Stimming

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Is there a correlation between severity of Autism and how much or how significantly they stim?
E.g. do severely Autistic people stim more often or in more obvious ways and high functioning/Aspergers stim less often or less obvious ways. Or does severity of autism not make a difference in stimming

hmm im not sure, makes me think though just how much i stimmed since i was a kid, according to my mother i always had something in my hand, and always wanted to have something in my hand, i still feel much more comfortable with something in my hand, i sort of feel it, i like the texture of the item in my hand. i also rock myself a lot in my chair, my dad mocks me for that sometimes.

this is relevant, incase you thought it was just a ramble, I don't think it corraltes with the severity, as im on the aspergers level, yet seem to do this a lot. so it must be something to do with the strength of the trait itself rather then the level of autism.

Actually sorta.

Stimming is a coping mechanism or as my psychologist calls it, an "anchor".

Because the world is so hectic for us on the spectrum we rely on these coping mechanisms to get by. They vary a lot but the most common ones are
-stimming
-special interests
- routines and rituals

I dont stim often, i used to as a kid but because it was doing a lot of physical harm i had to stop, and i do follow a routine but loosely. I can still change it with little to no meltdowns and shutdowns, depends on how big the change is. However my special interests are HUGE and extremely obsessive. They are very apparent.

So some people with MORE sensory issues may resort to stimming as their anchor, others with more difficulty adapting to change will follow strict routines and others with more difficult social skills will follow a intense interest. Or all three. It can vary a lot.

This is just a theory that my psychologist had, he dealt with a lot of people on the spectrum. He could be wrong though, who knows.

I would imagine there is some correlation with severity. If you tend to get more sensory overloads and more anxiety, then you'd stim more often to calm down. There was this nonverbal severely autistic kid at my middle school, and he was constantly hand flapping, rocking in his seat, or vocal stimming. I have Aspergers with very mild sensory issues, and I stim a lot, but it's not all the time. It happens more often when I'm anxious, stressed, thinking hard about something, trying to concentrate, or trying to relax. I also fidget with objects, if that's considered stimming. (I've broken the battery cover latch on my TV remote from opening and closing it so much.) I guess people who are more aware of social conventions will try to hide it in public or find a less obvious way to stim.

I have never seen a psychiatrist/psychologist, nor do I know personally anybody on the spectrum, but I am of the opinion that, while the frequency and intensity of stimming may be linked to general severity of ASD, other factors also contribute. I am not diagnosed, but the severity of my stimming fluctuates widely. Some days I seem and feel nearly fine, so I hardly stim; others I cannot stop stimming in really obvious ways, such as kicking the leg of my desk all lesson as well as tapping my fingers. And I am undiagnosed (so I am probably more on the HF end of the scale).

On the bad days (when everything seems way to loud and busy, people are extremely confusing and annoying) I stim more than on good days because I feel like I need to (I don't know what would happen if I did not stim on these day - I don't think a classroom would be the best place to try it).

Some people probably have better coping mechanisms, and don't stim as much.

Now that I think about it, I have always been stimming without knowing:
Child: Biting things, doing discrete repetitive things, rocking lying down.
Later: gnawing pencils down, clicking, fingerflickering/rocking on chairs (Mom: You make me sea-sick!) twirling hair, dangling or spinning things in front of my eyes.
Very usual teenage things.
When nervous/worried: pacing, wringing hands, talking to myself.
All very spread out, so it didn´t look conspicuous enough for anyone to notice - apart from one friend.

Now, that I have permitted myself to be aspie - spontaneous rocking here and there - a little handwaving
I still pace and talk to myself.
Sometimes someone gives me "the look".

I've noticed the more anxious I get, the more I will pick/ play with my noise and pick at my skin. Which... isn't healthy or a safe stim. Or if I get bored, I'll start pacing or rocking a little or playing with a pen or something. Now that I've started crocheting, I try to force myself to do these instead of my "stims". But I would agree the more tense I am, the more I stim.

Based on my observations, the more pronounced the autism, the more pronounced the stimming. I don't usually see all that much classic stimming from hfa/ asperger types. More like just hyper and figity.

I've always repeated sounds, nonsense words, and songs. Is that a form of stimming?