Newly diagnosed and trying to understand stims

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I'm 21 and I was recently diagnosed with Aspergers. Since then I've been doing a lot of research and reading trying to understand bits of my life that might be attributed to the Aspergers, if that makes sense. I have clear memories growing up of throwing a tantrum and being asked why and not being able to say why but knowing it was SOMETHING, if that makes sense.

Recently I've become curious about stims. I understand these are movements or behaviours that tend to be calming to a person? But I was wondering if someone could explain them more to me.

I have a few little things I do that I've begun to wonder if that's why, such as when I'm thinking or doing something I cluck my tongue repetitively because it kind of keeps me focused without getting distracted by stuff, if that makes sense. And I noticed I tap out rhythms to music when I'm on the bus, but not the rhythms of the music, I kind of tap out the- if you were to do a tap dance to this piece where would you add the extra beats- rhythms, but it's something I do without thinking about it and if I look at my fingers or think about it I kind of can't do it properly. I have this thing about touch, I carry a piece of ribbon everywhere, always have, I can literally sit stroking it against my skins for hours and it is my go to calming thing, but I've noticed when I do I don't look at it. It's like when I do these things I can only take in one thing at a time, and sometimes I describe it as 'switching my eyes off'.

Are these kinds of things what you would call stims?

I'm still new to most of this, I only just found out the other day most people can't hear the noises machines make and security alarms and things- that really high frequency- and I'm interested to learn more about what sensory things and behaviours are 'normal' and which are attributed more to the Aspergers.

Any help you be great, thanks.

When I consciously stim I often feel like something is not right or off, almost like there's something in me that is trapped that is trying to get out, but not nearly that clearly defined.


Outwardly and impersonally, I would think that stimming is a way to keep things that are outside, outside of your mind. Like, people are known to a have filter that keeps them from paying attention to things that are going on around them. Without such a filter there will be constant inputs of everything all the time, no 'getting used' to something. Everything would be new all the time, nothing fades into the background. Eg: Clothing on most people, they don't notice they're wearing it after a period of time. The process of not paying attention to clothing, or a sound, or anything else, neurologically, is that the sensory cell will actually stop responding when the thing that stimulated it is the same thing over and over. It will fail to physically respond to the same thing over and over, and a new baseline is created for what is 'different'. Like, we don't see light as a thing and not a thing, we see light as a balance between light and dark, and that is because the baseline for what is notable to our senses is constantly changing.

I imagine when such a process is not working properly, one could easily become overstimulated. But if what you are sensing is the same thing over and over, you are taking control of your senses such that it is not something new to feel or see or hear. It is a form manually, strongly regulating your inputs beyond what naturally happens.

Well, that's what I see of it anyways. The first paragraph is based on knowledge I learned in school (and also makes a lot of sense). The follow-up, when you know that autistics stim and that they have sensory overload, just seems to make perfect sense to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimming

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-22771894


Do not worry that you you do not do all or any the things mentioned as they are just the most common examples. Also since you are at the beginning stage of finding out about Aspergers you might have believed you were "typical" or "normal" and suppressed stims or used ones that were less noticeable because the more overt stims would cause a negative reaction by other people.

Yes it is very common for us to perceive senses differently and more acutely. But while we have common core traits how they present can be very different because we are individuals.