arthurfakaya
Well-Known Member
Hi, I've been thinking about the fact that I don't appear to have any typical autistic stimming behaviour. I figured perhaps that as I slipped through the AS detection net growing up that I have subconsciously adapted to survive in the NT world. Displaying typical stimming behaviour would have either alerted others to my condition or would have targeted me as atypical (to bullies).
I'm figuring that perhaps my extreme social anxiety led me to subconsciously curtail stimming, or direct it into socially-acceptable or undetectable gestures/behaviours. I'm wondering if stimming is something that people can have any control over, or if it's completely subconscious (like a tic or tourettes).
I'm also wondering whether fist clenching (which I only recently became consciously aware of doing whenever I am in a social / public situation) could count as stimming. It is something that is undetectable to other people as I walk along the street. The only other things I'm conscious of doing is flicking my ear and what I'd describe as strumming my nose with all my knuckles of one hand, something I picked up at an early age from my oldest brother. It's not something I've ever seen anyone else do. Oh, and I chew my fingernails, and as an infant I sucked my thumb; what I'm sure are indications of anxiety. All these behaviours appear to provide some comfort to me in social situations, but they're not your typical hand-flapping, for instance. Would you consider them to be stimming? Have I evolved socially-acceptable stimming, or am I overanalysing my behaviour?:S
I'm figuring that perhaps my extreme social anxiety led me to subconsciously curtail stimming, or direct it into socially-acceptable or undetectable gestures/behaviours. I'm wondering if stimming is something that people can have any control over, or if it's completely subconscious (like a tic or tourettes).
I'm also wondering whether fist clenching (which I only recently became consciously aware of doing whenever I am in a social / public situation) could count as stimming. It is something that is undetectable to other people as I walk along the street. The only other things I'm conscious of doing is flicking my ear and what I'd describe as strumming my nose with all my knuckles of one hand, something I picked up at an early age from my oldest brother. It's not something I've ever seen anyone else do. Oh, and I chew my fingernails, and as an infant I sucked my thumb; what I'm sure are indications of anxiety. All these behaviours appear to provide some comfort to me in social situations, but they're not your typical hand-flapping, for instance. Would you consider them to be stimming? Have I evolved socially-acceptable stimming, or am I overanalysing my behaviour?:S