NT Hand flapper

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I'm 41 and am still a flapper. I also have a seizure disorder which causes me to flop about sometimes. I refer to myself as the "Flopping Flapper." (No kidding.)

'stimming' is something everyone does to some extent. At school i noticed heaps of people rocking on chairs or spinning around on them. I held the record in my class for the longest time balancing on 2 chair legs! People who are bored or thinking will fidget with things or twiddle thumbs or jiggle their leg. Some people rock their head a little bit, probably remembering a song they like (im one of those). Sooo I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I kind of disagree about AS never leaving. Once something becomes second nature it ceases to be a problem. This goes for anything. Besides, AS is just a label given to a collection of similar behaviours. Some of which are easier to fix than others. Someone may not even have the most problematic ones. Now that I think about it is there even anything that we ALL have in common?

Almost everyone in my family (both immediate and extended) carry the traits, although very few of us actually warant diagnosis. In the context of this thread, my NT sister handflapped for a long time, actually more so than me. I think she has grown out of it now (she is the same age as the OP).

Me too... but only privately...

really? i have worried about that. i came here in due to suspecting AS, and i scored 163 on the aspie quiz, and i seem to have a lot of experiences other people have here, but i am not sure if these are normal human or spectrum issues. i wish i KNEW


oh, and i hand flap a bit, turns out. i never really noticed it until i read about it. only do it when alone, though. figured it looked funny. XD

I do not think its abnormal for people to hand flap, I do that too sometimes but I have more of a muscle spasm kind of thing where my arms and leg flail excessively (it looks like i'm having a seizure but I'm not cause I tend to be laughing at myself or I'm talking to myself when this is happening.)

Also, just because you "stim" does not mean you are autistic, or AS or even on the spectrum. I wouldn't just go running around diagnosing yourself with an ASD if all you do is handflap.. I think that's rather disturbing in my opinion.

Neurotypical young children do flap their hands. Anybody who works with little ones will see more than just the autistic ones doing it.

Lots of people fidget. One single trait doesn't make autism; that'd be silly. Even a really major trait, like not being able to speak, doesn't mean autism. And in this case, it's a benign trait that doesn't get in the way of anything, so that means no diagnosis, of autism or anything else, is necessary.

Yeh nah, online aspie quiz = same accuracy as online IQ test. Alot of "NT" people would relate to a ton of the experiences here too. AS is not all about you feel and what you've been through (like this forum seems to imply). It's biological.

??? Don't be sad.

I still twirl my fingers. I do this in private, but I still do it........and I am 24!

I agree with those who say it doesn't disappear at a young age.

I am 26 and still hand flap. Of course, this rarely happens in public. If it does, I can usually catch myself. However, privately, I'm a tip toe bouncing hand flapper, and I do nothing to control it. If I'm happy, I'm going to let it out.

I also still stim, but very discreetly. Well, at least to me.

sorry, it just sorta killed my hope for a bit. i dont have money or resources for a DX, and would like to continue convinced i have AS. XD

an NT Sicilian friend called it "talking with your hands". she waved her arms around quite alarmingly when she was excited. I also have a funny hand-waving habit that I picked up somewhere, but I think its a cultural thing and not a brain wiring thing.

It doesn't seem logical to be hopeful about it. The search for answers needn't end with one disorder. You will find your niche, I'm sure of it.

Exactly what.. Veiledexpresions has..

though I admit that the statement that spazzergasm made makes me feel very weird, and (no offense to you spazzergasm) but coming off as the type that wants to have somethign so desperately because she wants a disorder. You either have it or you don't, you don't wish you have something like an ASD that is very silly and to me a bit offensive