Stimming vs. fidgeting

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What do you think is the difference?

Nothing!

I don't know, they are both repetitive movements in order to get an emotional relief. In that case fidling with objects is a form of stimming on my formula.

Fidget: [fij-it] 1. to move about restlessly, nervously, or impatiently.

Self-stimulatory behavior, stimming, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, or repetitive movement of objects.

I'm sure there's a difference in actions, causes, intended outcomes, motivation, and environmental situation.
I'm not so sure that a "snap shot" of a behavior will make the difference readily obvious.

Probably the easiest way to tell the difference is in the environmental situation; Fidgeting is (imo) a response to very low external stimulation possibly causing boredom; Stimming (again, imo) is a response to an over-stimulating environment possibly causing distress.

(imo) One is an attempt to increase one's activity level, and the other is an attempt to decrease it- to engage self calming.


Or something.

I think this is what self-stimulating behavior is for. It is a person's attempt to regulate their arousal, either by increasing it when it is too low, or decreasing it when it is too high.

As for my opinion? "Fidgeting" is what NT people do, and there are generally "accepted" ways of doing it (i.e. tapping your pen, playing with a paperclip, or bouncing your leg) and "accepted" times for doing it (i.e. when you are nervous or bored), and a requirement that it should be at least somewhat inconspicuous. "Stimming" is what autistic people do. It is not called "fidgeting" because it fails to follow the "accepted" norms for how and when to do it, and it is often far from inconspicuous.

But the bottom line is, they are one and the same. They both serve the purpose of regulating arousal. It's just that the NT version (fidgeting) follows certain "rules" that stimming does not.

I think the one drawback for me is that because most NT's fidget when they are nervous or bored, where as I (ADHD) "fidget" for other reasons entirely, people usually interpret it to mean that I am nervous or bored, but it is not true. I fidget because it helps me concentrate and it helps filter unwanted stimulus out of my awareness, much as background music does.

People stim. Period
I just wonder why certain types of stim seem to be specific for ASD people.
I´m thinking of rocking, fingerflicking, rubbing hands,

The difference between NT and autistic stimming would be verry merry berry clear if you observed a group meeting with NTs and me.
NTs also fidget, but for short periods of time, maybe a few minutes at most, then they stop, then there is a long period of not fidgeting, then they might start up again for a short period.
Most of their fidgeting is bouncing their leg or drumming their fingers.
I would stim nonstop throughout the hour-long meeting, and all kinds of stims, lots of moving of myself and playing with objects, appearing completely inattentive to the meeting, as I am usually inattentive after five minutes.

I don't see any different. Just different words for each condition. For autism, it's stimming, for ADHD, it's fidgeting. for other conditions, it's both, including for NTs. If someone ha both ADHD and autism, then I would say it's called both.

For autism, it's done for self stimulation and for ADHD it's done for....?

By that definition I never stim.

Can't speak for everyone with ADHD, but I fidget/stim to help me focus. It helps to "drown out" unwanted stimuli....though I am not sure if that describes it exactly. Sometimes when I am trying to focus, I hear every noise in the area, I feel all kinds of sensations (my shoes on my feet, the edge of the chair, etc) and it is like there are...too many avenues for my attention to take and so it bounces all over the place. When I fidget, my mind attends only to my fidgeting and what I am trying to pay attention to, so I can pay attention better. Related, but somewhat opposite, sometimes my thoughts tend to drift and I lose focus, if I start fidgeting/stimming, it pulls my attention out of my mind and back on what I want to focus on.

And sometimes it feels plain weird to sit completely still.

I have been diagnosed with both Autism (Asperger's), and ADHD. My theory is we, with ADHD, fidget to have an outlet for / help ease the speed (hyper-activity) that's going-on in our brain.

If that's stimming, then what are tics? I have Tourette's as well and to ME, that defines tics.

I've never been able to relate, really, to posts on this site regarding "stimming". I'm wondering now if that's why. Maybe because I have tics, I don't stim?

I catch myself fidgeting with things all the time, especially objects with a lot of small parts that I can easily twist off and pull apart. I have ruined so many pens just by taking them apart and putting them back together improperly.

I think stimming is a neurological regulating response. I don't know if fidgeting is that. I think figeting is done more out of boredom or physical discomfort and sometimes nervousness or anxiety. But I think stimming is much more deeply rooted.

If that's stimming, then what are tics? I have Tourette's as well and to ME, that defines tics.

I've never been able to relate, really, to posts on this site regarding "stimming". I'm wondering now if that's why. Maybe because I have tics, I don't stim?[/quote]

Stimming serves a function of some sort such as calming the stimmer down and helping them focus, tics (at least the kind you are talking about) are something that serves no purpose and is out of the person's control.
That's the best explanation I have, it may be wrong

I fidget with things almost unconciously, so I consider it to be a form of stimming, like shaking my foot.