Is self stimulation (stimming) socially acceptable?

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Hi!
So I have ADHD! And I stim (A LOT!)! No, I do not have Aspergers Syndrome. I have taken the Rdos test (results in signature)...
So I was at the doctors yesterday waiting to see my doctor and I was in the waiting and I was getting really nervous because I hate going to the doctor, and I started rocking and hand flapping intensely, so much so people were staring at me and then when it was my turn the doctor has to physically walk over and tell me to go with him where i continued to rock and hand flap (my doctors know I about my self stimulating history) and then worst part happened my eyes rolled to the back of my head and I blacked out my doctor then told me when I woke I had just had a clonic tonic seizure. He believes it’s because of the amount of stress that was going through my body that my body just shut down.

So is stimming socially acceptable?
Do you think I’m on the spectrum?
Do you think I have sensory processing disorder?
I need these answers! Please help! Comments or PM’s are welcome!!
PLEASE HELP!

Among neurotypicals, the more obvious ones like rocking and hand flapping aren't particularly socially acceptable, but there are things that are far less socially acceptable than stimming. If you need to stim to avoid a shutdown or meltdown, do it.


Based on what you describe, it seems plausible to me. Add the test score in your signature to that and it seems likely. Since you were at the doctor's office anyway and you had, in fact, shut down there, did you discuss this possibility with the doctor?

I'm an Aspie and I wouldn't want anybody who was hand flapping etc. anywhere near me. I'm not saying it's wrong to stim, and I wouldn't want to stop anybody from doing what they have to do, but for some reason it just drives me up the wall and I can't seem to help that. It feels like the sensory issues many Aspies have with certain noises or flashing lights (I suffer from that too). When my partner strokes the cat in a strange exaggerated way, or rubs her arms as a prescribed medical exercise to help drain her lymph nodes, I quickly begin to feel agitated. It's only a problem if I have to share a space with a stimmer, so agreements can be reached about who has to leave the room, but I'm not good at negotiating that with strangers, so I usually just leave the room before I start thinking uncharitable thoughts. I don't know why NTs don't just screen it out and allow it to happen, but it's lucky for me and unlucky for stimmers that they often won't tolerate it.

My own stimming takes the form of chewing gum, wiggling my toes inside shoes, etc., so it's hidden and doesn't bother anybody AFAIK. I suspect, but don't know, that my tendency to openly fidget was knocked out of me when I was a child, causing the practice went underground. So I guess I must need to stim, hence my empathy with stimmers.

Most NTs don't seem to have a problem with stimming if done by someone "visibly" autistic. Now whatever does "visibly" autistic mean? There isn't an autistic aesthetic, contrary to what certain horribly stereotypical blogs on Tumblr suggest.