A question on stimming

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My apologies for being a burden. It seems whenever I post, it's with a question. Regardless, I'll spit it out anyways.

On diagnostic criteria, one of them is persistent hand flapping or arm movement. I don't have this, but do have the kinds of stimming shown by an NT, such as singing or finger drumming. Basically, music soothes me greatly, so I calm myself via sound. Since this is an NT type of stimming, does this mean im neurotypical and do not have AS, or is it irrelevant?

The type of stimming is essentially irrelevant (which can be confusing to many people). The only thing that matters is how much and how repetitive.

Everyone, as you've pointed out, stims to some extent. Autties tend to need more stimulation. Though there are a good number of Autties who don't stim very much at all or anymore.

It's not really a requirement for having AS. It just adds to the overall picture. Many of us have larger stims, many do not, and I even know a couple people who don't stim anymore than any given NT.

To each his own in the Autistic Spectrum.

I occasionally drum and I used to sing. I no longer hand-flap, but did so extensively as a kid. I forced myself to stop hand-flapping with shear, utter self-control and an abrupt change in environment when I was 17.

Drumming and signing are more acceptable in NT situations, I think.

I sometimes would play imaginary arpegios on a non-existant piano when bored, under the guise of "practicing".

People on my thread about the difference between autistic and non-autistic stimming chalked the more exotic stims associated with autism up to sensory integration issues. So, if your sensory integration issues are mild or not of the types responsible for the exotic classically autistic stims, then you will be more likely to stim like an NT, who rarely has much or anything in the way of sensory integration issues. You can still be autistic if you have enough of the other quirks, though.

Just about anything goes when it comes to stimming.

It's not the type, but the quanitity that matters.

But this varies from Aspie to Aspie. And stimming tends to be stress related as well (you do more of it if you are stressful) tho I find I do it just to think.

I know for my son that his stimming has changed over the years to become more NT like so that he does not draw as much attention to himself. But the quantity is still there.

I find that throughout high school I 'lost' or more accurately toned down a lot of my AS traits. Since I started University however, I've become less social (partly because I prefer to be alone) and as a result I've started stimming an awful lot more. For me it's a lot of touching my face/mouth, and my legs are constantly shaking/bouncing/etc...

I've wondered about whether I stim or not, and as I was reading the replies I noticed that my hand was rubbing my foot back and forth. LOL.

I "stim" quite a lot, but i have a question. Can you stim by proxy? Watching people stroke their beards! lol I sound like a freaking weirdo! OOO it's just so calming to watch! Or watching people stroke their own head when they have very short shaved hair. Is that weird???

Absence of a single trait would not necessarily negate AS. As mentioned, the physical stimulation is really a matter of degree (quantity) and intensity.

Also, for any curious; hand flapping may appear (to the observer) as something as subtle as a twitching of either hand or what would appear as an exaggerated gesture to fan something. As mentioned, the flapping generally occurs with anxiety or other form of sensory overload. Hooking the primary hand's thumb in the belt has proven successful in containing the hand flapping in public. 8>