Fidgeting, moving, looking absent, making faces...

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When I do, read, write or listen to someone, I'm always doing 'inappropriate' things. It's not exactly a topic I'm comfortable enough to talk to with my therapist or anybody not autistic. Because I feel as if this is an totally autistic topic and the non-autistic people won't get it.

So when people talk about 'stimming' it's usually something that they do when stressed or emotions. What I mean hasn't anything to do with stress or emotions:

For example, I'm reading a topic in a forum in front of my computer. I then will: study my fingernails, tap the desk loudly, laugh, I have a thing for hiding my face in my hands, grinning, touching the stuff to my left, arranging things, turning around to my cat, getting up to move and to sit down and I always have a couple of bottles standing next to my desk which I'll frequently pick up. In-between I'll always read a few lines further. I'm naturally concentrated then, without effort.

You know, I just do all kinds of things that make random people think one is mentally challenged or not in touch with reality.

I was forced to pretty much hide everything years ago, so when I'm out, I play with my shoe, I constantly change how I sit every few minutes, trace the patterns of my clothes. Nothing noticeable even to an average professional, I'm a perfect hider. But it's not the same, so I just started loosening up some more again.

Anyway: I didn't ask professionals about this sort of stuff ever. But I want to know if it's typically autistic? Is it 'stimming' or is related to that or is it just plain 'repetitive actions'?

What do you do? Do you know why?

i typically mess with things too.. like unravelling cut ends of cloth on clothing or bags or whatever, or messing with the seams on my jeans, like, at the legs. i used to braid my hair in front of my face back when it was super long, but then i got it all cut off to be all spikey and stuff so i stopped being able to do it for a while, and now dont really care to do so anymore. the changing of my sitting position very often seemed kind of normal to me, i do it alot, it just seems normal and can be considered to others to be that you're uncomfortable or something.

I have learned a mask. It is a moveable mask. I practice in the mirror my 'sincere' look, my "oh, wow, that's really interesting" look. I practice noticing if I am stimming, staring into the middle distance (especially if there is someone in my line of sight) I make a patrol of my body's stance or how I am sitting, walking, etc. to make sure I am not bent in some awkward way that is going to cut off my circulation, and to arrange my body so it looks like I am concentrated and focused on what I am doing.

I am lucky, because I am attracted to ritualistic behavior, so I can easily make these patrols into what body language and facial antics are going on, so I can reign them back in and appear 'casual' and 'normal.'

I have been hiding for a long time, and even though I work hard at it, it doesn't mean it is foolproof. It is just something I do so people will be more comfortable around me. When they feel comfortable around me, THEY LEAVE ME ALONE!

mission accomplished!

Merle

i would practice faces in the mirror but... the faces i make kinda scare me :/ im not used to seeing my face so animated, and im not sure how to control it to be less animated...

I know what you mean. I worry at work that people are going to think I'm mucking around not doing anything because of how much time I spend writing a little, then cleaning my fingernails, then arranging my snacks on my desk, then writing another few lines, then checking my inbox, then switching to another folder, then opening a few pistachio nuts (I love the rhythm of those... open eat throw the shell away, open eat throw, open eat throw...), then I'll write some more, then I'll pick at a toenail, then I'll rearrange my pens, then I'll write more....

Meetings are the worst for me. I can't focus and I can't understand a thing that goes on in them because I'm too busy sitting and trying to look like I'm paying attention. If I so much as look around I get a warning look from my co-worker so I have to sit up and look sharp, whereas if I was allowed to just twiddle a pen and snack on some fruit and scribble on some paper and clean my nails and listen that way I'd actually know what was going on. I find them such a waste of time because I always miss 90% of what gets talked about. Sometimes I wonder if I should just tell them I have Aspergers and see what happens... I just worry about gradual discrimination.

My medication is making me do these things more, so I'm getting very self-consious about it. Its kind of wierd.

I do exactly what you do

My desk is covered with nick-nacks, and I think it's pretty funny because I play with it all subconciously, and later I look down and I've got all these different patterns going on...got a screwdriver lined up parallel with my keyboard, and a marker, some guitar picks all next to each other, some batteries lined up, a row of marbles descending in size, and best of all I've somehow managed a large collection of twisties that I've subconciously twisted into circles in a nice row, all different colors.

Anything that isn't fun to play with, or doesn't have mates to pair them with, gets tossed to the side of my desk in a messy pile.

Also have this Batman top from a box of cereal, I've been having all sorts of fun spinning it...and it spins for quite a while =)

At least it seems my oral fixation has subsided quite a bit...haven't really put anything in my mouth for a long time *knock on wood*.

I guess that is wise, but I don't think it is warranted in this case.



Who knows?



I might study my fingernails also. Not for any reasons a woman might, but the natural color, cuticles, etc... I may laugh at something I think about, read, etc... I may also grin for seemingly no reason, rest my head almost like "the thinker", and aranging things and just cleaning up is something I do when I get REALLY bored! I may get up to walk around, or toss bottles!

You know, I just do all kinds of things that make random people think one is mentally challenged or not in touch with reality.



Again, I do the SAME! Sometimes I find myself just buttoning and unbuttoning a button.



I have no particular reason for doing ANY of it.