What an increase in stimming may mean for your current autism treatment

What an increase in stimming may mean for your current autism treatment

While parents work to find effective treatments for autism, many of the common symptoms their children show persist. In most cases this often involves some form of “stimming”. stimming is an extremely common autism symptom that involves certain repetitive behaviors or movements. These behaviors are self-stimulating and consist of repetitive behaviors performed to stimulate the senses. Examples of stimming include clapping, circling, humming, or manipulating objects (e.g., bending straws or tearing paper).

Although stimming behaviors may seem unnecessary or even inappropriate for some situations, they are not performed to attract attention or disrupt. Instead, stimming behaviors are often used to reduce the stress of the child performing them. Because autism causes children to respond atypically to sensory stimuli, they often use stimming to resolve their sensory issues.

Rocking is another type of stimming behavior that is common in autistic children. Many autistic children find that moving back and forth can help them regain a sense of focus when they feel overly sensitive to the stimuli in their environment. It can also help with concentration and focus.

Although it is more obvious in autistic children, non-autistic children and adults also engage in forms of stimming. Consider how many times you have seen someone drumming their fingers, typing a pencil, fidgeting with paper, or bouncing one knee while sitting. Anxiety tends to worsen these behaviors. Although behaviors such as nail biting or whistling are often performed involuntarily, they help us maintain control over our emotions and calm ourselves in tense situations. Because children with autism typically find stressors in more stimuli in their environment, they often "stim" on a regular basis throughout the day, especially when placed in a new environment.

If you notice that your child's stimming level is increasing in line with the introduction of new or more frequent treatments, it could be for a number of reasons.

1. They look for security when learning something new

2. The situation is stressful for them and they retreat to what they are familiar with - the stimulating behavior

3. They do not like the change in their routine that introduces the new or increased frequency of treatment.

Of course, these reasons are not the only ones. The key, however, is to monitor behavior and determine whether stimming decreases, continues to increase, or decreases over the course of the treatment program.

It's also important to remember that stimming behaviors can turn into obsessions. When identifying characteristics for treating autism, divide your child's stimming into two groups: arousal and calming.

Calming stimming helps your autistic child regain focus when they are feeling stress or anxiety. On the other hand, arousing stimming directs your child's focus in a negative direction.

An example of exciting stimming might be when an autistic child is wound up and instead of smiling and giggling, they start clapping, running, or screaming. This can be detrimental to behavior as it encourages behaviors that may be inappropriate and not conducive to effective learning.

stimming can also be an attachment to certain objects. Although most young children often have a favorite toy such as a doll or blanket, autistic children may have difficulty giving up their attachment to that object. It can be something they enjoy smelling, looking at, hearing, or touching.

stimming can also take the form of organizing things. For example, an autistic child may stimulate themselves by arranging, arranging, or stacking things. This, like other stimming behaviors, can easily become an obsession.

stimming habits can be very difficult to break because they are often relaxing, enjoyable, and provide a coping mechanism for an autistic child. As a parent, you must decide what stimming behavior is acceptable, both in terms of the action itself and its frequency. Remember that trying to stop stimming can be very stressful for your child. So focus on the behaviors that are exciting or inappropriate and leave the calming or harmless activities alone.

If you are considering autism treatment for your child, make sure the doctor or specialist is aware of any of your child's stimming behaviors so that they can be properly treated. Keep in mind that stimming often varies from one form of autism to the next.

Inspired by Rachel Evans