Why is stimming considered a "bad" thing?

Post Reply New Topic

I stim ALL THE TIME in my life. Not the kind of stim where I cause damage but the kind where I pace or bounce my legs. Even in meetings and big forums at Intel, you will often find me pacing in the back of the room. I pace when I give presentations. I rub my forehead and use hand gestures.

When I read autism "problems" the stimming thing is always mentioned and solutions are being sought. I can see the head banging (though I will do this on my matress at night) or anything that is self injuring.. but stimming in general? What gives here?

Because lots of people have a hard accepting anything different.

It's not the stimming persé, but the socially awkward actions.

For example my stimming involves bopping my legs, whistling and pacing to name a few.

I get away with it because I blend it in the social context, if I don't do that I'll attract unwanted attention.

So headbanging is only going to work in the correct social situations (for example metal concerts for headbanging).
There are norm exceeding behaviours like self-injury - cutting, slapping head repeatedly, breaking fingers, etc. aren't likely to find a niche.

Because people feel that everybody should be exactly the same, and today's sick world is obsessed with perfection.

My stimming involves my penis. That's not socially acceptable.

Because it "looks funny," and if people can't relate to something like that they tend to project weird, imagined reasonings and problems onto it.

I.e. there was/is the argument that is prevents autistic children from socializing, in the sense that it's imagined to be a "distraction" which they would therefore be better off with out. And another argument is that due it being odd-looking it causes social problems. I don't know why the concept that is might serve a purpose rarely seems to occur to various 'experts.'

And that reminds me, stims are also considered by some 'experts' to be "puposeless" -- and thus it is ok to behavior-mod kids out of stimming at all.

So, in all, cluelessness, arrogance, and few bothering to ask for an explanation, I think.

Lol...holy crap! I never knew there was an actual name for all the things I do that people hate...leg shaking, singing to myself, making noises, fidgeting....all the weird things I suppress when people are around like singing out loud, or making loud noises...imitating sounds I hear.

Is it stimming if you like to just twirl plates so you can hear the sound they make and how it goes faster and faster as the plate gets lower until it stops? I know most people hate to be around when I do it.

what about taking things apart all the time?

What? Stimming is bad? And here I thought all the people sitting still as rocks had a problem ...

Awesome!! Thanks for these responses guys (even the penis one as that one made me LOL)

One of the psychologists I spoke to yesterday agreed to co-author a journal and possible pubmed type article and field trial BUT she also threw out the idea to start a mentorship program in our area for ASD kids. The concept is that we match a succesful ASD adult with an emerging ASD youth. Of course I eagerly signed up for that program and as I was thinking about how to define the things I want to teach to a fellow ASD kid, I concluded that I want to teach them how to stim and get away with it and also to educate about it. I am of the mind that it is perfectly acceptable in most all cases to pace, twirl hair or hoodie strings (the reason I wear hoodies all the time), etc, and I want to change the paradigm that stimming is bad or even odd behavior.

I am really happy with my intro letter to my potential mentee (I broke down Aspieness in my very unique way) and excited to start work with an ASD kid and this PhD.

Becaise Life is about making lives better.

Stimming can disturb others. Not so much pacing, but rocking, hitting, or yelling can startle others, or just make them uneasy.

I think sometimes it makes NTs nervous because it makes you stick out. If you stick out, the bullies may come. They don't want to have to stand up for you and they don't want to look bad so they work on making you stop stimming.

Of course in my day, they called it fidgeting or maybe twiddling your thumbs.

Fear of the unknown.