The Rhythm of Regulation: What Is Stimming?

If you have ever clicked a pen when you were bored, tapped your foot when you were nervous, or paced around the room while on the phone… you have stimmed.

“Stimming” is short for Self-Stimulatory Behavior. It refers to repetitive movements or sounds that help regulate the nervous system.

While everyone stims, Autistic people stim more frequently, more intensely, and for different reasons. For a long time, society tried to stop these behaviors (using commands like “Quiet Hands”). We now know that was a mistake.

Here is why stimming is not a symptom to be cured, but a tool to be respected.

1. The Function: Why Do We Do It?

Stimming is the brain’s way of balancing the books. It serves three main purposes:

• To Calm Down (Over-stimulation):
  When the world is too loud or chaotic, the brain needs a predictable rhythm to latch onto. Rocking back and forth or humming creates a controlled sensory input that blocks out the chaos. It is a safety anchor.
• To Wake Up (Under-stimulation):
  If an Autistic brain is bored or under-stimulated, it can feel sluggish or painful. Stimming (like spinning, jumping, or listening to loud music) generates energy and wakes the brain up so it can focus.
• To Express Joy:
  “Happy Flapping” is real! When an Autistic person feels intense joy, the emotion is often too big to stay inside. It explodes outward in hand flaps, jumping, or squeals. It is pure, unfiltered happiness.

2. The “Hidden” Stims (It’s Not Just Rocking)

The stereotype of stimming is a child rocking in a corner. But for many adults (especially those who mask), stimming is much more subtle.

• Vocal Stims: Repeating a specific word, phrase, or line from a movie over and over (Echolalia). Or humming a tune unconsciously.
• Tactile Stims: Rubbing a piece of fabric (like the inside of a pocket) between thumb and finger. This is why Spectrum Threadz hoodies are designed with soft, durable fabrics—we know they are often used as grounding tools.
• Visual Stims: Watching dust motes in a sunbeam, staring at a lava lamp, or re-watching the same 5-second clip of a video repeatedly.
• Mental Stims: Counting patterns in ceiling tiles or conjugating verbs in your head.

3. The “Quiet Hands” Trauma

For decades, therapies forced Autistic children to have “quiet hands”—punishing them for flapping or fidgeting.

We now know this is harmful.

Imagine you are having a panic attack, and someone ties your hands behind your back and tapes your mouth shut. That is what it feels like to be told not to stim.

• Stimming takes energy.
• But masking (hiding) the stim takes twice as much energy.
  If you force an Autistic student to stop fidgeting, they often stop listening, because all their brain power is being used to sit still.

4. When Is It a Problem?

Stimming is only a problem if it is Self-Injurious (e.g., hitting one’s head or biting skin).

In those cases, the goal isn’t to stop the stimming, but to redirect it to something safer (e.g., chewing on a sensory necklace instead of a shirt, or hitting a pillow instead of a wall).

Summary

Stimming is the rhythm of the Autistic life. It is how we soothe our anxiety and celebrate our joy. If you see someone flapping their hands in the supermarket, don’t stare. Just know they are likely having a moment of pure feeling.