Contents:
- Medical Video: Autism Signs
- What is stimming?
- What is the stimming behavior in autism like?
- How do you overcome stimming behavior?
Medical Video: Autism Signs
Autism, which has a full name autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurological development disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, social interaction, and behave. Those who have autism tend to show stimming behavior. What is stimming in autism? Here's the explanation.
What is stimming?
Stimming, as reported by the health siteVerrywell, com and Healthline, stands for self-stimulating behavior aka behavior that is intentionally done to give stimuli to certain senses. This stimming behavior refers to body movements, moving objects, and repeating words or sentences repeatedly. This behavior is common in someone who has autism. Stimming itself can cover all senses including vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and balance and movement.
Some studies have shown that stimming can stimulate the nerves and provide pleasure responses from the release of certain chemicals in the brain, these compounds are called beta-endorphins. Beta-endorphins in the central nervous system are responsible for producing dopamine which is known to increase the sensation of pleasure.
Another theory states that stimming can help stimulate the sensory system. There are also opinions that say that stimming in autism has a calming effect and provides comfort. Stimming in autism occurs when they feel an emotion such as excitement, happiness, boredom, stressed out, fear, and anxiety.
What is the stimming behavior in autism like?
Following is the stimming behavior of austism that is often done:
- Nail biting
- Playing hair by making circular movements using fingers
- Putting knuckles or joints together
- Tapping your finger on the table or the surface of any object
- Tapping a pencil
- Wiggle legs
- Whistle
- Snapping fingers
- Jump and spin
- Pacing or walking tiptoe
- Pulling hair
- Repeat certain words or sentences
- Rub or scratch the skin
- Flashing repeatedly
- Like to stare at a lamp or a rotating object like a fan
- Lick, rub, or caress certain objects
- Sniff people or objects
- Rearrange certain objects, such as spoons and forks at the dining table
Those who have autism can spend hours arranging toys rather than playing their toys. For example, sorting cars from the largest size to small or based on certain color patterns. Repetitive behavior also involves feelings of obsession or "preoccupation" with certain objects.
The dangerous stimming behavior in autism is:
- Repeated head banging.
- Punching or biting.
- Rub or scratching the skin excessively.
- Scraping or gouging wounds.
- Swallowing dangerous items.
How do you overcome stimming behavior?
Although stimming in autism is rarely dangerous, there are several reasons why you should control stimming behavior in autism. It's easier to control stimming behavior in autism if you know the reason.
Their behavior is a form of communication they do, so understanding what they are trying to convey is an important part. So what should you do? Here are some simple things you can do.
- The first thing you can do is remember the situation or condition before stimming behavior occurs to find out what triggered this stimming behavior.
- Do what you can to eliminate or reduce the triggers of stimming behavior such as reducing stress and providing a calming and comfortable environment.
- Try making routines a daily task.
- Avoid penalties for controlling behavior, this is not recommended. If you stop one stimming behavior without overcoming the cause, they will still do the stimming behavior just in a different way and this may be worse.
- Teach something else instead of stimming behavior. For example, squeezing the ball which is commonly used to stimulate motor activity.
- Talk about stimming behavior in autism with a specialist who handles this to find out the cause of stimming behavior. When the cause is known, you can get the advice needed to control behavior.
- Quickly respond if stimming behavior is done is dangerous, for example stabbing the tip of a pencil into his own body.
