Jan 11 2009
Stimming
“Stimming” or self-stimulating behavior is a very common quirk among autistic children. Gus is no different. As we were eating dinner last night, I noticed something that he does all the time, especially when eating, and that I usually tune out: he hums. It’s not the only stimming behavior he has, and honestly one of the least disruptive for me, but for the first time in a long time I paid attention to it and started thinking about stimming in general.
Stimming is often a means of self-soothing and/or a means of getting a sensory need met. Some common behaviors that are often mentioned in the media are hand-flapping, spinning, or crashing into things. Humming can be another. I think, for Gus, when he’s tired and less able to filter out noises that disturb him, the humming seems to act as a white noise. He also carries on an endless chatter at times, and I think this is another stimming behavior that doesn’t quiet the noises around him, but helps to quiet some of his internal noise.
Many times, these behaviors are discouraged and in some cases all but forced out of the individual, and as I was listening to Gus’s little ‘food tune,’ I had to ask myself: why? I suppose if we were in public, it might annoy someone, but at the same time, he might get annoyed by people talking too loudly, but I can’t tell them to stop. I can certainly understand the need to teach him appropriate times and places for certain behaviors, but I don’t see how just stamping them out completely is useful to him. Sure he can’t talk to himself in class, but when he’s home, why not?
Should we remove these behaviors or simply provide alternate means of soothing/sensory input at certain times and just let our kids be at other times? I know my own answer to that - I’m perfectly fine with the ‘food tune,’ but what do you think?
For more information on sensory seeking behavior, see my post on Proprioception and Sensory Integration.
I also have a son with aspergers syndrome. Justin is 12 yrs old a very quiet pre-teen. Who is a 7th grader in Jr. High. My main concern is that the kids at his school has started seeing him as an “easy target”. Justin won’t tell on these kids because he doesn’t want to get people in trouble. He is such a kind hearted boy and wouldn’t even hurt a fly. How can I get him to understand that what these kids are doing to him is very wrong and he needs to get help from an adult to put a stop to this once and for all? Please somebody help me and tell me what I should do as a parent!
As an OT, we look at the basis behind the stimming — if it is meeting a need but isn’t “socially appropriate” we attempt to find other ways to meet the need. Your example of humming as a white noise to avoid distraction may be met just as easily with earphones and “white noise” music. Is it ok for him to hum at home? Probably. Will he be a “target” if he hums at school? Maybe. Can he utilize headphones at school to decrease the humming when around others?