My brother has autism. He’s 19. He likes to spin things. All the time.

Condition:
Autism (Focus on Stimming and Repetitive Behaviour)

Effect on People Involved:
It used to be loud. He’d spin keys or bang forks. My mom and dad got mad. I got annoyed because I couldn’t watch TV. He couldn’t sit still at dinner. It was a fight to keep him calm.

Problems Solved:
We learned it’s called stimming. It makes him feel safe. Now, we gave him quiet things to spin. Rubber bands. A little weighted spinner toy. He uses headphones. Dinner is better now. He still spins, but it’s quiet. Less fighting. Mom is less stressed. It helped us understand him.

Ongoing Challenges: Strangers stare at him. That makes me mad. People think he’s being weird. He isn’t. He is just regulating. Sometimes he still gets overwhelmed in stores and makes loud noises. We have to leave fast. It’s still hard in public.