Autistic Stimming: A Look Past the Stereotypes

Stimming, shorthand for self-stimulatory behavior, is a set of self-regulating behaviors commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder. Stimming can involve a wide variety of behaviors that stimulate one’s own senses, such as moving the body, playing with objects, or making vocalizations. Stimming, like many autistic behaviors, has been stigmatized, and often regarded as a symptom to be reduced by treatment. However, stimming is a normal, often harmless reality of autistic life, one that helps us regulate our senses and engage with the world more authentically.

Autistic people stim for a number of reasons. Heightened sensory sensitivity is a hallmark of autism, and can lead to routine distress for many autistic individuals. Stimming is a way we address sensory overload, taking control of the inputs we receive and shutting down those that cause us discomfort or panic. Stims often begin involuntarily and unconsciously, but many autistic people continue their stims once they become aware of them; stims are often repetitive behaviors or movements, and the predictable rhythm of a stim can feel calming and stabilizing.

‍

Stimming is also a way autistic people quiet down internal noise. Many autistic people perseverate, involuntarily playing the same conversation or thought spiral on repeat, which can cause us tremendous anxiety. Stimming is a way we intervene, sometimes reflexively, when we become stuck in these loops, redirecting our focus to a self-selected sensory input.

Stimming, however, is more than just a self-soothing tool for sensory distress. Stimming behavior is also a mode of authentic self-expression for autistic people. Researchers Petty and Ellis conducted a 2024 review of autistic authors’ descriptions of their own relationships with movement, including stimming, dance, and exercise. The benefits these writers associated with these activities included “enhanced thinking and focus, routine, sensory regulation, release of energy, increased body connection and awareness, regulated emotion, and time without self-restraint.” Movement can be an essential part of an autistic toolkit for authenticity and wellbeing, and stimming is one way we access its benefits.

Stims are not restricted to a limited set of behaviors—in fact, there is an enormous breadth and diversity of autistic stims. Autistic people often exhibit a variety of stimming behaviors that stimulate different sensory modalities, and stims can vary person to person. For example, an AuDHD friend of mine has an enviable collection of fidget toys, and keeps one on her keychain for tactile stimming. I, however, don’t gain as much from manipulating items, and gravitate towards other tactile stims, like running my fingers over press-on nails.

‍

Movement stims

Movement stims, like rocking, jumping, pacing, spinning, or moving the arms and hands, are common, and are perhaps the most recognizable to many people as stims. However, each autistic person can have a wide range of stimming behaviors that are typical for them, and stims can look different across people.

‍

Tactile stimming

Many autistic people have tactile stims. This can include manipulating objects, touching items with specific textures, or touching one’s own skin in different ways to elicit specific sensations. Tactile oral stimming is another type of tactile stimming behavior and can involve making repetitive movements with the mouth, drinking with a straw, or chewing objects, fingers, or the inside of one’s cheeks.

‍

Olfactory and taste stims

Some autistic people also exhibit taste and olfactory stims. This can mean repeatedly eating foods with certain textures or flavors, licking or tasting objects, or smelling items with certain scents. 

‍

Visual stimming

Autistic individuals can also have visual stims. Visual stimming can entail fixating on certain objects, movements, or lights.  It can also include arranging objects in a specific way, or manipulating items repeatedly in order to watch how they move. Flapping the hands or moving them in front of the eyes can also be visual stims.

‍

Vocal and auditory stimming

Some autistic people also engage in vocal stimming, which can look like humming, singing, or repeating certain noises, words, or phrases out loud. These behaviors can also constitute auditory stimming, which may also include tapping on objects to make noise, clapping, playing loud music, or covering or uncovering the ears.

‍

Multiple sensory stimming

A large number of stimming behaviors engage multiple sensory modalities at once—for instance, tapping an item can stimulate both tactile and auditory senses, and chewing gum can be a taste, olfactory, tactile, and movement stim.  Many behaviors create a layered sensory experience, and the different sensations they provide can meet autistic regulatory needs simultaneously.

‍

Stimming behaviors are readily stereotyped, and a number of common misconceptions have formed about stimming. One is that stimming is always a response to distress. Many autistic people also stim as a way to express varied emotions, including happiness, or to seek out sensory input when we are understimulated. Personally, I do a little dance in place when I start eating something good, very often without realizing I am doing it (as is the case with many stims). I also often find I move my spine side-to-side when seated in a chair or lying on my yoga mat. This is a stim that I don’t associate with any particular emotion and that I have come to understand as purely sensory-seeking.

‍

Because stimming is so often stereotyped, many people expect it to manifest as obvious, recognizable behaviors; however, stimming can blend in with neurotypical behaviors and be undetectable to many of the people around us. Some autistic people camouflage their stimming, rolling it into the mask they wear to protect themselves from stigma and other kinds of harm. I remember choosing to start biting my nails as an adolescent. While not the most smiled upon habit, it’s a common one—I didn’t fully understand what I was doing at the time, but I was giving myself a socially accepted path to regulate and vent out energy I didn’t know what to do with in public. Some autistic people may shake one leg while seated, play with their hair, manipulate their jewelry, doodle, listen to loud music in headphones, or mentally repeat words or phrases, among other stims, to manage sensory inputs while blending in with neurotypical people. Suppressing the urge to stim can be draining, and these more socially expected stims can allow autistic people a way to stim publicly without fearing harm; however, using these stims in favor of the ones we are naturally inclined towards is less effective for many autistic adults. 

‍

Though most regularly associated with autism, stimming is also not unique to autistic people. Stimming is seen across neurodivergent people, and ADHD individuals may also stim to regulate their emotions, focus, and keep their senses engaged. Neurotypical people stim, too, though they tend to have a different relationship with stimming, and do it at a lower volume than autistic people. Many neurotypical people pace, tap their feet, shake their leg while seated, touch their hair, rub their hands together, or tap on objects, among others, when they are anxious, bored, or excited.

Stimming is a part of life with autism, and doesn’t require treatment unless it is causing distress or harm to the individual. However, some autistic people may choose to selectively adjust or decrease their stims in some situations, even though this can be quite tiresome. Stimming is not a widely understood and accepted behavior,  and stimming openly in the wrong environment can open the door to stigma and mistreatment. Some autistic individuals, as part of the work of unmasking, may choose to stim authentically in environments that feel safe, such as at home with roommates, among family and friends, or even at work. Each individual may need different things in order to feel comfortable stimming openly. This can often include talking about stimming with the people in an individual’s life in order to feel confident that they understand why we stim and are accepting of stimming behaviors.   

‍

On some occasions, stimming behaviors can also be self-destructive; they can involve hitting oneself, hitting one’s head against an object, intense self-scratching or biting of the self, or other behaviors. The vast majority of stimming behaviors are not self-destructive at all, and those that do cause injury are usually not initiated with the intent of self-harm. 

‍

Self-injurious stims are often a result of distress, and one of the best ways to intervene with them is to work to identify the root cause of the behavior. Are sensory inputs in the environment contributing to the distress? Is the individual facing demands from work, school, or a task immediately at hand that feels too overwhelming? As with many management strategies put forth for autism, managing self-destructive stims involves endeavoring to control one’s environment; the challenges autistic people face are not intrinsic, but rather the results of navigating a world that does not accommodate our needs and often feels unsafe for us.

‍

To prevent immediate injury or harm, in-the-moment interventions are also important when an individual is stimming in a self-injurious way. Identifying alternative activities and coping skills might create a pathway to redirect the behavior, especially when planned while the individual is not in an activated state. Immediate safeguards can also prevent injury if the individual cannot redirect an injurious stim, like placing a blanket to soften the blow of a person striking themself.

‍

When supporting a loved one with self-injurious stimming, responding calmly and with support rather than reprimand is paramount. It’s best to work proactively on approaches to intervene with self-destructive stims while they are not happening, in order to be prepared to navigate them calmly and effectively when they are. For individuals struggling with self-destructive stims, therapy can be an invaluable resource for this type of planning.

‍

Even when stimming is not self-injurious, it can be worthwhile to evaluate whether an individual’s stimming is frequently coming from a place of distress. As with self-destructive stims, this can be a sign that an autistic individual needs more support. Support can include accommodations at work and school, changes to their environment, therapy, peer support groups, or medication for co-occurring anxiety and/or depression. The goal of these interventions shouldn’t be to reduce stimming, but to reduce stressors in their life that are hurting their long-term wellbeing.

Stimming is a valuable regulatory tool, and the relationship autistic people have with stimming is one thing that makes us unique. For neurotypical people, understanding stimming is a necessary part of celebrating neurodiversity, supporting the neurodivergent people in your life, and reducing biases you may have around autistic behaviors. This is especially critical for educators, employers, and any community leaders, who have the opportunity to create more inclusive spaces for neurodivergent people where stimming has typically been discouraged or reprimanded.

‍

For neurodivergent people, if stimming behaviors are putting you in harm’s way, or signaling underlying chronic distress, neurodiversity affirming therapy is an essential resource. Prosper Health’s therapists can help autistic individuals dig deeper into the root causes of self-destructive stimming, and develop intervention strategies for future occurrences. An affirming therapist won’t focus on “behavior reduction” approaches to autism, which center the comfort of other people rather than the wellbeing of an autistic person. Rather, Prosper Health therapists understand why we stim, and meet patients with support while prioritizing and collaborating with each individual’s goals around safety and mental health. Prosper Health’s strengths-based, affirming approach can also help those of us who are working on or exploring unmasking, and hoping to become more comfortable with stimming the way we want and need to.