Can daydreaming be considered a stim?

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helles
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11 Dec 2012, 12:54 pm

Can daydreaming be considered a stim?

Just a simple question, because I don´t know.


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MakaylaTheAspie
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11 Dec 2012, 12:55 pm

I don't know, either.

I like to daydream.


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11 Dec 2012, 1:02 pm

I found this and it's a pretty good explanation of what stimming is.......

ASK.com


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helles
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11 Dec 2012, 1:12 pm

Among other things the article mentioned above says

Quote:
Unlike most people, though, individuals with autism may also self-stimulate constantly, and stimming may well stand between them and their ability to interact with others, take part in ordinary activities, or even be included in typical classrooms. A child who regularly needs to pace the floor or slap himself in the head is certain to be a distraction for typical students.


This fits fine with daydreaming, but I have never seem daydreaming mentioned as a stim.
I am familiar with the term Maladaptive Daydreaming. I do not consider my daydreaming to be maladaptive (sometimes unpractical) but more of a pleasure. I do not do many stims and am therefore wondering if daydreaming can be considered one.


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Kairi96
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11 Dec 2012, 2:10 pm

I don't think it can. A lot of people daydream. Everyone does at least one in their lives. It's not necessarily a stimming.


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11 Dec 2012, 2:17 pm

its amazing how memories work i was about to say i daydreamed a whole lot when i was a kid and if thats a stim that was probably one of only stims then i just got a flash back to often slightly rocking the chair in class on its back legs unfortunatle those chairs arent meant to be rocked that way and i often fell off the chair eventually it got to a point where i had to take stars of the wall by my name each time i fell off my chair :( ( why couldnt they see that as stimming! no they saw it as hyperactivity and diagnosed me adhd oh well it was the 90's and the publics view of the autism spectrum was way different back then (and the fact that my meltdowns were almost never in school.



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11 Dec 2012, 2:30 pm

I flap my hands and make other odd body movements while daydreaming. It's one of the things that triggers my stimming, along with other stimuli.

I do daydream a lot though, it's probably a kind of internal stimming.



Zodai
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11 Dec 2012, 4:27 pm

Well, it's certainly a possibility. Sometimes I find it that physically stimming sometimes makes me think and daydream a bit more as well - maybe it's not stimming itself, but possibly it accompanies it?


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helles
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11 Dec 2012, 4:32 pm

Kairi96 wrote:
I don't think it can. A lot of people daydream. Everyone does at least one in their lives. It's not necessarily a stimming.


All people stim (according to some definitions) the difference is the amount of stimming. I am sure that all people daydream but I do not think that all people do it as much as I do (and a lot of other people around here).


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Noetic
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11 Dec 2012, 4:43 pm

Nope



Rascal77s
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11 Dec 2012, 6:39 pm

I don't see why daydreaming can't be a stim when it's used to block or reduce external stimuli that are driving you nuts.



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11 Dec 2012, 7:38 pm

In literature (by neurotypical people) stimming is mostly characterized as:
Visual
staring at lights, repetitive blinking, moving fingers in front of the eyes, hand-flapping
Auditory
tapping ears, snapping fingers, making vocal sounds
Tactile
rubbing the skin with one's hands or with another object, scratching
Vestibular (sense of balance)
rocking front to back, rocking side-to-side
Taste
placing body parts or objects in one's mouth, licking objects
Smell
smelling objects, sniffing people

But in my opinion this is merely the physical outcome from what is happening inside.
So I would count daydreaming as stimming as well as having repetitive music in your head.

Quote:
Why does stimming, or self-stimulation happen?

Researchers have suggested various reasons for why a person may engage in stereotypic behaviors. One set of theories suggests that these behaviors provide the person with sensory stimulation (i.e., the person's sense is hyposensitive). Due to some dysfunctional system in the brain or periphery, the body craves stimulation; and thus, the person engages in these behaviors to excite or arouse the nervous system. One specific theory states that these behaviors release beta-endorphins in the body (endogeneous opiate-like substances) and provides the person with some form of internal pleasure.

Another set of theories states that these behaviors are exhibited to calm a person (i.e., the person's sense is hypersensitive). That is, the environment is too stimulating and the person is in a state of sensory-overload. As a result, the individual engages in these behaviors to block-out the over-stimulating environment; and his/her attention becomes focused inwardly.

Researchers have also shown that stereotypic behaviors interfere with attention and learning. Interestingly, these behaviors are often effective positive reinforcers if a person is allowed to engage in these behaviors after completing a task.


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Kairi96
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12 Dec 2012, 7:04 am

helles wrote:
Kairi96 wrote:
I don't think it can. A lot of people daydream. Everyone does at least one in their lives. It's not necessarily a stimming.


All people stim (according to some definitions) the difference is the amount of stimming. I am sure that all people daydream but I do not think that all people do it as much as I do (and a lot of other people around here).


I don't really know how much I daydream. But I actually met people, who were NTs, that daydreamed more than me, like, for example, my best friend. However, yes, all people stim.


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12 Dec 2012, 9:26 am

I would say so. I've always done it.

I've always stared into space and daydreamed, or had running monologues going through my head as a child.

Maybe not a stim as such, but similar in some ways.


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Cuckooflower
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12 Dec 2012, 9:30 am

But in my opinion this is merely the physical outcome from what is happening inside.
So I would count daydreaming as stimming as well as having repetitive music in your head.


Yeah, this makes sense. Doing physical stimming actually helps me concentrate, and I suppose mental distractions help me cope with stuff that's going on externally.


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MrXxx
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12 Dec 2012, 10:11 am

No.

The whole point of stimming is "self stimulation." It is sensory stimulation used for various reasons, most of which amount to helping one concentrate, block out other stimula, or to cause a soothing effect mentally.

It's an external stimulus one creates through visible and/or audible and/or tactile actions. The reason we do it is specifically because we're not able to do so mentally. Daydreaming is a mental activity. Not stimming.


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