What exactly IS "hand flapping"?

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What is this behavior called "hand flapping" that I hear about so much on WP?

What does it look like?

I am sort of curious too. I have a picture of what it is, but am not sure if it's correct.

It looks like this:

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fglasshalffulldotme.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fphoto-5-copy-37.jpg&f=1

Here's a video I found that shows hand flapping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDuAugAykcc

I flap my hands or arms when I'm excited or need to calm down.

I hate the stereotype that all people on the spectrum flap their hands like they're birds about to take off. I might stim a little, but not in a way that's really obvious or annoying to other, and I don't flap. Maybe it's because I need my hands for drawing, and typing, and playing video games, turning the pictures of a book, etc, etc.

Lol, like a bird about to take off haha. I enjoy it quite a bit. it feels very calming haha. Now I'm going to think of birds next time I stim.

I do flap, and get told by my boss at work a lot, "Don't fly away on me!" which is both annoying, and kind of endearing. I don't often flap like the little girl in the video, from the wrists, because it makes my joints hurt. When I flap, my wrists stay still and my fingers repeatedly slap my palms, making a snapping sound. It's my go-to de-pressurizing stim, for when I'm very angry, frustrated, or excited. I'll jump around and flap like the little girl in the video, because I feel like the emotional pressure with cause me to explode otherwise.

I do what the girl in the video does and what you're talking about. minus the faces (thankfully I can only imagine the grief I would have gotten otherwise )
Haha, I think that would be endearing, but also annoy me a lot if my boss where like that. I believe I would also be mortified. Which segues into the next reason that- I never stim (or try REALLY REALLY HARD not to stim) at work.
But then I just get sensory overload and hide under my desk when no one is looking. or go into the bathroom and hide for a while so I don't explode. Or implode whichever. I think I prefer bopping up and down though- that one is harder to stop though just so damned calming!

^^I hit my hands together, too! I like the sound it makes, like a heartbeat that isn't scary.

I have a few mannerisms that I associate with stimming. I will generally not do any of it in public because I was, shall we say, trained to not be so 'fidgety.'

But mine is:
1) Finger massaging. I have a ritual that I must complete when doing it. It has a pattern that must be replicated on each finger. That's the worst. But many times it's just rubbing on my nails and cuticles.

2) Finger tapping on my palms or legs and flexing and relaxing the fingers while wiggling them about or rubbing them together or bouncing the hell out of my legs while sitting. Mostly hand wringing in general.

3) Sway a lot when alone and standing. I very, very rarely rock back and forth, but it will happen if very, very stimulated and that is embarrassing. But, I will pace like a fiend when in certain situations.

Most of mine are able to be hidden by either burying my hands in the pockets or just going into a place that I can be hidden.....restrooms are a great getaway for that sort of thing.

My hand-flapping is kind of a full-body bounce, and I'm holding up my arms and my wrists and fingers are loose, so that my hands sort of bounce up and down. The first photo, of the little boy being photographed outdoors, is kind of how it ends up looking.

It must be pretty individual, though. Hands have a lot of touch sensors in them, so moving them around must come naturally to many people. NT toddlers will flap their hands when happy. Even adults, sometimes; have you ever seen a video of somebody who's just won the lottery and they're holding up their hands and kind of moving them around like they can't figure out how to express their happiness strongly enough? Or maybe somebody who's just been proposed to? It's kinda like that. There's got to be some human universal about hand-flapping that makes it come naturally to everybody, and much more often to autistics.

I can't hand flap---especially with my left hand. My wrists are too bad.

I do rock back and forth, and I enjoy rocking chairs.

I also have many "fidgeting" mannerisms which might or might not be true "stims."

I also like to repeat certain phrases which I delight in hearing.

The little girl is as cute as a button. But watching her almost causes my wrists to hurt! I couldnt keep up that much exertion of my wrists even when I was her age!

I had many quirks,and ticks, and fidgeting things, when I was a child, and a teen though.

Flapping isn't one of my main stims, but I have done it from time to time.

I don't really flap in the stereotypical manner, but I do have kind of a weird motion like I'm flapping with my entire arm if I get startled or am excited about something.