Does anyone on the spectrum do this too? Or is it just my habit?

[Jena]

Okay so I have a extremely bad habit at picking fur off of stuffed animals and my dog (it doesn't hurt him dw he still got plenty of fur on him no bald spots at all double coat). Anyways I am despreatly trying to stop this habit. My fingers start really hurting and the skin around the nail peals a little bit when I do it too much.
I notice I get a satisfication feeling when I pick off fur off of my stuffed animals (especially in the clump type), it's soothing and satisfiying to me But damanging my 303 stuffed animals. I love my stuffed animals, and everytime I do this I feel guilt and horrible cause I don't wanna do it to them. I can't find anything on picking fur off of stuffed animals online, and wondering if anyone else does this and get a satisfiying feel to it or is it just me? I really do not know how to stop this, everytime I feel a little bump in the plush I get anxious and need to pull it. Not sure if this is a Asperger's thing or not, or if it's something else entirely? Or just a bad habit???Like okay I'll be doing it for hours on end.... and then I'll finally realize I am doing it and stop only to resume on a different stuffed animal. I really do not know what to do.

P.S no giving up my plush is not a option I have big attachment to them

 

[ZebraAutismo]

Have you tried sensory toys like a tangle or stress ball to give your hands something else to do.

 

[Jena]

Have you tried sensory toys like a tangle or stress ball to give your hands something else to do.

I have a squishy spaggehti thing that I use but I forget to take it upstairs with me and doesn't give me the satisfying feel of picking fur out, and I have a panda stress ball squishy thing and I been using that alot, and I have one of those snake figet thingys (not sure what it's name is call but they are very popular) the issue is I keep forgetting to bring them up with me to use

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I have a squishy spaggehti thing that I use but I forget to take it upstairs with me and doesn't give me the satisfying feel of picking fur out, and I have a panda stress ball squishy thing and I been using that alot, and I have one of those snake figet thingys (not sure what it's name is call but they are very popular) the issue is I keep forgetting to bring them up with me to use

What about something like this Mermaid Sequin Slapband | Smiggle you can just keep on. I’ve got one to stop me scratching my wrists.

 

[Jena]

What about something like this Mermaid Sequin Slapband | Smiggle you can just keep on. I’ve got one to stop me scratching my wrists.

oh that looks interesting, does it itch though? I am sensitive to those type of textures cause it looks like sequience and stuff like that may cause me to be uncomfterble unless it's only on one side or something? But that sounds like a good idea.

 

[ZebraAutismo]

oh that looks interesting, does it itch though? I am sensitive to those type of textures cause it looks like sequience and stuff like that may cause me to be uncomfterble unless it's only on one side or something? But that sounds like a good idea.

It’s only one side the other side is a non itchy soft material.

 

[Jena]

It’s only one side the other side is a non itchy soft material.

oh yay! Then I will deffintly check that one out then thanks

 

[Tom]

Sounds like a Stim to me. Those can be tough to change. I looked around and liked this option. Every time you catch yourself doing it just bop yourself in the face with this boxing glove device.

Just kidding.

 

[Dillon]

Yes, I get in the habit sometimes in pulling out my dogs clumped hair but gently since I don’t want to hurt him. I like to pick pieces of material off of carpets.

 

[onlything]

Not exactly what you described but I tend to scratch things around me, mostly my own skin. It's not as damaging to my hands as other parts of my body, especially face. Yep, bad habits.

 

[pjcnet]

I've never had that particular habit, but when I was still in school and education I used to bite pens to the extent where I eventually eat most of them little by little until there wasn't much left, I only don't do this even today because I don't use pens too often any more since virtually everything is done on a PC, but even NTs sometimes have this habit so I doubt it's autistm related.

When I used to concentrate as a child, mainly when I used to play chess for Birmingham as well as in other very serious high level tournaments before I was introduced to computers at the age of 10 in 1979 when this took over as my special interest, I used to place my hands around my forehead to form a type of shield around my eyes so I could only see forward and down towards the board, but I used to also subconsciously bore a hole with my nails into the middle of my head that would often bleed, I was constantly walking around with a nasty looking wound in the middle of my forehead that would sometimes be scabbed over if I hadn't played for a little while and then I'd bore back into it again next time I played. I wasn't purposely self harming, it was purely a habit that for some reason helped me concentrate, it was kind of sore, but strangely the feeling was almost therapeutic. It was a rather odd habit and I really don't know whether it was autism related.

 

[Judge]

Stims. It's what we do!

 

[SplendidSnail]

I pull my eyebrows out - does that count?

 

[WittyAspie]

I used to so this to one of my stuffed bears as a kid. It’s something my mom has pointed out numerous times. I recently found the bear in my mom’s attic. This thing isn’t just missing a tail, it is practically bald. I loved nearly all its hair off. I have heard of other kids rubbing off tails or carrying a stuffed animal around until it is dingy and needs to be replaced, but I took it to the extreme. It hardly looks like a teddy bear anymore.

 

[OlLiE]

put together puzzles instead?

 

[Progster]

I have a labrador that moults a lot in summer, and it is soooo satisfying to pull the hair out, but she doesn't like it, so I don't, I use a grooming brush instead which she tolerates.

I pick at scabs and skin on my lips and face, which is something I really, really want to stop doing.

 

[Suzanne]

I do it with my hair. I find it incredably smoothing to run my hand through my hair and getting loose hairs. If I see hair on other people's clothes, I have to pick it off, which often results in me apologising to them.

My hair is not thick, but there are no bald patches, so it really is loose hair that I am loving to pick off.

Have to be careful, because hubby finds it irritating, but that is great, as it halts me from continuing as I could sit for hours doing it.

 

[Mary Terry]

NTs have stims, too, not just people with ASD. They nibble on pens and pencils, jiggle their legs, chew fingernails, pull or twist their hair, play with rubber bands, pull off the little balls of yarn that form on sweaters, keep marbles or worry beads in their pockets, jingle loose coins in their pockets, and all kinds of other things. Maybe NTs are better able to disguise it or control it when they get older, but they definitely have stims to calm themselves down, too. It's not just an aspie thing.

I had a paralegal who kept a cigarette light in her pocket and constantly "scrolled" the little wheel on the lighter that makes the spark that ignites the fuel with her thumb. One night she was sitting at a bar with friends while wearing a fuzzy acrylic sweater and scrolling her lighter in the sweater pocket. All of a sudden her sweater burst into flames, the bartender leaped over the top of the bar and rolled her on the floor to put out the flames. That pretty much cured her of doing it in her pocket. LOL.

Have you thought about getting a plush furry toy to use exclusively for your stim so you won't use your other stuffed animals or dog? It could be dedicated to solely to that purpose and you could throw it away and get another one when it is bald.

 

[Gekko2508]

I don't pick fur off, but I pick at my skin, and bite my nails and skin around that. Can't, for the love of my life, stop it. Good luck with your anti-fur-picking quest, pass on the knowledge!

 

[Cogitatio]

I bite my nails. Its simply (as I understand it) anxiety relief. I also cannot stop biting my nails and sometimes its to the extent I have no nail left on some fingers. My girlfriend calls it self-harm (which I suppose it is) but I cannot stop and to want to do it, but not do it, increases my anxiety hugely. So picking fur off cuddly toys sounds a nicer option than bleeding fingers lol. All I would suggest is don't try stopping as the stopping is far worse an experience. But maybe that's just me.