fidgeting and aspergers

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I fidget a lot, and I mean a LOT! My legs (sometimes both at the same time) are bouncing up and down while I am sitting, i bite my fingernails, toenails, I rub my hands together when nervous, and even sometimes even have a little... burst. Weird burst, like a lot of energy decided to explode inside me for some odd reason. But the bursts are uncommon, while the rest is very common.

Although I have had awkward times where my hand would jerk uncontrollably, or clench into a fist... but that is very rare!

I don't rock back and forth (noticeably), or flap my arms, etc. but could I be doing all this as a replacement for "stimming"? or is all this considered "stimming"? because a lot of people seem to have disagreements over what is, or what is not, considered "stims".

in gradeschool, i swung my legs under my desk and chewed my hair until i got a bad grade in "is neat and clean" for it. i still rub my hands together when i have a strong emotion and unconsciously wiggle the thumb and first two fingers of my right hand. for me, all of this is stimming.

I've always stimmed. I learned at a very young age from observation of people's reactions to me though that I had to find more acceptable ways to do it so that I didn't draw negative attention to myself. Now I have very intricate patterns I quietly click out with my fingertips on my thighs, usually under a table, and no one notices. If I'm alone and feeling happy, I clap- ALOT. In patterns. And sometimes I bounce/run around the house maniacally, but only if I'm alone. If I'm not alone, I also move my tongue in rhythmic patterns along the inside of my bottom lip- again, very rarely is it noticed. I have a habit of "jimmy leg" and when I lay down to go to sleep (usually only if I'm alone so as not to drive my someone crazy) I shake one of my feet with my legs crossed and it's very pleasurable- like being rocked to sleep.

I don't think anyone can define it for anyone else... it all depends on the person.

@gorgeousdisaster - exactly me, i made sure i didnt draw attention because i noticed very young that others didn't do it so i decided i would keep it my little secret and make them more under-the-radar,

clicking my hangnails, very soothing, clap alot and sometimes also while jumping and giggling ridiculously when im at home and alone from the public, when going to sleep i lay with my legs uncrossed, and shake my foot or feet or rub them on the blanket depending on how exaughsted my whole body is. when sitting always have to either bounce my leg or legs or sway them out n in. when standing. i standstill and twist from side to side or i will bow and straighten my left leg or a more noticeable stim in public i seem to do, is left leg straight, arms crossed and right leg, bend my ankle 90 degrees so tis touching groung then straight again at a very rapid pace.when sitting apart from a car really and public places, like malls, i always sit, with my legs crossed in each other, and bounce my knees up and off the chair or ground while normally playing with my hands. i could go on for a while but ima stop. actually one more, i rock forward and back, the slightest bit when knees are always crossed, but it takes ages for me to notice im doing it myself haha. then stop lol. probly the one i feel most uncomfortable about, as i get asked " are you ok?" when i am.

for me stimming helps relax me, and if i dont i dont know how to explain it, i feel uncomfortable, like i need to move constantly, i dont feel right, im never going to be able to put the feeling into words i dont think. only time i dont stim is when im completely absorbed into something,

I'm one of the foot tappers/shakers mostly. If I'm reading, or listening to music, or thinking, one or both of my legs is going. I have other stims (chewing, sometimes I rock back and forth if I feel really stressed or really comfortable) but my legs are usually what people notice.

bouncing my leg as I read this.... I don't flap. never have, and that's what always tripped me up when I read the descriptions of aspie behavior ... what is this 'flapping'? but when I saw the youtube vid of that guy from sweden saying he thinks that's a stupid thing to put on the diagnostic criteria... then I finally lost the last argument I had about why I couldn't possibly have aspergers.... but anyway... I gotta put my vote for what iceveela wrote. That's me too. And I have some double jointed fingers that add to the fidget possibilities for me, LOL.

I always fidget, sometimes I'm not even aware of it.

I constantly fidget, twiddling my thumbs, cracking my knuckles, tapping my feet, bouncing my legs when sitting. someone even commented at work when I was tapping my nose, and I had to consciously think not to do it. I gets worse the more stressed and anxious that I get.

I always fidget with my fingers. I feel that I always have to have something in my hands

I fidget A LOT. I touch my face frequently. I've become more self conscious of it after I've paid attention to how much other people touch their face. I bounce my legs-usually my right. I have to wear my hair in a pony tail or else I'm messing with that, plus I can't stand my hair being near my face. My hands are almost always doing something

Sometimes I find it hard to tell if I'm stimming or fidgeting or having a seizure.

Most times I'm impatient and something that looks like stimming I call it fidgeting. I'm actually very energetic and might be drumming legs with both hands, can't sit down and jumping up and down on the spot.

If the movement is uncontrollable and my body begins to shut down it's a seizure. This looks like typical autistic stimming too. Problem is it spreads to other areas of my body.

If I am nervous and lining things up or moving my fingers in a clockwise rotation on anything that's stimming. Walking down the street and shaking my hand is stimming too. Even staring at objects at great height or in the corner of ceilings or a brick wall or a sign - stimming.

I also fidget a lot, touching my face, my nose, my eyes, bouncing legs. If the bouncing disturbs someone sitting next to me, I wriggle my toes instead of bouncing my legs. I also bite my teeth together rhythmically, e.g. to the beat of a song that’s stuck in my head.

I do a lot of repetitive movements, most of which are fairly inconspicuous, like wriggling my toes inside shoes, or rhythmical tongue movements. I also perform a lot of music which is full of rhythmical movements but doesn't stand out as odd. I've seen other Aspies humming, banging a keyboard, flicking their fingers.

Is stimming always a reaction to stress? I've known Aspies stim when they don't seem rattled, and when I asked one, she said there was nothing wrong at all. Are there any other causes? I thought the repetition of a familiar rhythmic habit was supposed to be a comfort.

I always fidget. If I'm sat at the computer I will twirl the phone cord through my fingers or bite my lip or play with something on the desk. If I'm watching TV I will bounce my leg up and down or do my hand patterns or play / rub some material like the sofa or a blanket or something. The only time I flap my arms is when I'm stood up and bored or there is an awkward silence, I'd never really noticed it much until i was talking to my dad back in December when we went to visit and he was rambling on about computers(his obsessive interest) and then he just stopped and I didn't know if I was meant to say something and it was really awkward and I started to flap my arms up and down. I've done these things all my life but haven't really noticed them until recently because I didn't know they were unusual if that makes sense? That's just a small selection of things, I'm sure if I really think about it there would be more, like constantly picking at my ears, I'm always prodding them to the point of sometimes making them bleed, I know I shouldn't but I do it without realising, sometimes in my sleep too.

I'm definitely not a rocker or a flapper.........that was my aspie humor....ahem

I totally do bite my nails, toenails, pick at scabs, tap my fingernails on tables to music in my head. My boyfriend does the last one too.