✨ Looking for new stim-friendly items, like some of those mentioned in the video? Here’s a list to get you started: chrisanddebby.mykajabi.com/pl/2148303953

I practice conversations out loud. I don't know if it is stimming, but it helps me feel more regulated.

Discovering my autism at 30, I realized after years of being 'judged' for stimming, ive subconsciously switched to 'feet flapping' as I call it. Since they're hidden in your shoes a lot, you can freely move and wiggle your toes without anyone noticing! I now go full scale feet flapping, and have added many alternatives, but makes much more sense now!

I didn’t even notice that I quietly say “boop” when setting something on the counter or handing something to a coworker until recently, and then I noticed that my other neurodivergent coworker has picked it up and started doing it too, which makes me incredibly happy, especially when we do it at the same time

I've found that autistic individuals with strong affinity for echolalia can excel in foreign language learning as far as pronunciation. Once attuned to the shapes and feelings and audial quality of making the sounds, we can mimic native speaker pronunciation.

i'm crying at this intro because i noticed the cream on your face and after you sat down i just accepted it as some kind of face mask chat or something and even as you said you got everything done without needing any reminders i believed you 🤣

My youngest son who has been diagnosed started humming from birth. I know how it sounds. I had to point it out to the nurses and then they were like, hmm strange” I never thought about that before. He only did it the first few days. He now has a bunch of different stims. I am late diagnosed and have 3 children with autism and I absolutely adore their excited hand flapping, spinning, and jumping because the joy is so real and palpable that I join in. They are the sunshine of my life.

I often imitate sounds around me. “Talk” back to animals, “honk” in response to cars, and so on. Is that echolalia or something else?

The compulsion to organize, align, group up, etc is strong and incredibly soothing 🤷‍♀️

I also bite the inside of my lips, make rythyms with my teeth, eat ice cubes, listen to very complex music or fast music, I taught myself to cut my hair so I don’t have to go to the barber (it’s a simple haircut with a #1 comb attachment), I like to look at complex machinery and try to understand it! I do a lot more things but I would be here writing until next week!!

Me watching this video out of curiosity only for it to be too relatable and leave me questioning my entire existence

My dude just single handedly explained why I collect pretty things, especially rocks, and organize them over and over on shelves. Then sit and stare at them for hours. Probably while humming/singing or making noises with my mouth. Idk how to feel about this.

Listenning to a song over and over and over and over...for hours or days Touching my face around the mouth or rubbing my scalp Fidgeting with the tip of my fingers Folding a bit of paper over and over until it's a stick, then trying to fold the stick tight as well, and then just fidget with the rolled thing

visual stim for me is looking at patterns 0n floors ,walls,and ceilings when i get overwhelmed

This word, "stimming," is less than a week old for me. I have suspected for well over a decade that I might be a bit autistic. This awareness came after attending one of Temple Grandin's talks while living in Fort Collins. Everything she said deeply resonated with me. I felt conflicted about that because I was made fun of for being different, slower, shy, and in my head. No one cared when i voiced this observation, not even my best friend at the time who worked with autistic adults. I was actually accused of wanting to be autistic because it was suddenly cool. It wasn't. I was tormented as a kid by other kids who relentlessly called me a retard. They called out on all of these stimming activities you mentioned as proof of my retaredness. I was even in special Ed for speech therapy. It was awful. I wanted so badly to be normal and likable. I was forced to stop behaviors and learn new ones in order to be more normal. Even then, I could never pass. I was just a fake. In high school. I had to make drastic changes to my social life. Only then, did I begin to pass as normal. Until I had to jump.states and live with my dad. Then all the social awkwardness returned until I could figure out the masking thing all over again. I am fifty-two now, and I live alone. Since being on my own, many behaviors I had growing up have begun to return. Things I felt super self-conscious about. Most of these are in your top ten. I had forgotten about some of them, like running the ends of my hair across my face. As soon as you said this, I did it. And it felt SO GOOD. Which reminded me of something else I used to do all the time. Paint my nails. I learned to paint my nails for the love of color, like a normal person. What I actually loved, however, was the way those painted nails felt when dragging them across my lips. It was so calming. I want to go out and buy some clear polish now. Something I haven't told anyone in a very long time was something I do in my head in the car. My one and only confession left me feeling exceptionally stupid, and so I have kept it to myself. In order to make drives feel shorter, I would count all of the metal posts along the sides of the road. In addition to that, I would also fold and squeeze my toes while squeezing my fingertips together as we passed each one of these posts. I also did it with divided lines between lanes. If I missed one, I would actually feel anxious. I actually still do this when I am a passenger. Sometimes, I will even count them. As a kid, we would watch trains pass through town and count the cars. I still do this, especially if they are long and I am trying to get somewhere. It helps me not stress over time. It puts me in a bit of a trance. I don't know if this is normal or not. I have never asked anyone. Anyway, thank you for this video. It has helped me to remember a lot of the things that were beaten or bullied out of me when I was young. Now that I don't care so much about fitting in anymore, many of these things you mentioned are making their way back. I don't feel the need to hide them.

singing is absolutely the best stim

I like to watch the way the light plays in the falling rain on a puddly city street at night, it's so sparkly but it's so calming. I can stare at it for hours. It's like a meditation sometimes.

Just recently diagnosed with asd1 and adhd at age 49. I think this might fall under echolalia, but I visualize and replay select scenes from movies and tv shows in my head over and over. They’re from my childhood and teenage years. UKposts is such a great resource for media so I’ve searched for those 30+ yr old video clips and rewatched the scenes that I had kept repeating in my head for decades. I have been surprised to find my memory is a carbon copy.

I spin. Not around in circles, but take fiber and turn it into yarn/string. The spindle going round and round with the fiber twisting makes me excessively happy.

I hope you thank Debby ever day. Some of us don't have a Debby... and a Debby would be nice.

The “shy” segment made me laugh out loud - “she’s going to know how shy I am” 🥺💞

Some of my happiest times is watching stuff. Not TV, but drapes moving in the wind, the reflection of pool water on the ceiling, staring at the stars. I too have that neck cramp, frequently. I have a chair now and try to remind myself not to get lost when taking out the trash late at night, but it's just so danged... amazing, soothing, reassuring.

I stim by rubbing my fingers and hand with my other hand. I also scratch and pick at my skin in order to sleep or calm down. I love visual stimming, especially if it’s glittering or shiny.

One of the ways I stim is knitting. I also doodle lot if I can’t knit. When I was child I loved to swing in playground.

Pressure: scrunching toes, squeezing finger tips, big solid hugs, etc.

As a newly self-diagnosed autistic, I am still discovering things I have done all my life that have actually been stims the whole time. I do a lot of small things but the main ones are rubbing my nails, rubbing my face and particularly my nose, rubbing and twirling strands of hair, clicking my teeth, singing, petting soft things like stuffies, and tensing my leg muscles. I have also just started figuring out what stim toys/tools I like, and so far my faves are the dimple, tangle, and the marble in mesh.

Huh this video explains a lot .. I've always loved watching tires spin on cars, and stirring coffee.. Starring at the stars at night.. Watching certain things moving.. singing / humming, fidgeting, pacing, rubbing / scratching / rocking etc.. so many of these ways to stim .. I guess stimming in ways I never knew were stimming..

Anyone else use crocheting as a stim? I find that crochet when overwhelmed or anxious along with rocking and humming at the same time lol helps alot. I really enjoy counting and numbers but I am horrible at math and still count on my fingers

Me too I pace a lot. When stressed or excited or just thinking, it feels good to b moving, helps the mind it feels like. I hate to have to stay still while on the phone, always pace

My favorite vocal stim is repeating "okay, alright" over and over and over. I've been made fun of and a lot of people don't understand. But there's something about repeating those two words, especially when I'm anxious, that helps me. It feels like playing catch with myself. Passing the words back and forth with myself. It may not make sense to others, but but makes me feel good

I find myself rocking back n forth sometimes too but I cant pinpoint what brings it on. I feel very peaceful though.

I love the exaggerated, scripted joke at the beginning. It made my day. I subscribed because of it... I need more of the funny in my life.

Pinwheels were my favorite when I was a kid. The noise, visuals of spinning, breathing , and shiny colors met so many needs. Best ever!

As you described how saying "shy" has to FEEL exactly right, like it's not about just saying it but about getting the word into that "place" that precisely "does it" for you, I immediately related and, in my own way, knew exactly what you were talking about. It's like the feeling I need to get from bringing the corner of my gaze into union with the corner of some exterrnal object. It's not about simply seeing something, not at all. There's something you're viscerally compelled to make HAPPEN by seeing. Like you are viscerally compelled to make that thing happen that comes from manifesting "shy" just the way it needs to come out.

At work and at home I have a very bouncy stool behind my desk (a Swopper) and I'm bouncing constantly. I love the feeling so much, just thinking about it makes me happy! And I have a few glass objects with flat surfaces in my window sill; everytime the sun shines on them, there are little rainbows all over my room. I love watching the rainbows.

I love to stare at the night sky. I can see the red or blue tint of each star and can see each star “blink” or “pulsate”. It’s like I can’t look away 😩

Autistic stimming + non-autistic stimming ! So interesting to understand ! I believe i am a non-autistic adult who stims a lot (!!) due to : a predisposition to chronic muscle pain xx I am pain free since i started to stim regularly + found the diet that works for me (removed my allergens + heal the gut.) + take magnesium and vit. Bs + yoga (gentle stretching) and nutritious movement. I am looking forward to learn more about the other types of stimming! 😊

It made me happy to hear you talk about getting your hair cut and what an uncomfortable experience it can be. I've never understood why I don't like getting my hair cut. I have long hair not so much because I like it long, but because I don't like to get it cut. I had no idea this was a common thing for autistic people. I've only recently realized I'm probably autistic and this is just one more reason to think I'm right. I have an assessment scheduled for next week but I'm already pretty sure of what the results will be.

When I was in primary school (in England) I went to a planetarium where there are stars 360° above your head. I didn't like it and I cried. Now I love anything visually stimulating my favourite is rain falling on the floor or in puddles and the ripples it makes

Me too with handflapping with excitement. When I got bafly teased for it as a teen, I learned to stop it.

I sort of combine stims. Most days I wear a ring especially if I’m going out to do things that stress me. When I start to feel overwhelmed I will use my thumb to wiggle the ring and it makes me feel more grounded. If I’m wearing a ring with a sparkly gemstone I will get lost in just watching it sparkle as my thumb wiggles it. Without a ring my thumb just brushing back and forth where a ring usually is will help. As a little girl I had hair long enough to sit on. Taking little bit of it and brushing my face or lips was a constant, as was putting it in my mouth and twirling it with my tongue. Right up until the moment a teacher said if I was going to “eat” in class I had to share it with everyone. You can imagine how horrific the thought of everyone crowding around and putting their mouths on my hair was. To this day the thought makes me gag. Never put it in my mouth again. Instead I twirled it on my finger…under the desk where no one could see!

I love spinning coins on the table. Also, I've been known, for years, when nobody's looking (I guess that means I haven't been known) to spin in my office chair. How can I express the feeling that spinning gives. It's like something at my most central, existential "gut" has come home, is right where it belongs, engaged and clicked into its...destiny. Both at rest and yet freely coursing with a paradoxically channeled "abandonment" somewhere. Don't ask me where. That's not the point. The point is just that the core of my being feels like it's hurtling wildly yet controlledly where it's supposed to be going and is totally centered in the midst of this whirl that's blanketing me. Another "stim" is my frequent need to fix the most acute angle of my gaze on the most acute angle of some corner somewhere. It's like an immediate hunger, a compelling need to make that contact, to feel that connection. It's like touching the "cornereness" of that angle with the "cornerness" of my gaze and the two corners meld into a single existential ecstasy of "cornerness."

I tap or bounce my foot or leg. All The Time. Once when I lived in an apartment on the third floor, my downstairs neighbor came up and knocked on my door and asked what all the pounding was. He said a photo fell off the wall downstairs! I was shocked. I had no idea it was making the apartment below vibrate like that. I made up some lame excuse and got rid of the neighbor and then was soooo embarrassed. I was also really stressed and wanted to go back to this stim, but I didn't dare! I twirl my pen or pencil a lot and have several fidget toys. My favorite stim is rubbing a certain kind of vintage blanket binding between my fingers, right along the edge. Sweet relief, and great while driving.

Debbie sounds like a gem. 💎

Gonna call it "textural vibration". Rubbing the flat faces of fingernails together, or hands, nails, keys over corduroy or coarse denim (with that micro-corduroy diagonal on the thighs). Makes hands buzzy :) Bonus: flapping items (not hands) - as a kid, twisting my body to feel the sleeves of the shirt tied around my waist, flapping those against my legs; gripping the edge of and shaking a needoh "donut" like I'm trying to reset an old mercury thermometer, so its "icing" flaps, or any action that creates a motion that could be summarized by "Wogga-Wogga".

As someone with self-diagnosed asd, my biggest stimming method is biting my nails. Everyone that doesn't know me much tells me I should have grown out of it by now, but every time I'm bored, in a stressful situation, or just generally want to, I bite my nails. I have been doing it forever and don't plan to stop.

I'm glad you mentioned scratching. I scratch a lot, usually my hands and arms. I may be itchy, I may not.

You had to know someone's (my) first introduction to the channel would be this intro and I'm here for it already

The merry go round was my favorite playground item. I’d almost always be on that or the rocking animals that some playgrounds had. I think it was me trying to get more spinning and rocking in in a socially acceptable method.

For me, mostly humming: basso continuo/basslines. For added effect, I do something or other internally with my ears (perhaps it's my Eustachian tubes) that allows the sound to resonate within my head, which I find much more soothing that just humming normally.

My youngest likes to organize at stores. It makes them feel useful and enjoy seeing the shelves neater.

I bought myself a NeeDoh Nice Cube, like that one and took it to work. Now, fully half the office has one. They are amazing!!!

Thats why I love the train, i just get to listen to stimmy music and crochet and look out the window, seeing the landscape fly. I could stare at it for hours. It makes me feel the calmest I can probably be :)

I raise and lower my toes rapidly in my shoes. I also chew on the insides of my cheeks. Both things are quiet, so no one can hear it. I’ve had people get on me for foot bouncing or more visible/audible stains, so I’ve found invisible ways to stim. However, I also rock back and forth when standing at church. I recently bought a roller and a scroller from ONO, and I love these! I do a lot of scripting, too. I rehearse conversations for past and upcoming interactions.

Whenever I have been super distressed to the point of too overwhelmed, I scratch my arms until they leave red marks cuz the bloodflow warms your arms up and that is soothing to me. To replicate this in a calmer and safer headspace, I would just make a cup of cocoa and then hold the mug, then press my warm palms against my arms and it helps soothe me in a safer way

Hair twirling is a big one for me. Always had been for as long as I can remember. Twirl it in my fingers, twist it in my fingers, twirl it around my nose, twirl it around my eye, paint my face, poke my face, tie it in knots, untie the knots, cut the knots out that I can't untie. People always notice.

i do a mixture of ALL of those stims on a daily basis, they resemble overwhelmed/distress or excitedness, glad to see good education :)

I used to spin a lot as a kid. I'd stand in the garden and spin round until I got so dizzy I'd fall over. Now it's mostly fidgeting with objects. I vape, and I'm convinced that's a stimming thing; I get as much comfort just holding it in my hand and playing with it as I do from the actual vaping. Oh, and the "shy" section reminded me of Kajagoogoo from the 1980s.

I love the feeling when you spread your hands wide and touch the surface of the bath water. Hands face down and flat. There is a really nice resistance. Also watching my ring under the water it shoots out little rays of light as i move it about. Baths are great!

Im new at this,a week or so, I didn't know I had this amazing gift,now I begin to understand why so many things in my life,it is an amazing gift that comes with a price to pay,but I can say it is worth it

You are an admirable ambassador to the world of autism.

I've always liked to spin tops, look through crystals, trip out on the cream swirling into the coffee, love kaleidoscopes and spirals...anything that's visual like that. The bath bomb sounds really cool. I'll have to try one. Also I repeat things I say back to myself in a different voice more often than I'd like to. When I was still working as a graphic designer, I found clicking the mouse and nudging with arrows very comforting on my stressful job.

I love your sense of humour 😂 For me, I knit a lot to keep my hands busy. I used to pick at my nails and the skin around them. I'm a finger tapper too. I roll my thumbs a lot when I'm reading and don't need to hold the book. I also bite my cheek too much when I'm concentrating, and it really annoys me when I realise I'm doing it. Lights bring me so much comfort and I have loads in my room. I had one of those sand pictures in my youth and recently saw one in a shop. It came home with me and I can't stop watching it. I'm always playing with and watching my daughter's bubble/gel toy, like the one you mentioned. When I'm reading I often stroke my nose and I find that wonderfully soothing. I've done it for years now. I love sitting on a swing and let it gently rock. I used to sit for hours on the one I had as a child. It's so nice to be able to say that these things I do are stimming and are perfectly normal now. I used to do other things, like hand flapping, but had a parent 'correct' me (I was slapped when I did it) in that activity at a very early age. Most of the things I did were seen as bad habits and I was regularly shamed for them. Now I know that even though they may be bad habits, they may also be because I was trying to self regulate in a world that I didn't understand. Thank you for doing your videos, they bring me so much pleasure xx

I got some mad echolalia-if I hear a line in a movie or video that sounds real nice, I have to repeat it under my breath. I love how different words, accents, or sounds feel in my mouth. I hum and sing constantly too. I also love to tap/jiggle my foot and sway. I grew up in a fairly strict household and was not allowed to be loud or rambunctious, but at church on Sundays I was allowed to sway and move my arms during the singing portion, and I only realized as an adult that that was less of the Holy Spirit guiding my worship time and more of a feeling of release because I was stimming and getting pent-up energy out.

I know this comment is a little late but I just found your channel and it made me feel so at home. Both my sons are diagnosed autistic and, as is often the case, learning about their autism has made me realize I might also be autistic or adhd. Anyway, my youngest son stims by jumping.....a lot. Especially when he's excited. He also stims by walking in a tight circle around me if we are waiting for something, like a line to get ice cream or something like that. He's only 11 so I know as he gets older those will probably morph into something else as those stims become less socially acceptable for his age, but I will miss them, because he always has so much joy when he's doing it. And when you were taking about the hair painting.....I was literally doing that all morning...just because I like it and I'm overwhelmed at home right now. I'm also an organizer when anxious or overwhelmed....so.....🤷😏 I remember doing it as a teenager when my parents would endlessly lecture me about whatever....lectures are stressful, but my bathroom was very tidy.

I have a very small dog who likes to sit with me, always. He is the object of my stimming. He gets scritches for hours on end. My other one is wiggling my toes. Like someone else said, no one sees it. And I rocked as a child.

Oooh my gosh that's why when I get stressed or excited I feel a need to run as fast as I can! Also I mow understand why I was the only one getting so excited at a view from the train that I was rushing to the window to get pictures and observe, and everyone was just sitting and watching quietly.... Thank you so much for helping me understand why I'm often the "odd one out" as you once said. And making me laugh too!!

So, all my life I have: Drummed my fingers (often to a tune or in a pattern) Fiddled with anything nearby (pulling strings out of furniture, tying knots, randomly messing with the leaves of a nearby potted plant, etc.) Absolutely LOVED beautiful gorgeous colorful patterns (and loved to color my own, in coloring books) Scratched when nervous/anxious Realised that sometimes I feel like I can think/imagine more freely when swinging on a swing or bicyclingj (this'd be a variation on the pacing/running one). I spun in circles like crazy as a kid. Still to this day sometimes copy animal sounds back at them (especially "talking back" to my cat. :P) And ORGANIZATION. Oh my god, I love it. First off, I love coloring, and I ALWAYS organize my new coloring materials by "rainbow order", first thing. I love the transitions from one "full" color into another and think the spectrum order looks "right" and pretty. Always loved rainbows, all my life. I also adore music, and have made MULTIPLE big long collections/playlists of songs I like--in chronological order, by decade. To the exact day sometimes. (Three of these playlists are here on UKposts. --Right now I'm making a big list of all the deities from all the different mythologies I can find. When I'm done compiling them, I'll organise them alphabetically by culture. Why? Because I CAN. :) --Dates (oldest/youngest/first/earliest etc.) Comparisons (how many people did this vs. that) --I once went through my "Choose Your Own Adventure" books and specifically kept tabs of how many endings each one had, and how many DEADLY endings each one had, to figure out which book was the "meanest"/most dangerous to the reader character. (I believe the "winner" of this experiement was "Through the Black Hole" by Edward Packard, with a whopping like 70% of endings where you're either outright dead or "gone forever".) Why? Again, wanted to. And all my life, I thought I was just "a sensitive nervous weirdo" while thinking that autism, once I even heard of it at all, was more like "Rainman" and if you weren't like him, you weren't that. I mean, I AM a sensitive nervous weirdo, but I'm starting to more and more suspect that my particular brand of....neuro-spiciness is all one SPECIFIC undiagnosed thing. :P

I have a piece of satin that I always have with me. When I was little, I had the blanket with the satin edges. I self soothed then and now. I have it wth me when I go to bed as well. I carry some in my pockets as it's easy to slip my hands in a pocket while I'm a car, bus etc. and grab my satin and feel it and nobody knows. I just subscribed to you. You made my day! ❤

I loved the humor with which this video was started. Thanks for keeping it light.

When anxious I yawn! When driving long trips and there’s too much traffic and it is slow I yawn a lot!!!!

OMG THAT TUNE! YESSS. Every time I hear it, I'm repeating it all day 😭

First time here. I thought Debbie was an app, but even better, a real human.

Now the word shy is going to be stuck in my head! Hahaha

Here’s another one for you. Shai-Hulud --- I’m in the process of diagnosis with a professional. Hypothesis about autism. I’m figuring out what qualifies as stimming. (Nice intro, the scripted joke with shaving cream in the face!) Stimming I do: - Music I enjoy blasting in my ears. (Now gotta be cautious about hearing!). Powerful music like Beethoven, or good lyrical heavy music Prog rock. - Intellectualization(?) just the pleasure of “seeing” data get worked on in data pipelines, or Web application code, organizing code and create systems, automating for the pleasure of making thing efficient Back Shai-Hulud, it’s a reference to Dune, the God Emperor. Felt so good this book series

Sorting Legos! Sorting anything, really (books, papers, toys, art supplies, clothes). With music....when I play instruments (drums, piano, violin, trumpet, flute, guitar, voice, harmonica, marimba), I will play the same section over and over. Not because I'm practicing that section, but because it is very soothing. I also LOVE playing scales and pieces like Hanon....the patterns 'sing' to me. Pacing, sometimes all day. Soothing textures...paints, soaps, warm water, water beads. Math....doing math problems calms me down....I know, weird. Spelling books.....I have many spelling/vocabulary workbooks (not in school anymore). Writing in those books is soothing and reassuring to me. Patterned doodles. Not just doodling random things, but actual patterns. For example, I will do 'marker tests' by drawing a line of each marker on a paper. Same for any item used to create art. And of course....routines! When things change my routine.....aarrgh!!!!!!

thank you! i never knew that my finger twiddling was actually stimming. Recently diagnosed at 52 years old. A lot of things I do are apparently stimming and now I know. I scratch my arms and the water lines on my eyes (😬). When I was little, I used to take all my barbie stuff and line it up like a display in a store...and also... i flippin' LOVE my Ono Roller.

Wow!!! This was really interesting and eye opening!!! Thank you for this. I’m still learning what all stimming looks like. I think I do it more than I realize.

I think I do all of those, including “face painting”… Also: When I was a little kid, the sound of vacuum really upset me so I would hum until my pitch matched the machine, when I reached the right note, I kinda went into a trance of harmonic peacefulness. I kept humming until it was over. I may or may not still do it. I also love to copy words and phrases I heard on the tv, it’s unintentional. I like to do different things with my fingers like tap or rub them together, play “mothers forks and knives”, put the all the finger tips together and push my hand in and out quickly til it feels like there is a wall between them, etc. I rub my hands together or clench them tightly. I word stim by saying different longer words that sound alike or are related somehow. I twist my hair around my finger, or even chew on it (when it’s longer). I like to eat things with specific textures mochi, boba tea, violet bars, marshmallows, etc. I like singing along to songs with strong harmonic voices. I like to feel the rush of cold water over my feet and melting sand under them as I stand on the beach. I was a massage therapist and massaging someone was a stim for me. So calm and peaceful. I also like to overshare. All of these make me feel calmer and/or happier.

You just made me realize I tend to sort things by random categories whenever I'm anxious and it helps to calm my mind down, I never really noticed that, and I do that since when I was a kid. Damn. I actually do quite a lot of these, specially finger tapping and fidgeting. I used to throw objects upwards and catch it (or rather let it land on my hand), until I missed the catch with my old phone and it went all the way down some stairs just like a slinky toy. Not gonna lie, though, it was mesmerizing and I stood there watching as the tragedy unfolded lol :: Edit :: I closed my app and then came back bc I forgot to like the video 😂

I calm myself down by writing the same thing over and over. Some words feel better than others, and I have favorite writing utensils. I also have a piece of cloth I carry with me everywhere. It feels nice.

I'll probably be the odd one out, but getting my hair cut is a stim for me. I wish my hair would grow faster, so I can go more often to the barber shop.

Your voice sounds really nice, and thank you for all these examples. 😊

I've always loved the word guppy! That's my "shy" echolalia word.

Chris and Debby, I can't express enough how grateful I am for your channel. It's not just educational, but also incredibly entertaining for both Autistic and non-autistic individuals. Now I know why I could not sit still in classrooms or office environments but constantly felt the need to pace-for the same reasons you stated. It happens on other occasions, too. However, when there is no door or place to go or when I'm sandwiched between people, it's torture. I also sing earworms, like signature tunes to TV programmes (the latest is the 1960s cult spy series The Avengers). PS: I can't wait to have a dog in my life again, which will help with the stims.

Is listening to music a Stim? I’m very picky in the music I like, but it does not have to be any specific style. The more complex the patterns and richness in sound the better the music is for me. I like trying to pick out the patterns an imagine what they would look like on a oscilloscope. I also love watching swirling patterns, which may tie into my preference for music. The stim I do most is watch how the soap suds swirl when filling the kitchen sink. It’s always different, one time they formed a question mark which was very satisfying

I rock back and forth to music every day. It's my way of coping with stress and my little paradise.

I have always been pacing while brainstorming and thinking about ideas, I've been diagnosed with adhd and autism for a few years now and just now via this video realized it's common for others to also do it. Thats pretty wicked, in a good way that we all have similar ways of carrying out tasks

Thank you for putting out a video that explains the behavior and the terminology around it. It's like when I learned about masking for the first time: it's so liberating to actually know what I'm doing is not only not weird, but so common among neurospicy folks that it's well understood. It makes learning about how I tick so fulfilling.

Skin picking, scanning my sk8n and cricketing, baths, talking to myself outloud in conversation like way for me

When you're in your fifties before you really start to come apart and start thinking 'Huh, I wonder if I might be autistic.' - it's difficult to know what is/was stimming in order to tell a therapist in order to get diagnosed in order to make the now unbearable life a bit easier. I've only got the 'touch typing on my knees' (my dad's dad was an incessant finger drummer, and I thought it was because he was a pianist, but I drum too only my drummings make whole sentences) and the 'twirling the feet together' on my therapist's list. Holy hell, though, when I think about it I have/had many more potentially autistic stims. The spinning one - I stopped doing that when it started to make me feel dizzy but I did it all the time in childhood. Not just spinning - I'd twirl things. The reckoning seems to be that autistic people can't be dexterous (let alone graceful and accomplished with it) but anything baton shaped I could and would twirl like a pro. I wanted to be in a marching band so much, when I was little, but the local one wouldn't have me (might have been my rebellious/bad attitude). I really like the marching. Hated those damned kazoos but I liked the marching and the drums so, all things considered, I wanted to be in a marching band more than I didn't. These days - no time to dedicate to twirling sticks/batons/tubular things.. Except for pens. Give me a pen, and put me in a pensive state, and I will twirl it. Wouldn't be effective if I kept dropping it - perhaps that's why it's not a commonly cited stim. One of the things I thought of once it was too late to tell the therapist about it... Does this count? I have a pre-molar on the bottom left. It's not loose but it is constructed and situated in such a way that it almost feels like it's moving back and forth when I probe it with my tongue. I have done that for decades. I particularly like to push against the crevasse where it meets with the tooth behind it. I don't think we like having loose or extraneous things on us (hence the cutting off labels and tags etc. and the scratching and scraping of the skin) and I suspect the 'feels loose but is probably not' tooth is filling that niche for me (but I've been a monster with the tags, too). Don't like things being where they're not supposed to be, I think. When I was in hospital, last, eventually I had the tube pulled out of my gullet and some nerve damage resulted. My tongue became 'L' shaped. I spoke with a profound lisp (for a while - it eventually healed itself) and I couldn't say 'ostler' any more. I couldn't 'wiggle' my tooth any more, either. Just as I was getting used to sounding like Chrissie Hynde, and getting over the shyness my new sound was causing me, it reverted. Also, I have never seen anyone as capable of totally mutilating tissues and beer-mats as me. Even tables - if I'm not distracted, and that table isn't beautifully lacquered to an impervious shell, I will pick bits off it. Apparently, I don't like it when surfaces are friable and they're not supposed to be. I turn damp tissues into strings by hand spinning them as if they were a lump of fleece and if I've been crying I end up with tiny balls of tissue falling off me for hours afterwards. Does doodling count? I mean the really elaborate, somewhat Norse, doodling of patterns of intertwining semi organic shapes? Put the phone down and look at the message pad - covered in patterns that I hadn't been particularly conscious of making. I kind of thought everybody did this. I have subscribed to this channel, now, as this was all profoundly charming and autistic people are supposed to be a bit flat and charmless. I'm capable of being delightful (and extremely animated), too, believe it or not. Thanks for shattering the stereotype. You've made me think there may actually be a way through and that just because I can make people smile and laugh (when I feel like it) it doesn't mean I'm not autistic. Oh... Ear-worms. Chronic ear-worms (until I put the headphones on with actual music) and there are certain things I do (like gardening) where I breathe the tunes. It's not normal breathing that I do. A keen ear would be able to tell that it's at least an over and over repeated motif from a song. Honestly, I could really do without the ear-worms. Thank heavens for noise cancelling headphones and bluetooth.

I just been diagnosed with autism by my psychiatrist and your videos are soothing to the ear 🤗

I study linguistics. When you want to study how a sound is made, nowadays they have computers and cameras to break down all the details of the sound. But in the old days, linguists would hyper-focus on a sound and try to observe how it feels in their mouth in order to describe the qualities of that sound. One of my favorite stims is to do that. It kinda looks like echolalia, but I'm really focused on the sound and trying to identify patterns. It's a lot of fun

I rub or stroke my lips all the time, since I can remember. When I can't do it, I feel a little lost or... naked.

Love this video. I stim by balancing eg. On one leg, or stepping on rocks while walking. I shook my head around on all 4s as a kid, which was amazing until my Dad made me stop. I visual still by looking at bulletin boards & the aisles in stores, not shopping, but looking which feels good & soothes me. I sit in my car to regulate. Definitely pace while on the phone. I find in order to be able to talk to someone I have to be physically doing something or everything gets “stuck “, & I get overstimulated & can’t think & lose words. I love Nedo squishies, but it was to be the right texture for the time. Sparkles, rainbows, all good smells reaallly stim my brain. All bad smells are really adverse I make little songs or occasionally make little noises that summarize things. I massage my arms, hands, & neck, twist my hair, & wiggle in my chair. Not a foot shaker, but a rubber. I squint my eyes & squish up my face, which I realize is managing tension. Online shopping

Yes lay flat on you back and watch stars 🤩… really cool with shooting stars. Do the same with clouds… lay on the ground or better yet - float in a pool and watch the clouds!😶‍🌫️ When I was a kid, I used to lay on my back in the yard and watch blimps float by😊! Also as a kid, whenever I was sick in bed-I had my crazy quilt with all the different fabric swatches to look at and find any matching🤗

LOVE your channel! I've just started working as an aide with elementary autistic kids. I've been looking for this exact content - don't need all the medical jargon, just help me understand so I can help these kiddos learn and be motivated to learn. Your videos are awesome - funny, insightful and loaded with information I can use! THANKS!!

Fire is a big visual stim for me, similar to your experience with the bath bomb. Moving into an apartment with a fireplace was a game changer for me. I would try to keep it going as long as possible and just stare at it and feel the heat. My girlfriend was a little bit alarmed, needless to say, so I try to limit this one. Another "visual" stim that I don't hear about is moving my eyes to trace certain patterns that I visualize in my head. I love making "drum" rhythms with my teeth, or by blinking, or moving other parts of my face like my nostrils sometimes. This is one I have done constantly since I was a kid. Chewing my cheeks is another one I do often. Hair/head stuff is a big one for me. When I had longer hair, I would get a lock of my hair between by index and middle finger and fold it over on top of itself and just feel it. Looks ridiculous to anyone who doesn't "get it," but the smooth feel of hair that is packed tightly together and pulled back feels amazing. Once I started cutting my hair shorter, this evolved into scratching at my scalp with my fingernail or just doing more of a rubbing motion on my head. When I was a kid I had a blanket with a certain texture (that waffle weave thing that long underwear are made from) and would rub or feel it constantly. Now as an adult I love my comforter and will rub and squish it especially when it's cold. It's so satisfying. Stimming & sensory sensitivities are separate "symptoms" of autism but I feel a lot of my autistic stims are closely related to sensory issues like the way things feel or look. Just got the junior Ono roller and bring it everywhere now. It really helps replace the more socially unacceptable stims such as scratching.

A type of stimming that I do a lot, and I've done all my life, and I don't see a lot of people talking about is contracting my muscles. Most of the time, if I'm not stimming in another way, or moving some other way, I'm contracting different muscles in a sequence / pattern. For example, one side of my hips and the other, over and over again. Or, a bit more embarrasing to mention, the front part of both my thighs, then the inner part, then my butt. I'll just keep repeating this for a long time, and it's often very tiring after a while. For context, I'm diagnosed with ADHD, and my last therapist, my current psychiatrist and some people in my life think I'm probably autistic too, but I'm not sure. Either way, I don't see people in the ADHD community talking about this type of stim with the muscle contractions either. I've only talked to one person who said they do it too, someone who is most likely autistic, but not confirmed, that I know irl. Can anyone else relate?

Thank you for educating us on the various things that Autistic people do. I am very interested in learning this, as it will help me relate to Autistic people in a way that is non threatening and hopefully helpful to them. . Cheers from Michael. Australia.