Hand flapping, bouncing, clapping, and other teenage stims

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Since I lost posted here about a week ago, I have gotten a lot better at making my stims less noticeable in public. However, when I am in private I have just began to vocalize when I flap. My family are starting to really notice and my mother compares the sounds I make to "droning." While I drone without really meaning to, it's starting to scare me a bit since I have never done that before and it just makes me look even more weird. Does anyone else vocalize while they flap/bounce/stim?

I didn't realize that hand flapping was considered a stim. I used to do that a child and I also ran back and forth and "talked" to my hand, all while in my own little world. I never realized I did that until my parents told me what I was doing.

Nowadays I constantly wring my hands and wiggle my fingers in twisting motions and I don't have an Asperger's diagnosis. I was diagnosed with NLD instead and I know for a fact that none of those are related to NLD.

Christina,
I wouldn't worry about it to much. I have noticed since I've accepted that I'm an Aspie and that I stim and that it helps me release angst that I've been more liberal about my stims (in private). I let myself flap my hands wildly. I have a stim where I bite my hand--not hard enough to break skin--and the deep pressure gives me a huge sense of relief pretty quickly. (My psychologist says that I'm triggering endorphins.) I've noticed my husband look at me oddly a few times when I start to flap my hands and I know I'm doing it more intensely than I used to. Here's the thing though, I'm not ashamed of it anymore. I understand that people with be really uncomfortable if I stim intensely at work or in the store so I'm going to try to abstain from freaking people out and drawing attention to myself--mostly because I hate drawing attention to myself, not because I care what they think. At home, however, I am no longer telling myself, "I am an adult. Adults do not stim. I must try to conform or there is something wrong with me."

There is nothing wrong with your stimming even if you make droning noises and your family finds it strange. You have been trying to correct yourself from being yourself for so long... It's ok if it gives you a sense of relief and better than letting the energy build and build and build until it explodes. It sounds like your family might just need to learn a little more about stimming and the spectrum. As my husband has said after doing his own research, I'm just running on a different "operating system"; I'm not defective or mentally ill. He knows now that if I start looking fidgety and nervous while walking through the perfume section of a department store that it's time to pick up the pace and get me out of there because I'm reaching sensory overload. He has his own quirks, too, though. We're both human, just with different operating systems.

does spinning around in circles count as a stim? I mean, like until you get dizzy and the room starts spinning long...

Hi Christina,

I am 29. I am currently considering starting the process of a formal diagnosis... I have only recently discovered I have aspergers, and am shocked by how much of myself I recognise in other adult females... To be honest I'm amazed I got through life undiagnised this far!

When I was younger I used to get my hand slapped and ever since then I'd thought I had stopped myself. But despite m belief that I'd stopped myself my partner assures me I have always constantly played with my fingers. I'll let you know some of the stuff I do... Although I'm not sure what counts as a stim and what doesn't!

I make very fast walking movements with my index and middle fingers... The fingers have to brush each other! When I'm thinking during speech this can be the whole hand, David lynch style, up near my cheek.

When I'm happy I bend my arms and lift my hands up to shoulder height and basically wriggle and shake my hands...usually whilst squeeling. This is usually in private, doing a dance...

In public I clap, but if you watch even NTs do this sometimes, especially groups of young females.

When content I make like a single note...erm... Kind of like a monk might. Something about the hum. I don't know!

When frustrated I flick my fingers.

I also talk to myself, sometimes for hours depending on what's on my mind and what issues I'm working through.

I'll leave it there. But I hope that gives you an idea of what others do, especially adult females. I'll also say that since allowing myself to do this, more in private, but the discreet ones in public, I am SO much calmer, happier and able to cope and focus with over stimulation, especially sensory.

That ûsed to be so much fun... Now being dizzy makes me feel sooooooo I'll!

I suppose a stim depends on the reason we do it. I would define a stim for me as being a repetitive motion I do to relieve stress, or express an emotion...

But yes it could be a stim

It can be a stim, I think. I used to do that a lot when I was a kid--and a teenager, even. Wheeeee! I had to stop when we moved to a smaller place and didn't have as much room to spin in circles.

I used to do that! I don't know enough to be able to say it is a stim or not, I guess its about how you used it. I still love doing this from time to time when no one is looking

I used to do it mainly because I was pretty convinced it unlocked the ability for me to see the Earth rotate... I was pretty young (like 10 or so) so I'm going to say not stim?
Regardless, I can't do it any more as spinning makes me very sick (as do swing sets...)

Never outgrew much of anything. It's usually not even done consciously half the time.

Is hitting/pounding a table with fingers playing a repetitive melody unwittingly a stim? And blow on people'/animals' face?


(Is the first question understandable?)

I noticed that when I get excited my hands twist and flap and that when I'm nervous, I wring them continously.

I have trained myself not to do it publicly, but I get lost in thought or excited, I flap my arms/hands, rock back and forth, run about the room, or hit my head against something repeatedly. (though I have been able to drop the latter completely, thank goodness. =P )

Your stims are a lot like mine... thinking baout your previous post too.I also used to walk in circles (talking to myself) as a child and flap my hands. I also dangled a string in front of my face almost constantly which I still do only now but I only do it in private or constantly. Now I also do some kind of weird wringing/flapping motion when really upset or exited.

Every stim I've had as a child I have now. I still flap and walk on my toes. I bounce on my heels and dangle things in front of my face. I still bang my head into a wall when I have a meltdown.

It's hard not to, because I don't notice I'm doing it or I can't.