Does stimming actually go away with time ?

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I have a question regarding stimming --- is it actually likely for an autistic child to stop stimming ? Is this something that I should be worried about if / when stimming reduces ? Or is it a good sign that s/he has overcome sensory challenges / overload ? Please advise.

It could be that or now that the child is older s/he is embarrassed by them.

Even kids without autism are a lot more animated than teenagers and adults. So yes I think it usually does tone down over time. Mine has.

I don't think an autistic person would stop stimming entirely. Ones stims may become less frequent or less noticeable or they may change over time but not completely disappear. For example, One might substitute rocking for leg shaking or something similar. I also don't think lessening stims necessarily means a lessening in sensory difficulties but its possible. They may just be learning to cope better and so not need it as often. Its not something to be worried about unless overloads increase in which case the child might be suppressing stims for some reason. Otherwise I would trust that the child just doesn't need to stim as much or in as noticeable a manner.

I agree, I don't think it goes away completely. I think the frequency might change or the type of stim. For instance I rarely every rock anymore but I grind my teeth.

I never noticed my stimming until adult life, although i remember that i had a fascination for keys and used to play with them a lot. I loved how the tooths rubbed my finger.

Now playing cards are my stims and i have them always near me, when I'm at home. Out and about I don't really stim, maybe verbally.

Mine have actually gotten more apparent over time. I will sometimes rock while standing or sitting and I never used to.

Stimming really going away? i don't think that that is common.
Stims do change over time, and it is likely that the person chanes his stims into some that are not as easily noticable (tapping toes inside of shoes instead of fingers on he table, for example)

When I was a kid, I twisted my fingers in my hair a lot. Now that I'm almost thirty, I've stopped doing it so much. It mainly happened because my NT mate kept telling me to stop. It got so bad that I used to leave balls of hair all around the house, especially on the floor near our bed. My hair has been cut short because of that, but sometimes I find myself twisting it and tearing it out.

A stim that I don't have any more is chewing on things like pen tops and pencils. My NT mate gets irritated at the sight of people chewing things like that, so I stopped to avoid doing it in front of her. All my pens now are the clicky ones and my pencils are mostly mechanical except for ones I use for shaded drawings. I still rock front to back and side to side when excited, stressed, or when I'm focused on my video games. I also rock when I'm writing. I don't think that's one I'll be able to stop doing.

They can be suppressed. I suppress mine or change them in environments where they would be noticeable.

Welcome to WP Peppercorn. My stimming is much more pronounced now as a 50 year old than it has ever been in my life. But that is a good thing. You see, stimming is super important for us because it helps regulate our neurology. It is not something that should be stopped. It should, in fact, be encouraged. There are many ways to stim so you can help your child find ways to stim that may be more discreet for different environments that will still have the same neurological effect as what he is doing now. But by all means, let the kid stim. Do not try to make him stop. When he is in private or at home, let him stim big and bold if he wants but if it is not appropriate in whatever public setting, find very discreet stims that work. I have a bunch that no one else can notice like tapping my fingers on my thigh or making and releasing tight fists of rubbing my thigh or softly humming under my breath. Experiment with things that can pass for normal but still let him regulate his neurological system. But whenever possible, let him stim as his body and brain dictate without interference or criticism.

I'm 30. I stopped stimming because I used to get teased. But it drives me nuts. Sometimes I just need to orient myself but I can't because it makes me look like an idiot. So i wait til i get home and can be myself. I hate it.

That is terrible. Welcome to WP by the way. Be confident and secure in who you are. If you look like an idiot, do so with pride and hold your head up high. Stimming is a neurological necessity. It is so important that we are allowed and able to do it whenever our bodies need to. If anyone has a problem with that or if anyone teases you tell them to ****off. This is about your health and your well being. That is all that matters. And the world needs to get comfortable with the fact that we stim. How much do we have to destroy our natural ways or hide them just so that people can feel comfortable? I stim in public all the time and I don't care what people think or say. I am not bothered when other people stim. No one is bothered when other disabled people do what they do. Lots of people with Down Syndrome stick their tongues out. Lots of blind people move their heads back and forth. No one cares about that. It is high time that no one cares if we stim either. Stim away my friend, it is your right! Shall we start a movement?

Me too. As far as I can recall, I never rocked as a child, but now if I'm sitting, I'm usually rocking. Actually I really don't remember doing much stimming at all until I got to high school or so.

I'll join in, I've been wanting to work on my self-confidence. It didn't occur to me before, but I do suppress a lot of my stimming when I'm in public or around people, and it's probably really not good for me.

I find that mine just switches around and a few things stay constant. At one point it was chewing, specifically chewing those wristbands you get from organisations. It was so bad the colour would run out and I got frequent throat infections. Then I switched to plastic pen lids with the same problem. I also stroke things and currently, when I'm stressed rock back and forth while either rubbing the material that my sleeves are made out of, or denim. I press my hands loads as well, squeezing the palms and fingers repeatedly or stroke my skin. I don't know if this counts but I also like to stand on one leg, sort of like how a flamingo does, for long lengths of time. I guess, apart from the rocking, mine are subtler now than when I was younger and enjoyed eating things like paper.