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Reasons for some specific stims

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rdos
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27 Jul 2013, 12:16 pm

I'm repeating some checks on stims in Aspie Quiz. Although I think I have a pretty good idea about the associations for many of them, there seems to be a few that I haven't got right, and thus need help with.

So which reason (preferentially emotional, but other will do as well) do you do the following stims for:

1. Walking on toe
2. Tapping fingers
3. Biting lip, cheek or tongue
4. Twirling hair
5. Cracking joints
6. Rubbing hands together
7. Biting yourself



skibum
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27 Jul 2013, 1:29 pm

I used to walk on my toes a lot when I was younger. No one ever thought anything of it then nor did I until I just read your post. I wonder if it was a stim.



btbnnyr
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27 Jul 2013, 1:33 pm

Boredom.


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rdos
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27 Jul 2013, 1:44 pm

Boredom seems to be the reason for about half of the stims, but not for the other half.



Willard
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27 Jul 2013, 3:11 pm

A stim is a Self-Stimulating Behavior that acts as a stress reliever. Something that relaxes and brings your anxiety level down, in the same way that rocking a baby relaxes them and puts them to sleep. Stimming releases large amounts of Endorphins.

Hair twisting, nail biting, finger drumming are all nervous fidgety habits. They may be caused by stress, they may be a reaction to stress, but they do not significantly relieve stress. Everybody does things like this to one extent or another, they are not limited to nor caused by Autism.

Having done both all my life, I don't consider them to be even remotely related, much less the same thing.



btbnnyr
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27 Jul 2013, 3:36 pm

Stimming doesn't necessarily have to relieve stress or reduce anxiety.

I have rocked and swayed and stimmed in various ways since I sat up as a baby, and my stimming was not to relieve stress or reduce anxiety, but just something that I did by default while feeling like my normal self from childhood to adulthood.

Also, smaller stims like twirling hair and tapping fingers and walking on toes have to do with boredom for me, as I do these when I am bored in public. In private, I don't do these, because I have lots of things to do, so I am never bored on my own.


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Shakarians
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27 Jul 2013, 3:40 pm

I walk on my toes because the arches of my feet hurt otherwise, but I don't think that's what you're talking about. :roll:

One thing I've always been curious about though is what Willard said before me. Are these things actually a sign of Autism or are they just a regular thing that everyone does taken to the extreme by people on the spectrum?



Drehmaschine
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27 Jul 2013, 3:44 pm

Mostly do it for input and regulating arousal.
no not that kind; I know that has another meaning in English.



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27 Jul 2013, 3:45 pm

My stimming is just to repeat a motion over and over and over for no reason except to repeat, repeat, repeat.
It seems to help with sensory integration and body awareness.
Here is a study that may link stimming to a smaller hipocampus that is not functioning properly.

Quote:
The Autism Research Institute published the findings of Dr. Stephen Eldeson PH.D, Dr. Margaret Bauman, (Dept. of Neurology, Harvard Medical School), and Dr. Thomas Kemper, (Depts. of Neurology, Anatomy, and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine) regarding the structural differences to an autistic persons limbic system of the brain.

The Amygdala

The Amygdala is smaller in an autistic brain. This part of the brain is generally associated with the regulation of emotions, aggression and is linked to responding to sensory stimuli. When this is removed from an animal the animal will avoid eye contact. Plus their fight or flight response is triggered and is basically running. This also includes a failure to learn about dangerous situations, which is why autistic children seem to make the same mistakes over and over and appear to not be learning from injury or punishment. A removed amygdala in an animal forces them to be aggressive in a way that is very similar to an autistic person. In humans this state of stress and lack of eye contact further impairs their ability to learn social cues and language.

An over-taxed sensory system comes from a hippocampus not functioning properly
.

C.Dagnelli
. .
The Hippocampus

The Hippocampus controls much of a person’s ability to respond to stimuli and when it is removed from an animal self-stimulatory behavior or more prevalent. This includes repetitive body movements or movements of objects such as spinning, tapping, hand flapping, putting objects in front of the eyes, rocking and sniffing. When the environment is too stimulating it can be blocked out by doing a repetitive, the brain cannot process the sensory inputs as fast it is being received. The Hippocampus in an autistic person is smaller.

Autistic brains are more wired for visual abilities. Researchers directed by Dr. Laurent Mottron at the University of Montreal's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders (CETEDUM) after collating 15 years of data from over 700 brain images ( 357 autistic, and 370 not-autistic) more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex.

In all, it is really interesting to see with our own eyes, backed by science what we have already known. It should also help with feeling frustrated, as these issues are biological and not because of something you have done or not done as a parent or teacher.



rdos
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27 Jul 2013, 4:12 pm

Shakarians wrote:
I walk on my toes because the arches of my feet hurt otherwise, but I don't think that's what you're talking about. :roll:


That's a valid (and relevant) remark. Many tics (which in my research are not possible to distinguish from stims) could very well be related to physical issues. Blinking can be eye-problems, snorting throat problems and so on. But it is important to first exclude the possibility of a consistent emotional connection, as that points to a communicative role.



rdos
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27 Jul 2013, 4:18 pm

Willard wrote:
Hair twisting, nail biting, finger drumming are all nervous fidgety habits. They may be caused by stress, they may be a reaction to stress, but they do not significantly relieve stress. Everybody does things like this to one extent or another, they are not limited to nor caused by Autism.


They are related to the neurodiversity-phenotype, and thus are also more common in Autism. If that were not the case, they'd be uninteresting.

I agree that they don't relieve anything. Some of them are emotional indicators, but just like NT facial expressions won't release anything, we won't expect that for stims either.



rdos
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27 Jul 2013, 4:21 pm

Marybird wrote:
My stimming is just to repeat a motion over and over and over for no reason except to repeat, repeat, repeat.
It seems to help with sensory integration and body awareness.
Here is a study that may link stimming to a smaller hipocampus that is not functioning properly.


The objective is to disprove the ideas of such researchers. They simply have no idea what they are talking about, and what the differences on the images mean.



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27 Jul 2013, 5:52 pm

rdos wrote:
Marybird wrote:
My stimming is just to repeat a motion over and over and over for no reason except to repeat, repeat, repeat.
It seems to help with sensory integration and body awareness.
Here is a study that may link stimming to a smaller hipocampus that is not functioning properly.


The objective is to disprove the ideas of such researchers. They simply have no idea what they are talking about, and what the differences on the images mean.

I agree that they only speculate what the images may mean, but I find it interesting because I believe the behavior is caused by neurological differences. Research like this is important and will eventually lead to answers, It's not just about stimming, but about how the autistic brain is different and how it effects behavior.

I don't want to disprove ideas of researchers that haven't been proven in the first place. There are a lot of ideas out there as to why autistic people stimm, but as yet, no one is sure and it is all speculation, so I welcome the ideas of researchers who are looking for answers by studying the brain.

I know I don't stimm for emotional reasons. I have constant repetitive movements, hand and feet movements, finger flapping, rocking, swaying and others. It's not connected to an emotion. It's a perseveration that is caused by something different or wrong with my brain.

Stimming may have emotional origins for some people, but not for everyone.
Everyone stimms for emotional reasons, autistics and NTs. I am interested in knowing what causes perseverations in autistic people that go beyond typical stimming.



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27 Jul 2013, 5:59 pm

I tend to touch my ring or adjust my shirt / earphones when I walk past someone on the street, I guess I try to reassure myself somehow that I am safe, by touching something that is mine and that I have control over, I think I tap my fingers in a rhythm for the same reason, when walking past people or approaching them.

I fiddle with my hair when I'm anxious or ponder over something sometimes subconsciously when watching television series, I don't know if that is boredom or something else but I will investigate more.



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27 Jul 2013, 6:13 pm

I hum when I am in a noisy situation like walking down a street with a lot of traffic, but will stop when it gets quiet again.



Jonov
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27 Jul 2013, 6:17 pm

Marybird wrote:
I hum when I am in a noisy situation like walking down a street with a lot of traffic, but will stop when it gets quiet again.


I hope you don't mind me asking but do you hum the same tune, or can it be any variety of melodies, that are not specific to something you familiarize as something that feels safer and less stressful than a busy street?