fiddling with a pen as he or she talks on the phone in order to shut out the external world and really concentrate, that's a stim.

I agree with Willard, all those things listed are everyday habits.

Being autistic and being knowledgeable about autism are two distinct things. A child diagnosed with autism may not even know of her diagnosis. That doesn't invalidate the diagnosis. Further, your rather dogmatic answer presupposes the intense world theory of autism. While it's a compelling theory, it is one of many such theories and therefore your unequivocal statements ought to be qualified to some extent. But really, questioning others' diagnoses because they disagree with you on what "stimming" is?

And I might have a hybrid position because I think the intense world theory does explain at least a big chunk of the human experience of being on the autism spectrum.

I had wondered for quite a while if the things I do are autistic stims or simply everyday fidgety habits.

In other WP threads, people included links to this: http://insideperspectives.wordpress.com/compulsions/stimming/ <click> and to this: http://www.autism.com/symptoms_self-stim <click>


The reference to "mindless confusion" is one of the reasons I doubted my diagnosis.

The other day, I spoke to my therapist about these things I do. She asked why I did them. As usual, I was unable to provide an answer “on the spot” (as it wasn’t something I had thought about). But now, after some reflection, I do them for the following reason: for comfort (i.e. feels good), when bored, when thinking, when anxious or when excited.

Based upon Willard’s definition, because I don’t regularly rock, sway or hand flap, I assume these are simply everyday fidgety habits and not autistic stims.

Don’t get me wrong. I love rocking and swaying. I used to love to sit in the rocking chair when the kids were babies. I also was the only adult using the swings when I took my kids to the park.

Yes, they stim, but they call it texting on a cell phone.