StimmingMoving in the same way over and over again. Everyone stims, but autistic people stim more than other people. is moving in the same way over and over again. People stim for all sorts of reasons. We stim to help balance out our senses, show how we feel, or focus on things. Stimming can help us feel better, and it’s also a great way to have fun.
There are a lot of ways to stim, and here are a few examples:
- Rocking back and forth
- Flapping your hands
- Rubbing soft things on your face or body
- Humming, grunting, mumbling, moaning, or singing
- Spinning things or holding objects in front of your eyes
Almost anything can be a stim! People stim in different ways. One person might like rocking back and forth, while another person might like spinning around instead.
Non-autistic people stim too! For example, clicking a pen or tapping your foot is stimming. Everyone stims, but autistic people stim more than other people. Sometimes, we choose to stim because it helps us, and other times, we can’t control how or when we stim.
Sometimes non-autistic people say that stims are too distracting. They say that if you stim, you shouldn’t get to be around other people. These people are wrong! We should get to do the same things as other people. It doesn’t matter what our body is doing.
Autistic people with all kinds of jobs stim. Autistic people stim at home, at school, on the street, and in movie theaters. Autistic people have stimmed in the White House! No one should ever force you to stop stimming.