Is this odd gesture typical?

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When I'm excited about something I screw up my face and rub my hands over it, whilst emitting a sort of throaty giggle. This is semi-involuntary- i.e. I don't do it deliberately, it just happens, but I can sometimes prevent myself from doing it if I really try. I've recently noticed that a friend of mine, whom I suspect of also having mild AS, does exactly the same thing. Is this a typical aspie mannerism?

I don't know if that specific gesture is typical, but I think that various odd gestures are typical.

I often clasp my hands as I walk. I also often cross my arms in front of my chest, as if giving myself a hug, as I walk. I notice that NTs never seem to do these sorts of gestures. Although such gestures seem small and inconsequential, I suppose these gestures are tell tale signs to all NTs that we are not like them.

i do things like that quite often but not all that often. mine tend to be far less obvios. i tend to twich a muscle or i flic a foot or i pretend i have a tail and feel it swishing aorund.

hope this helps.

jammie

I think it is pretty common for even NT people to do little stimmy kind of things but they know to hide it. The difference though with AS is that sometimes you do things that look weird to people but don't realize that you are doing it. I think odd body positions may fall into this catagory too. I know when I am walking or standing sometimes I hold my arm close to my chest and sort of curl my hand. Probably looks bizarre as some people have asked if I was OK (lol).

I walk around with my elbows bent at 90 degree and my hands bent at the wrist with my fingers angled to the ground. It's a good thing I'm a girl.

I also have had this weird obsessive thing about my fingernails. I have very healthy fingernails and they usually look pretty nice, but I this incredible urge all the freaking time to run one of my nails underneath another fingernail and push the nailbed back. I have to try and keep the nailbed at the same curvature of my fingernail but I usually end up screwing it up. Then I'm forced to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to straighten it out again. I never have any dirt under my nails though! However, I can tell this habit is starting to damage my nail beds as I've gotten older and now it's moved on to me having an issue with my cuticles. I can't stand not to pick off any little bit of dead skin. So gross...I'm sorry.

If I see someone making odd gestures, I almost immediately copy them. I hate doing it though...it gets embarrassing.

I sometimes do that.. its probably odd.. but oh well.

I do almost the same thing, but only when i'm alone. Occasionally, i do it in public but i quickly catch myself. Things like that usually get some pretty odd looks.

I do that same kind of thing. The exact movement has varied over time but the general idea is the same. And it always involves contraction ('squeezing') of multiple muscle groups, which has been mentioned in a thread here before. I've seen several other people on the spectrum do it too, but never NTs. It's one of those things where I know it looks weird so I try to hide/control it, but I've never been able to erase it completely - it seems like our bodies need to do it (falls into the same category as other stims I guess), but the question is why? Must be something in our wiring. I'm wondering too if this kind of movement could be chemical since it's linked to excitement/pleasure. Definitely interesting...

I personally think it is, as I do weird movements when thinking about something exciting if I'm not paying attention.