is rocking/swaying in your seat socially unacceptable?

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I always rock and I don't give a crap anymore about what other people think of it. It's not as bad as smoking around other people and people put up with that until recently.

At 17? Usually acceptable. There are al least a good 20% NT teens that rocks on chair. It's unpolite but not "weird".

I am going to say yes, when I was in high school, I had a certain instructor have maintenance take my chair and bolt it to the floor. At college I was allowed to have a swivel chair, most classroom had a few anyway. Some of the engineering instructor, even said that if you need a swivel chair they are located at the sides of the front row. Also added, if your a person who needs them "please try to write down question for the last 15 minutes of class". That was there college instructor ways of say we know who are and this is are way of being nice. I still think it was a bit cynical of them. I have a worse habit though of eating pens and pencils, and shirt collars. One place I was interning at let me have an exception to the semi-profession dress code, as long as wore a plain neutral color t-shirt because I was chewing the ends of my collared shirts.

Yes, rocking is seen as abnormal because nobody else does it but I really don't care. I love rocking back and forth(done it since I was a child) because it feels so good and I love to pace back and forth too. I know that's seen as odd too but I don't care anymore, I'll do as I please.

oh yeah, i'm the queen of pacing. im restless. once i was on the phone at school and the lady made me sit down because i was pacing in a circle sort of fast and wouldnt stop. XD

This mentioned pacing too? If I had a quarter every time was told I was going to I was going to burn a whole in a floor, I would probably be a millionaire by now.

Back in sixth grade, we used to have recess out in a gravel parking lot. I'd pace in figure 8's till I wore a path in the parking lot. I even got a couple other kids to join me every now and then. I don't think I was letting off steam or anything. I just wasn't really interested in the soccer game all the other boys were playing.

A couple months ago, I was visiting home, and was working on something and rocking back and forth. My mom asked me why I was rocking, and my answer was something about "concentrating". I didn't really realize till then that this was unusual for a normal person. I've noticed since then that I can't really sit still. I have to wiggle my leg or spin the chair next to me or something like that.

I guess I've just recently discovered that I'm "stimming". I'd never heard of that word before I met WP, but it makes so much sense to me, now. It makes me sad, though, that it's so unusual for the general population.

Yes, it is definitely socially unacceptable. Rocking back and forth is pretty much the stereotypical sign of a "ret*d" and people will instantly get the impression that there is something very wrong with you mentally.

That being said, I do it as well. I also happen to find it adorable when my aspie boyfriend does it ^-^

I would try to avoid rocking in public if you don't want to call attention to yourself. I used to tap in class until I got on people's nerves so I would switch to tapping my toes inside my shoes. I thought Spazzergasm had a good strategy for being inconspicuous about stimming.

People may think you're anxious/eccentric/weird. I still do it from time to time. I usually have my headphones on so people think I'm rocking to the music. Fools.
Homer_Bob is right. It's seen as weird because the majority of people aren't doing it. Anything a little bit different is unacceptable. I think those people that talk loudly in their groups are weird. I certainly don't do that.

I must be rounded by Spectrum people and don't know :/ About 20% of people I know from school or at work rock. Yes, not as much as me, but I think a little rocking of the chair is not so strange. Then if you rock as much as Rain Men it's seen strange but chewing a pencil or a little motion of the chair, or one-legs-tapping or thinks like that are not-common but present also in many anxious NT.