What can/do others do to calm you down?

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I don't know what you could do with your son to calm him down? Does he have a favourite object? Maybe give that to him, or would he just throw it if he's in a state? If he's just stimming, leave him and wait 'til he calms down a bit, then perhaps give him his favourite object (if any).

When I'm having a meltdown, I don't stim (never have)> I just cry and scream and swear and stomp around. Someone giving me a cuddle always calms me down, but not many people with ASDs like being touched, especially when angry or whatever. I'm just an exception.

I usually stim when I'm excited or really happy....it's like having a lot of extra energy that needs to get run off somehow. For me, anyway. I don't necessarily do it when I'm anxious or sad - although I do sometimes quietly sing to myself when I'm in a noisy, crowded place like my University's cafeteria.

Thinking back over my last response to this thread, I suppose being wrapped up in a tight bear hug (notice I did not say restraint, but a bear hug) would work for me too, when I'm anxious, scared, or angry.

Like other people have said, there are other reasons for stimming besides discomfort.

When it is caused by discomfort, stimming is his way of calming down. The best thing to do is to just let him be until he calms down.

Imagine if you'd had a hard day at work, everyone was bugging you, you got stuck in traffic, and when you got home you just wanted to relax with a good book for a while, but someone was all over you insisting that they had to make it better.
That's what it feels like not to be left alone when I'm trying to wind down; and I'd imagine it's the same for your son.

Why on earth do you want to help him when he's stimming? Unless the stimming activity is dangerous in some way, you should let him be. He will either be finding pleasure in it or releasing stress, sometimes maybe showing excitement. If you are sure that he is stimming from stress, when I am stressed/overwhelmed etc. I need everyone to leave me totally alone. That means not even talking to me, I need to preferably shut myself away. My autistic daughter pushes away hugs (as do I if I am stressed), I think it is because it's yet another sensory experience being loaded on to an already overloaded system.

Can you elaborate on his stiming? What exactly does he do?