Abnormal gestures...

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Is abnormal gestures a sign of autism? When I speak, I tend to move my arm rapidly in a circular motion... Doctors and nurses have pointed it out to me as unusual. I also flap when happy and rock when anxious and I speak too loudly...

Many autistic people do these sorts of things.

I knew a severely autistic boy growing up who did all that you described. He wasn’t able to talk, and was very “low-functioning” in general.

You might be a classic example of a high-functioning person who happens to be autistic.

In the past many times by many people I have been told off through what I now know is stimming. It was a little more subtle with me but these days it is less subtle and needs to be as I have realized how effective it is in preventing partial shutdowns from ending up as shutdowns. Now before I came on this site and knew this, I was far more likely to get a full shutdown. This site has been so valueable for me to learn from.

I was told by specialists abnormal gestures could be a part of autism or other neurological conditions such as ADHD. I definitely had a lot abnormal gestures when I was younger, it was rare for anyone to see me perfectly still. I still have some abnormal gestures, but through educating myself on Wrong Planet and other resources I have learned this is okay and I am coming to accept them.