Autism Behavior Resources: Insights, Strategies, and Support

Stimming, or self-stimulatory behavior, is self-regulating behavior common among autistic individuals. Autistic people stim for many reasons, including combatting sensory overload, interrupting anxious thoughts or satisfying sensory-seeking needs.

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When thinking of stimming, many people imagine rocking or hand flapping. These are common stims, but stimming can look many different ways. Stims can include behaviors like playing with a fidget toy, pacing, jumping, repeating words or phrases and many, many more.

While many autistic individuals frequently engage in stimming, it isn’t always something that they feel comfortable doing publicly. Often, stigma and mistreatment make us autistic individuals fear judgment or harassment when stimming around others. Stimming comes along with benefits, including helping us manage sensory input, regulate our nervous systems, unmask and live more authentically. However, it can take a lot of work to feel comfortable openly stimming. Read on to learn how to get comfortable stimming around others.

Stress is a part of life, but excessive stress can make day-to-day activities difficult and even compromise a person's physical health. Autistic individuals tend to experience higher baseline stress levels, due to factors like stigma, social marginalization and unmet support needs. Many people still understand autism through stereotypes, or don’t understand autistic behaviors at all, leading to bullying and mistreatment. Environmental stressors like disorganized and loud public spaces, harsh fluorescent lights, and inaccessible communication norms also take a toll. 

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Furthermore, mental health conditions are very common among autistic individuals. Nearly half live with severe anxiety, up to 40% have experienced depression and as many as 45% of autistic adults have PTSD. Additionally, autistic people have higher rates of co-occurring health conditions like sleep disorders, seizure disorders, and GI issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). All of this can further contribute to stress.

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In addition to degrading a person’s long-term mental and physical health, chronic stress can lead to unique challenges for autistic individuals. It can contribute to autistic burnout, the intense state of fatigue that autistic people confront due to many different sources of chronic stress, and an increased volume and intensity of meltdowns, which are involuntary responses to an overloaded nervous system.

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For autistic individuals, who often face high levels of chronic stress, stress management strategies and coping skills are essential for long-term well-being. Read on to learn valuable strategies for autistic adults to manage stress. 

It’s safe to say that a lot of autistic adults are tired of talking about coping strategies. Although these strategies can be useful, and sometimes even lifesaving, it often feels like we’re the ones who are expected to adapt and carry the weight of an inaccessible world. 

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As an autistic person, I know this firsthand. I also know that much of what makes life difficult for us is outside our control: sensory overload, misperceptions, stigma, workplace bullying and systems that weren’t designed with us in mind. So, are coping strategies really going to fix all that? No, not likely. But they might help us navigate those realities on our own terms, and that can make a big difference.

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What resilience really means for autistic people

Emotional resilience is the ability to adapt in the face of high stress levels, adversity or trauma while maintaining or regaining a sense of emotional well-being. This is especially critical for autistic people, who disproportionately experience nervous system dysregulation and co-occurring mental health diagnoses like anxiety and depression.

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In this context, emotional resilience doesn’t mean bottling things up or appearing fine. It means developing sustainable ways to feel, process and express emotions in ways that actually work for the minds and bodies of those on the autism spectrum. It means allowing ourselves the time we need to make sense of how we feel, seeking out environments that don’t punish us for being different, and resisting internalized ableism that tells us our experiences are wrong. 

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Autistic strengths in resilience 

Autistic people are already incredibly resilient. The very fact that we show up each day in a world that often misunderstands or marginalizes us is a testament to that resilience. We already use countless strategies like stimming, routines and deep dives into special interests that support our well-being. 

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Autistic individuals often demonstrate emotional resilience in a myriad of ways that challenge conventional definitions. These include:

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• Authenticity in the face of social pressure
• Persistence in pursuing deeply meaningful interests or goals
• Creative problem-solving that emerges from divergent thinking
• The ability to find joy and meaning in specific areas of focus
• Direct communication, which can lead to more honest and grounded relationships

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Resilience, then, isn’t a measure of how well we conform to neurotypical expectations, but of how we draw on our strengths and resources to move through the world in ways that are true to who we are.