Stimming, a few questions.

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What counts as stimming? Am I correct in thinking that stimming includes repetitive body movements/gestures that help people cope with sensory issues? Or can it apply in other situations? Can stims be verbal?

I once spoke to a mother that told me about how she would give her autistic son a cloth cube whenever they went a place that was crowded such as; a shopping centre, the feel of the fabric would keep her son calm so the both of them could shop with a bit more ease.

This was on another forum where I talked about some sensory issues I have, and I talked to the mother and she said that I reminded her of her son, and suggested that I try bringing something akin to a cloth cube with me in the future to such places.

Anyway, would her son's behaviour count as stimming? Just curious.

I think playing with a piece of fabric could probably be a form of stimming. Also, yes, stims can be verbal.

I make some sounds with my mouth quite a lot but I'm not completely sure if what I do is a "stim" or something else.

Also, I don't think stimming is only to help cope with sensory issues. I think people might also stim to help release emotions, but I could be wrong on this seeing as I'm also trying to work out if what I do is "stimming".

I stim to release emotions (though I don't stim much in general), mainly excitement...I feel flooded with it.

I sometimes think of my stimming as “I have to many thoughts in my head and they spill out as movement”. That’s actually what I told my mom once. I noticed I have certain stims for certain states of mind, if I’m thinking about stuff I like and I’m getting excited about it, I kind of rock somewhat as I’m moving around and I have my arms to my side and move my wrist back and forth with my hand in a fist to hit my thigh, I only do this on my right side though. If I’m sitting down in the same mind set then I have my right arm bent laying against my chest and do the same hitting my chest at the manubrium. When I’m just daydreaming I rock more obviously and set my left wrist face down on the back of my right wrist and kinda flip it up and down. These are just the ones I’ve become conscious of, there’s probably more. So yes stimming is repetitive gestures and movements but I don’t think it’s just overstimulation.

I don't know if I would call what you've described a true "stim."

It seems more like "normal" fidgeting to me, to be honest.

If it calms and soothes the child, then I'm all for the cloth cube.

In my opinion, if the "stim" is totally voluntary, then it's not truly a "stim." It's "self-soothing"---but it's not a "stim."

I believe there's at least a partial "involuntary" element to stimming.

Wikipedia: ... stimming and self-stimulation, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, or repetitive movement of objects ...

One of my earliest memories is my Grandmother putting me down for a nap and giving me a silk scarf to "rub". Throughout my childhood I would rub a piece of silk. It was/is the sensory perception of the materials against one another. As a child, I was scolded and threatened if I didn't stop then as an adult bad things would happen. Since I've done this my entire life, I observe it is most often an un-conscious action during a time with some level of anxiety or stress. Besides, it's relaxing.

The terminology self-stimulating is misleading. Stimming actually takes place to quell over simulation. People with autism are often on the verge of sensory overload and loss of control. It's a continual mechanism to maintain order, no matter what form it takes.

Fabric textures are one of my favourite stims - when old clothes with a good texture are worn out, I quite often keep little swatches to carry around in my pocket.

As well as the other reasons mentioned, I think stimming can also help with maintaining a good connection between mind and body. I can get into a depersonalised state very easily, especially when recovering from a melt-down/shut-down, or when I can feel one coming - if I'm not focused on using parts of my body, they seem to no longer be part of me. Stimming helps with this because it brings back a sense of having control of part of my body, and the predictability of the sensation gives me a "standard unit" by which to re-calibrate my senses.