| Repetitive behavior, Stimming. | | | | the person is quite often labeled as having autistic |
| Although people with Autism will normally appear | | | | characteristics |
| physically normal and have good muscle control, they | | | | Autistic children may also display self-stimming |
| will sometimes display unusual repetitive movements. | | | | behaviors. Such as hand flapping and toe walking. Or |
| Which is known as, stereotypic movement disorder, | | | | in some cases self-harming behavior such as biting or |
| stereotypies or repetitive behaviors, self stimulation, | | | | head-banging. |
| or stimming. | | | | Repetitive behaviors are more often observed in |
| Repetitive behaviors, stimming, obsessions, | | | | children or people at the lower functioning end of the |
| stereotype and routines are all features of the | | | | autistic spectrum. |
| autistic spectrum disorder. The level of an Autistic | | | | However, some adolescents and adults can revert |
| persons development and functioning will influence | | | | back to old repetitive behaviors when they are |
| their specific behavior, if any. | | | | anxious or stressed. |
| The repetitive behavior, stimming, stereotypy or | | | | To an Autistic person our normal everyday lives are |
| self-stimulatory behavior is common in many | | | | confusing, our interaction with other people, places, |
| individuals with developmental disabilities; but appears | | | | sounds, smells and sights. |
| to be more common in autism. | | | | To an autistic person we appear to have no clear |
| Sometimes an Autistic person will have a | | | | boundaries, order or meaning to anything. We don't |
| preoccupation with a certain part of an object (such | | | | follow the same repetitive patterns in all we do. |
| as the bell on a bike), repetitive use of a particular | | | | Research has shown that stereotypic behaviors |
| object, such as flicking a rubber band or twirling a | | | | interfere with attention and learning in autistic children. |
| piece of string, or a repetitive activity involving the | | | | But interestingly enough, these stereotypic behaviors |
| senses such as smelling, or feeling of particular | | | | are quite often used as a reward of good behavior |
| textures, such as a blanket, or rubbing silk, also | | | | after completing a task. For example an autistic child |
| listening to different noises. | | | | may be allowed to twirl string once he has completed |
| Repetitive behaviors can also extend into the spoken | | | | his school work. |
| word as well. Echolalia is the repetition of a single | | | | Research has suggested various reasons why an |
| word or phrase. | | | | autistic person may engage in stereotypic behaviors. |
| Stereotypy, repetitive, stimming or obsessive | | | | One theory suggests that these behaviors give the |
| behavior, can involve any one or all senses, | | | | person sensory stimulation (i.e., the person's sense is |
| For example: | | | | hyposensitive). |
| Sight: Staring into lights, repetitive blinking, flicking | | | | Due to some dysfunctional system in the brain or |
| their fingers in front of their eyes and | | | | periphery, their body will want stimulation; therefore |
| hand-flapping.sound: tapping of the ears, snapping of | | | | the autistic person will engage in the stereotypic |
| the fingers.feel: Rubbing their skin with their hands or | | | | behavior to excite or arouse the nervous system. |
| with an object, or scratching, bitting. | | | | One theory is that these behaviors release |
| Taste: Placing body parts or objects into their mouth, | | | | beta-endorphins in their bodies (opiate-like |
| orlicking objects and things | | | | substances) which provides the autistic person |
| Smell: Smelling of objects, or sniffing people. | | | | internal pleasure. |
| With Autism sometimes an overload of sensory input | | | | Repetitive behaviors can be easily confused with the |
| is too confusing for them to handle, so they'll actually | | | | tics that arise in Tourette's syndrome, which is itself |
| flap (stim), in order to concentrate on the flapping | | | | a comorbid disorder. |
| and calm themselves down. | | | | The tics associated with Tourette syndrome usually |
| Autistic people find it hard to multi task, so when | | | | begin at around age six or seven years. while |
| they're looking at something it's almost as if they're | | | | repetitive movements typically start before two |
| deaf and can't hear because they will suppress or | | | | years of age in children on the autistic spectrum and |
| turn off their auditory system (hearing). | | | | are more likely to be triggered by excitement or |
| In fact, if a person with another developmental | | | | stress. |
| disability presents a form of self-stimulatory behavior, | | | | |