Janissy wrote:
rdos wrote:
I do not believe it is only the frequency that differs. I think it is also the stims themselves. NTs have their own kind of stimming, like "doing the wave", courtship dances and stuff, but these are no like the ASD kind of stimming.
I disagree. I think the stims are exactly the same, they just are of such shorter duration. "Doing the wave" and courtship dances are not stims. They are non-verbal communication. NTs do stims that absolutely are reported here as things Aspies have done as stims, just only for very short times: tapping on surfaces, chewing on objects (usually pencils), hair tugs, pacing, rocking, flapping. If you do any of those things just a couple times, it doesn't "count" to the doctors but it is exactly the same movement as an Aspie (or autie!) is doing 100 times in a row, just for not as long.
I think you're exactly right on that one, Janissy. I've got a few NT friends who have similar stims to me (knee bobbing), but they'll do it for far shorter periods. Most of my stims are movement or tactile based.. flapping my feet, bobbing my knee, tugging at my hair and brushing it against my lips. I find them immensely relaxing, and while I comments and odd looks, I think the benefits in terms of calmness and stimulation far outweigh it, so I tend to brush it off.
21 Nov 2009, 3:19 am
