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Repeated movements and behaviour (stimming)

Many autistic people use repeated movements (like hand flapping or spinning) and/or repeated behaviours (like saying a word or listening to a song on repeat) for sensory stimulation, to keep calm or to express joy. This is an example of one of the core characteristics of autism needed for a diagnosis. These actions are often beneficial and usually harmless, but there can be situations when a person needs support. 

What do we mean by repeated movements and behaviour?

Repeated movements and behaviour are also known as ‘stimming’. Stimming is short for ‘self-stimulating behaviour’; it can also be described as ‘self-regulating’ behaviour. Autistic people may also describe a single way of stimming as a ‘stim’, and a set as ‘stims’. 

Many people (autistic and non-autistic) stim. Playing with a pen, twirling your hair, tapping and whistling are all forms of stimming. But autistic people may stim more, and the purpose and importance of stimming (to them and their wellbeing) may be different to non-autistic people. 

Examples of stimming: 

  • Movement/balance: hand flapping, rocking, swinging, jumping, spinning 
  • Sight: watching spinning toys, patterns, glitter, colours or lights (possibly making the light flicker); repeated blinking 
  • Hearing: listening to the same song on repeat; tapping ears; repeating sounds, words or phrases (known as ‘echolalia’- some sources consider this to be a form of communication) 
  • Touch: hair twirling, scratching, rubbing, touching fabrics 
  • Smell and taste: sniffing, licking or chewing objects. 

Some stims are more noticeable than others. For example, flapping your hands to express joy is more noticeable than twirling your hair or a pen to regulate anxiety, or repeating words of phrases in your head. 

Autistic women and girls may stim in less noticeable and/or more socially accepted ways than autistic men and boys. This can be a reason why people don’t notice they are autistic, which can affect their ability to get an autism diagnosis. 

In an autism assessment 

Repeated movements and behaviour (stimming) are considered part of ‘restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests’ (RRBIs), one of the two core characteristics in the criteria for an autism diagnosis. 

‘RRBIs’ also includes Focused and dedicated interests and Preference for order, predictability or routine. When autistic people describe their lived experience, they usually refer to these topics separately rather than grouping them together like the diagnostic criteria. 

The diagnostic criteria describe these behaviours and interests in a negative way as ‘restricted and repetitive’, but autistic people generally describe them in a positive way, explaining the purpose and benefits to them (though certain forms of stimming can be harmful – see the section below, When support may be needed.) 

The purposes and benefits to autistic people

Autistic people have explained that stimming has a range of purposes and benefits: 

  • sensory input and enjoyment (for example, listening to sounds/music, touching fabrics and watching lights that you enjoy and/or that relax you) 
  • staying calm (‘self-regulating’ your emotions or ‘self-soothing’ by doing things that calm you) 
  • to express joy or other emotions (for example, flapping your hands with happiness or excitement, or rocking in distress.) 

Every autistic person is different, so their movements and behaviours may not have the same meaning or purpose as another autistic person’s. For example, one person rocking may be distressed and is trying to regulate their emotions, but another person may be rocking simply because they enjoy the feeling. 

In the past, the purposes and benefits of stimming were not well understood. Because of this, people tried to make autistic people stop stimming, so they could seem less autistic. Autistic people have described this as a form of enforced masking, which can lead to negative outcomes including anxiety and distressed behaviour. 

If stimming is harmless, there is no reason to prevent an autistic person from doing it. 

When support may be needed

Stimming due to distress 

If an autistic person is stimming to distract them from, or to regulate (manage) their level of distress, it is important to consider what is causing them to feel distressed. They may need support to identify the cause and to address it. 

Obsessive-compulsive behaviour 

It can be challenging to tell the difference between autistic stimming behaviour and obsessive-compulsive behaviour that may be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They may look the same but can have very different purposes. 

For example, an autistic person may repeatedly flick a light switch on and off because they like the sensation of flicking the switch and the visual input of the light turning on and off. Someone with OCD may do the same action because they feel compelled to and/or because they believe something bad will happen if they don’t do it (a certain number of times, for example.) 

In general, obsessions and compulsions for people with OCD are distressing and unwanted, whereas behaviours in autistic people such as stimming and engaging in their interests are often positive, soothing and purposeful. 

Harmful or dangerous stims 

Some autistic people may stim in ways that are harmful to them. This is sometimes called ‘self-injurious behaviour’ (behaviour that injures them). Examples include picking skin or nails (potentially until they bleed), pulling hair (potentially pulling it out), and banging or hitting their head. 

If an autistic person is stimming in harmful ways, support should aim to address the cause of any distress the person is feeling. It may be possible to support the person to replace harmful stims with safe stims that serve the same purpose for them. 

Trying to stop a distressed autistic person stimming without addressing the cause of their distress or finding an alternative way for them to express or regulate their emotions may not work and may make the person more distressed. 

Some parents of autistic children have shared general advice for supporting autistic children with harmful or dangerous stims, including: 

  • Identify and treat any underlying health conditions that are causing pain, such as tooth pain or migraines. 
  • Watch for certain behaviours that often happen before dangerous repetitive behaviours. For example, pulling hair as a sign of building up to self-hitting. Identify the signs and help to reduce the trigger (for example, moving from a noisy to a quiet space). 
  • Only if the stim is impacting others: give the person a place to stim, or offer some alternatives; for example, spinning or time on a swing to replace throwing behaviours. 
  • If a stim becomes dangerous and has a sensory cause/purpose, then seek professional support to find safe alternatives; for example, replacing self-injurious behaviours with deep pressure. 

Insight from autistic people

“If I  see something I’m excited by, I’ll flap. If I’m distressed or trying to calm myself down, I might rock. If I’m really distressed, I might rub my hair. There are visual stims – for example, I’ll watch this glitter fall for a really long time. … Feeling soft materials – lovely soft materials – that can be a stim. Stimming is what we do in order to cope with our environment and it’s also what we do to express the emotions that we’re feeling inside of us.” 
– Sara Gibbs, Autism - stimming in 3-ish minutes

“It should be said that while stimming isn’t all about the rocking and flapping, there’s nothing wrong with rocking or flapping at all, nor with other stereotypical stims like children playing with toys 'wrong' by – shock horror – lining them up or focusing on details their non-autistic peers don’t care about. If it’s not harming anyone, then it’s not harming anyone and it shouldn’t be stigmatised.” 
– Georgia Harper, Stimming, stigma and stereotypes

“Parents, educators and psychologists are still trying to stop children from ‘stimming’. I believe it is good to be taught how to manage ‘stimming’ but trying to stop it altogether is harmful and shows no understanding of the reasons why people like me ‘stim’. … Some people seem to think that if you can get rid of the outward behaviours of autism you get rid of autism. This is just not true.” 
– Alex Lowery, Why stimming is a big part of my life

“I remember spinning All. The. Time. I remember that one of my favourite activities was to position myself in the middle of the living room, fully outstretch my arms as though flying, and start spinning.  I even had a routine that pertained to this.  It was helpful if music was playing in the room (which was pretty often); that enhanced the pleasurable effect, as did the fact that the carpeting wasn’t one solid colour; it had patterns on it.” 
– Laina Eartharcher, Sifting through the US CDC’s official diagnostic criteria for autism

“Stimming is a great way to combat sensory processing [challenges]. Humming … doodling. Output blocks input. It's why many autistic people will look away from you when they're talking, they won't make eye contact. If I look at you, I won't listen to what you're saying; if I look away from you, I can pay attention.” 
– Agony Autie, Stimming, what's that?

“[My stims] have long been something of an embarrassment to me. … I am worried about what other people think. I am concerned genuinely that a six-foot-tall man, with probably his eyes closed, or wearing dark glasses, rubbing the tag on a partly ripped, worn out T-shirt, is going to have his appearance and actions misinterpreted. If they are, then the police will likely be involved. My personal safety is at risk for innocently stroking a piece of material. Heaven help me if I were to make a Wookie noise too.” 
– Keiran Rose, An autistic frequency (stimming)

Links, resources and article sources

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