Does stimming decrease as kids with asd get older?

[Noskcaj86]

Hi, Im asking mainly out if interest if anyone has noticed they stim less than they used to? My son is stimming less, and his stimms have also changed over time. At 18 months he rocked (sitting) for hours, banging his hands down in front of him every time he rocked forwards. He never does this anymore, it faded away. But new stimms replaced it, hand flapping, finger twiddling and tongue clicking... All of these seem to be happening less and less. Although they are still noticable to others, such as teacher at school has mentioned he makes a clicking noise a lot. But just wondered if anyone else had noticed stimms getting less of disapering/changing to new stimms?

 

Sorry for spelling mistaked, key board has a few keys missing :/

[Lyndalou]

Instead of the word 'stim', I now replace it with 'soothing behaviours' since I read that description written by an adult on the spectrum. i think it also then makes it clear what 'stimming' is all about.

 

So in essence, in order to soothe or calm yourself you do something that is able to achieve this. People in general do all sorts of things to calm themselves when they feel anxious or bored; pen tapping, 'ssteepling' the hands or twirling hair. My thoughts are that people on the spectrum simply do these things more frequently and often more noticeably.

 

I think soothing behaviours can change a lot although a person may keep returning to something that keeps them calm the best. I bite the inside of my mouth and have done this since childhood and as a child I sucked and twirled my hair and bit my nails. I twirled, jumped and swung a lot. These days I'm much more likely to 'ping' my fingernails, crack my knuckles and when I'm sitting I jiggle one leg. I found myself while reading my son's bedtime story to him last night, lying on my stomach kind of not really knowing what to do with my legs so I read the story jiggling my legs up and down the whole time!

[justine1]

Instead of the word 'stim', I now replace it with 'soothing behaviours' since I read that description written by an adult on the spectrum. i think it also then makes it clear what 'stimming' is all about.

 

So in essence, in order to soothe or calm yourself you do something that is able to achieve this. People in general do all sorts of things to calm themselves when they feel anxious or bored; pen tapping, 'ssteepling' the hands or twirling hair. My thoughts are that people on the spectrum simply do these things more frequently and often more noticeably.

 

I think soothing behaviours can change a lot although a person may keep returning to something that keeps them calm the best. I bite the inside of my mouth and have done this since childhood and as a child I sucked and twirled my hair and bit my nails. I twirled, jumped and swung a lot. These days I'm much more likely to 'ping' my fingernails, crack my knuckles and when I'm sitting I jiggle one leg. I found myself while reading my son's bedtime story to him last night, lying on my stomach kind of not really knowing what to do with my legs so I read the story jiggling my legs up and down the whole time!

Excellent post

 

Both my boys have very different stims and they have interchanged over the years. I have found that communication and stimming is also linked so prehaps they appear to do it more when younger as they cannot communicate as well as an older child,also boredom plays a role in that a baby cannot walk and get a toy to occupy themselves but when they older they can.

 

Everything above is very accurate for my boys. When Sam is stressed or angry he will cause himself pain, the biting inside the cheeks is very common with him and picking scabs over and over. When he is happy he makes lots of noise,not talking just noise, and jumps around. It looks like he is doing martial arts or boxing, like from console games. He can do this for hours if he is left to it. It does'nt bother us,you can see he is content and thats what matters. So I do think by knowing the difference between a positive and negative stim it can help,and then you will understand the increase and decrease.

[Noskcaj86]

i also bite ther insides of my cheeks, a lot, till they bleed sometimes i wish i could stop but it is calming to me too. jack doesnt do this but he does lots of hand flapping, twiddling hands, and clicking. I do wonder why he stopped rocking when he used to do it so much. I find it interesting watching his stimming, ive asked him why he does it but he cant tell me. Maybe when hes older he will be able to explain why he does it. I see no harm in it, i wouldnt stop him doing it because i think it makes him happy.

[Noskcaj86]

If i am NT and I bite the inside of my mouth and jiggle my leg, twiddle my hair, are these stimms too? Do NT people stim but its maybe less obvious and often than hand flapping and rocking with asd? I find it really interesting, want to learn more!

[Isobel]

I still do strange movements with my fingers, don't know if you can see in this picture but I can see the movements I do.

[Noskcaj86]

I see what you mean, my son does this with his fingers too a lot, is this also stimming?

[Lyndalou]

Thanks Justine

 

I would reckon that finger movements are some kind of 'stim'. I quite often do 'twiddly' movements like playing the piano and as my fingers bend backwards I used to love freaking out my brother and sister by doing this

[Mannify]

I do lots. They used to annoy my mum a lot throughout my childhood and I do exactly the same ones still. I stroke between my fingers in sequence, and then the palms of my hands with my thumbs, often followed by my wrists. I trace around my cuticles with my nails. If my hands are cold I touch either side of my eye with my little and wring fingers, and then I make like I'm wiping my eye, coz I do this in public. I twiddle my hair around my fingers in turn, which requires me to have my arm over my head. If I have a pen, I trace in between my fingers and around my cuticles, and sometimes get inky. If I'm reading I bend the back page back and flick it with my four fingers - I like to achieve a certain tone. I sometimes shake my leg rapidly and repetitively. I shake my right hand and pace if I'm nervous. Like Lynda, I bite my cheek, and I alsolike to stick my bottom tooth to the plaque behind my top front tooth.

 

There are probably others I haven't thought of right now. When I consider it I'm nearly always doing one of these, but some are more obvious than others.

[Isobel]

yep its stimming, its something I can't help doing.

[sesley]

i twiddle with my hair when i am anxious my son with asd,jumps up and down,flapping is arms when he gets excited his little sayings and flapping seemed to have disappeared now he is 13,but he still walks on his toes and his feet turned in.

Edited December 19, 2012 by sesley

[Noskcaj86]

thanx sesley. Jack's only 4 but has stimming has got less since he was 18 mths, although if the finger positioning is a stim then its not really less, its just not as obvious as the rocking/flapping.