Does anyone curl their hands up?

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When I'm feeling more "autistic", I do it almost constantly with my left hand, and I crook it against my chest (it happens every time I'm around people I don't know, and many other times).

The easiest way to explain what it looks like would be to try to touch with your fingers where you'd feel for your pulse, but with the same hand (I also bend my arm at the elbow as I crook it against my chest).

It's also easy to "flap" one's hand from this position, and to also stop the same by holding your hand against your chest firmly. I wonder if it's a way I innately learnt to control my "flapping" so I appear more normal, and attract less attention to myself (that's if what they say concerning a greater level of intelligence and self-awareness promotes the ability to unknowingly hide autistic traits is correct).

I tend to agree with you, greater level of intelligence and self-awareness promotes the ability to unknowingly hide autistic traits seems to be correct... I only realized recently myself I hand flap when excited, but never do it in public...

Sorry just edited to add, yes I do curl my hands and arms up when others around, its like I have to contain my real traits...

I have a habit of curling up my right fist, and making a knocking motion.

I think I know the gesture you mean. I catch myself doing it when I'm in an unfamiliar situation and feeling uneasy. It also happens when my senses are overloaded.

I regularly curl my hands up. I don't really know why other than i like the stretching feeling in the muscles.

I don't really do that with my hands, but when I'm uncomfortable I start doing it with my feet! Suddenly I'm trying so hard to curl my toes under that it hurts.

I read about how it is supposed to be common for individuals on the spectrum to hold their hands/arms like that, but I've yet to see a study about this topic. It actually had a German name I can't remember.

I'm too self-concious to do it, but my arms try it when I'm not paying attention - it only happens when I'm very very happy/suprised/amazed though, that's when I forget to observe what my arms are doing.
I do other more uncommon things like this when I'm concentrated or stressed instead, mainly tense the muscles in my feet/toes. I've done that since I was a toddler, but although I'm aware that I do this because I've been told about it, I never know when I'm doing it unless it is pointed out to me.

yep.

i never considered it "flapping" cause i learned a "really cool wrist exercise" in my martial arts class (you literally relax your wrists and shake it super fast and hard)... don't do it in front of people cause "udi fudi" does look weird, but i will do a quick snappish version of it in public... usually only one hand at a time though.

i also like to do the one-handed clap, because i can... and i have been proud of it since i was little and discovered that i actually could get a loud sound of "one hand clapping".... this was my joke cause i understood that there wasn't supposed to be any sound... but i had OBVIOUSLY proven the saying wrong.

lol

edit: as for curling... i also have loved doing other wrist exercises that i learned in aikido..... my wrists are super flexible so i have to contort them into some weird positions to actually get them to stretch... and i do tend to hold them there for a while cause it feels good.

Quoting Danielismyname:

I also do this with my left hand, but I'm not aware of doing it until I notice it in that position. Sometimes my left hand trembles a bit, briefly. And yes, I hold it against my chest. It almost has the appearance of being afflicted or paralyzed. Sometimes my left hand feels weak, perhaps from being in that position, or sleeping on it in that position and cutting off circulation.

As some members have said (thanks for all of your input everyone): I do it when overwhelmed, whether sensory or emotionally. I know I exhibited it in high school for I was teased for doing such (I was overwhelmed a lot in high school).

Here's a picture of it:


I notice I do it as soon as I feel my arm and hand crook itself, but I'm usually too far gone to care how I appear; I noticed today that if I sit down when I do this I begin to rock. I have control over how overtly I rock, but I cannot control the rocking itself, i.e., I'll always rock to some extent, no matter how minute.

I fidgeted with my hands so much as a child that I can bend most of my fingers back to my wrists.

Not really.

YES I did when I was in grammer school with both hands. I was doing it at recess and the other girls started making comments about it and after that I never did it again.

Yes. I do it alot..but not to hide hand flapping...

I do it alot when I am relaxing...and in photographs my hands often seemed curled up in a funny way.

I try to keep myself from doing it too often..or stop myself when I notice I am doing it because I took a yoga class and the instructer says it interrupts the flow of energy through your body..or something....

I think I sleep that way though....

Yes I do this especially when lying. I also put my arms and legs in similarly contorted positions often underneath myself, this can interrupt my circulation and make the limbs go dead, and give me pins and needles when I get up. But somehow it enables be to relax or sleep better when I do it. Another thing I do, which I'm not sure if anyone else does, is cross me feet over and pull them together. I do all of this without thinking sometimes. I will wake up in a hot sweat and my feet are still being pulled together firmly, which is weird because you would expect muscles to relax when asleep.