One 6-year-old's take on excitement stimming:

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Kai (my son):*playing an exciting new game and twisting his fingers over his head*

Aaron (my husband): Kai, why do you do that? Why do you like to move your hands like that?

Kai: It’s a secret handshake with myself.

I mean, he's been flapping and twisting and wiggling his hands for almost 6 years, and we wondered if he even realized he was doing it. He does know, and that is how he perceives it.

Like kind of a high-five to himself for witnessing or participating in something cool.

That is so cute. I think kids should do whatever makes them feel good, even if other people don't get it. It was nice to hear your story since my son does not really talk. I know he has "his" reasons for all he does. Thanks for sharing.

That is so cute. I think kids should do whatever makes them feel good, even if other people don't get it. It was nice to hear your story since my son does not really talk. I know he has "his" reasons for all he does. Thanks for sharing.

That's sweet.

Welcome!

That is my philosophy, too. Kids (or anyone in general) should do whatever it is that makes them feel good (as long as it's not hurting someone else), no matter what. I do, and I am positive I look like the biggest dork alive sometimes, and I say to myself, "Don't fret, you're probably never going to see these people ever again...."

My son did not talk until he was about 2.5 - 3 years old. It was a hard time. Grunting, frustrations (banging his head on the wall), tears (mostly from me ) - "Come on , Buddy, just say it." - that's pretty much how it looked for awhile there. But even if they're quiet from their mouths, they scream from other places.

Maybe he's embarrassed because he doesn't know how to explain that it's really a stim. He might think it's bad or that you think it's bad and might try to make him stop.

Huh, now I'm confused.

I think what ivetastedflight's son said was an awesome kid's explanation of a 'stim'.

Or did you mean something else Ana54?

I am so often blown away by how self-insightful my son is.

Our AS kids are the most fun people on earth, I do believe that.

No, really, I love it. I've never hear it put that way. It was hilarious when he said it. He is not self-conscious of it, and we never make him feel bad about it. Once we realized he couldn't really control it, and still be himself, we just left it at that.

And they have to be the most fun and entertaining kids ever.

that is awesome! I love how they think

LOL!

That is simply awesome!

Thanks for posting that!

I have posted an instructional blog per my son to share with the masses.

How To Give Yourself a Secret Handshake

I'm new to this site, so I'm sorry if I'm not doing this properly. : )

I'm trying to find out information about my son. I found your thread because of the mention of hand flapping.

My son is almost 9 and ever since he was very small, he would wiggle his fingers and shake his hand around whenever he saw something that was exciting to him.

I have not ever had him evaluated because I just always said it looked like he just got so excited that he could not contain the energy and excitement in his little body, and it burst out through his hands. : )

I guess I'm looking for advise about whether or not I should seek some sort of evaluation for him.

He is very bright and communicates well. I was reading in another thread about video games, and he has always been very attracted to any sort of electronic game. I think he would play all of the time if I let him. I'm just not sure if I should. He tends to get easily overstimulated by them and often when his time limit is up, he gets quite emotionally upset about having to stop.

I would love some feedback. Again, I'm sorry if I didn't ask my question in the right place, or in the right way.

Thanks so much!

I'm new to this site, so I'm sorry if I'm not doing this properly. : )

I'm trying to find out information about my son. I found your thread because of the mention of hand flapping.

My son is almost 9 and ever since he was very small, he would wiggle his fingers and shake his hand around whenever he saw something that was exciting to him.

I have not ever had him evaluated because I just always said it looked like he just got so excited that he could not contain the energy and excitement in his little body, and it burst out through his hands. : )

I guess I'm looking for advise about whether or not I should seek some sort of evaluation for him.

He is very bright and communicates well. I was reading in another thread about video games, and he has always been very attracted to any sort of electronic game. I think he would play all of the time if I let him. I'm just not sure if I should. He tends to get easily overstimulated by them and often when his time limit is up, he gets quite emotionally upset about having to stop.

I would love some feedback. Again, I'm sorry if I didn't ask my question in the right place, or in the right way.

Thanks so much!

Totally fine!

Your child could be my child's twin. Seriously. Holy cow.

Is your child having problems in school/problems with peers/depression? If so, it is my opinion that you most definitely should seek help. Regardless of the outcome, it can be very helpful/educational. Some parents, however, feel the need to get their kids checked out for a diagnosis alone, something to explain it, whatever it is. Some people look down upon these parents, I do NOT. I understand.

Stimming is not all too serious, especially when he's doing out of excitement (just like my son) and not as a coping mechanism, and shouldn't be a reason to worry. But there are so many degrees to this spectrum - that it would really be best, if you're open to it and interested, to have him evaluated by a specialist. It can't hurt, and may ease your mind.

Good luck.

thanks so much for your speedy reply. : )

i home school my kids (was a teacher before i had them and really enjoy the younger grades), so my son does not have the pressure of being in a classroom. we are a part of a couple of park days, and he gets along fine with the other kids and has no trouble making friends. he seeks out kids to play with and loves to meet new people.

my son is currently watching my husband play a video game. he absolutely cannot sit down and watch. he has to be up and generally he is moving ever closer to the television. : ) my husband has to gently remind him to back up and scoot over. : )

he will try to sit down, but can only stay there for a moment before he is up and moving again. he will literally be red faced and sweaty by the time a 20-30 minute game session ends. if he is watching a racing game, he will actually turn his body the direction he feels the car should be turning.

how do i go about looking for someone to evaluate him. what sort of specialist do i need to find? how do i go about doing it so that my son feels comfortable.

thanks so much!