"Visual stims"... isn't everyone like that?

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I mean, I was on tumblr, (so doubt this if you must. :p) And I came across a video of someone cutting a red plushie thing up. It was sooo pleasing to watch somehow. Someone else commented that it was weird, then another said it was meant for Autistics, though others found it odd.

I had no idea that not everyone had that reaction. I love a lot of animation because it gives me the same feeling. I watched something called "Western Spaghetti" on YouTube, under a playlist of "visual stims". I loved it...

But I can't believe this is an Autistic thing. I've seen "pleasing gifs" before. Isn't that basically the same thing?

Everyone stims at least a little, it's just that autistic people tend to do it a lot more then most people.

I love watching the 'oddly satisfying' videos on YouTube, especially the automated food production lines or metal machining. They're so fascinating to watch. I think anyone would like watching that kind of thing but maybe autistic people are more enthralled by it.

I like watching 'Fresh Guacamole by PES'... the hubby wouldn't understand lol

i do find videos or gifs that are visually hard to stop watching that are like this, but im more of a physical stimming guy really. physical stimming makes me feel happier inside and less worried, where as visual ones only really make me want to watch it more.

I love watching "Western Spaghetti"!

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31st of July, 2013
Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder, and Visual-Motor Processing Speed Disorder.

Weak Emerging Social Communicator (The Social Thinking-­Social Communication Profile by Michelle Garcia Winner, Pamela Crooke and Stephanie Madrigal)

"I am silently correcting your grammar."

For me its more noticeable when Im in the company of other people than when Im on my own. When Im in a social gathering it becomes quite obvious to me that I focus on certain visual things - such as pictures, or lights on a wall or reflection, or moving objects that no one else seems to finds interesting.

When Im on my own though, I don't notice I do it. I guess because Im focussing on a book or computer screen instead which is normal behaviour.

I just searched out that Western Spaghetti video, and it grosses me out, lol! There's something about seeing objects being used as stand-ins for food items that makes me feel skeeved out, because I feel like items such as dice and buttons and things are kind of germy. To see that stuff going in a frying pan, eeeech.

I don't get much from watching those "relaxing" videos but I do notice stuff visually, as foxfield mentioned, I'm always looking at and noticing visual things that other people don't notice or don't care about.

I was sitting in the park and an acquaintance stopped to chat, and as he was talking I noticed that the clouds in the sky behind him had formed into these amazing striped patterns I hadn't seen before. It was very unusual and I said "Oh wow, look at those clouds, I've never seen stripes form like that before!"

He turned around and looked but didn't react at all -- he seemed not to see what I was seeing, or if he did, it meant nothing to him, because he just kind of stayed silent and didn't seem to have a reaction. We resumed the conversation but I wondered why it was just me who thought those clouds were cool. I tend to notice stuff as being amazing, that other people find mundane or uninteresting to them.

Yes! That whole "It's a blade of grass ffs!" reaction from others, lol! I totally relate. I'm exactly the same. I'm always finding the beauty in something and getting mesmerized by it, and I'm always surprised at how nobody else seems to care and are missing out.

I must say, I agree, in this particular regard I'm glad I'm this way rather than their way. There isn't much I can say that about, but this is something I'm glad I do. It's a bit lonely not to have someone share my reaction, but I wouldn't want to stop being like it.