Stimming: Autistic vs "Normal"

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I started noticing that I'll flap my hands, like I'm shaking the dust off of them, but I do it for a few seconds, I dont even think it's noticeable. It seems to refocus me. I wonder if this is stimming?

I have to agree on this!

As long as the stimming isn't harming or overly-distracting anyone (including the one stimming!), what's the point in labeling and curtailing it?

Some people say that other people's stimming makes them feel anxious and uncomfortable, and that is why the stimmers should stop. Well, their breathing noises make me feel anxious and uncomfortable, but I didn't ask them to stop breathing.

My son draws when stressed. When he was little it was "cool" to watch him draw... Not cool that he was stressed. It was just very fast, perfectly semetrical and the right side was drawn with his right had and the left with his left hand and at lightening speed. His drawing was extremely good. Then it regressed and became stick drawings and now he is back to great although with just his left hand no switching. He goes through paper and black gel pens like nobody's business. But I never realized that was steming.. maybe you did something your mom just didn't pick up on

I am a major flapper. I always flap my arms when I get excited about something or have an exciting thought. When I'm not doing that then I'm playing with my hands you know twisting my fingers etc. I am also a major nail biter which I do instead of playing with my hands. I also have a fold out ruler I use as a stim toy.

Well, to answer the question, it goes down to figuring out if something has to do with autism or not. I do a lot of different stimming behaviors but I do not have a diagnosis so I am trying to figure out if what I do is autistic or just related to my ADHD PI. I also figured that it was something other people might be questioning as well, so I left the question somewhat open ended and didn't post any more responses to the thread until now.

The thread made me realize that something I did was likely autistic. That would be twirling my hand at the wrist when I am speaking and can't get the words out to finish a sentence. I also do other things as well, like bouncing my leg and a number of other fidgety things not worthy of mention here that I am uncertain have an autistic purpose (for lack of a better term). I do know that I rarely ever sit still, but am not hyperactive. If anything, I lack the energy necessary to do most normal things in life in a timely manner (something I have seen referred to as aspie inertia.)

There are a few topics on this very thing at the Autism Discussion Page on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/autismdiscussionpage

It has both information about how and why autistic children stim, plus there are a bunch of NT parents saying what types of stims they themselves engage in..

My own breathing makes me feel anxious and uncomfortable if I don't stim. Rhythmic stimming can block out so many distractions. To me it is as natural and automatic as breathing.

I automatically wiggle my fingers when I go to pick something up. I think this helps to keep things from flying out of my hands (this has happened to me too often in grocery stores).

Sometimes I have insomnia and I become aware of the familiar sound of my fingers or thumbs flapping above my head and I realize I need to keep my hands still to get back to sleep. The thing is I don't know is if I was stimming in my sleep and it woke me up, or if the stimming started as I awoke.

If I'm relaxing, watching a movie or thinking about something I may notice that I'm scraping my fingers in a rhythmic motion on the lapel of my jacket. If I stop it will start again when I'm not thinking about it.

My rhythms are always on and too much a part of me to try to stop them. It's just my way of being in the world.