I do many of those! It's so important for people to realize that stimming isn't just the stereotypical ones like hand flapping or spinning. It can be more subtle.

Oh the times I've been asked, "You know you just tied your hair into a knot, right?" Yes, I'm aware. I do it all the time. LOL

Pick my lips, bite the inside of my cheeks, curl or dig my toes inside my shoes, sing in my head, check my cuticles, so many covert stims 🙃

Since my ADHD diagnosis, I catch myself stimming constantly. It’s a funny experience.

Remember: none of you need to feel ashamed for stimming

No diagnosis (yet) but I do the dancing, finger playing and biting my lips. Also air writing over and over, splitting splitends instead of tying knots (not possible with my slippery hair).

My poor lips and cheeks need a holiday from me stimming on them all the time 😅

When you tied the knot I felt so so seen. The little things are the big things. Thank you. Keep going. ❤

the rapid blinking! I do too much, I thought it was my eyes being very dry. When I was a kid I used to cut my curls and play with them lmao

My personal favorite, that is activated without me realizing it, every time I sit down, is bouncing my left leg up and down

I am learning so much about my daughter, myself, and my mom through content creators like you!

Good to see this. I realize a moment when I had to wait in front of a laptop to do a certain task and it went sooo slowly, I just started to move a little. My teacher came by and asked in laughter if I was doing kind of rain dance to make the laptop magically work faster. I just moved to feel comfortable, but didn't know it could be stimming. It's a little shock to see all those details I did in the past from another perspective.

I tap my fingers and sometimes do figure-8s on them.

Yeah, there are many "weird" stims I found recently thinking back. When I was young I used to for example rhythmically activate and release muscles in my thighs and butt when listening to music, without any movement of the legs, just as that. At school I often did that even without any music, for example when focused on something :D . What I love to do recent years is pressing my nail-rims into middle of my chin, middle of the palm or/and center of the last finger-parts, the opposite of the nails... I dunno why but there must be some important points of nerves, cause it just feels good/calming :D I also used to pull my hair on specific places, such as on the corners of forehead, without pulling the hair out completely. Just the sense of it feels good.... Also letting curls of hair going through fingers is awesome... the touch and sense of the "shape" on the skin just feels good :D Could those be also stims? I think they are... Btw, biting lips makes similar good sense as the nail in middle of chin etc... Yeah, I really relate, thanks 😄❤

I'm so impressed with the amount of information I've already learned from just a few of your videos.

....and I don't need to go for the formal diagnosis. And I talk a lot with myself or rehearse possible conversations with some people. Loudly, of course, although I am alone. I know it is not ok, so make sure that nobody gets me, but I can't help it !!🤣

I do rhythm with my teeth and fingers pretty much, if not it can take over my background thoughts. I also have a sound thing I do but I don’t really know how to describe it.

since i cut my hair ive been trying the drawstrings of my hoodie or my earphone cable into knots lmaooo

I’ve just recently been learning about stim/stimming, and I do a lot of things like blinking, shaking my leg, taking screenshots over a over again and just odd repetitive things.

I like to run my fingernails through my hair on my scalp. It's really effective when combined with redoing my pony tail.

And it’s not because we do that naturally, it’s because of societal expectations of women/fem presenting people being ‘non disruptive’

Watching this as I'm drumming (right hand), twitching my biceps, toes and fingers (left hand), rocking gently in my office chair to the music, and blinking a lot. Geez. I had no idea these were stims.

I bite my nails when I'm bored, wring my hands a lot when I feel nervous or anxious, and crack my knuckles a lot when I'm either stressed, sad or angry, the drumming I do any time, some times when I feel stressed, bored or tense.

Trained myself not to do any of these things "out loud". Everything makes so much more sense now. Thank you!!

I’m autistic! I stim by touching my hair.❤️

Dude…tying hair in knots🤯 I do that sometimes…also picking nails daily. And some others, but those are my most common.

I do all of these, but instead of rapid blinking, I open them really, really wide just randomly, or I close them super tight or blink slowly it's so weird 😅

I do all of these things, but I’m pretty sure I’m not autistic.

I wish that I could tie my hair into knots.🤣 I bit my nails so severely to the skin as a child/teens due to abuse. Dancing & drumming to music and my own head tunes, i still do.🤣🤣

I do every single one except the hair knot thing!

i do all this turns out i have adhd 💀

Same 😊 Had no idea about playing with our hair in any fashion being considered an stim=) I play with my hands often when I'm waiting on something or.. I'm thinking, also the drumming stim is my favourite! 😁🥰 I engage in that one whenever I'm feeling good/ immensely happy or excited; I also sing an lot and.... Vocalize in general whenever I need extra stimulation 😊 These things is what I love very much about being an Autistic person! Said with love and kindness 😃💜 xoxoxox

Omg,NEVER knew dancing…that’s me🙈

Phew I don’t blink like that! 😂😂😂 But I do everything else....🤔😬🤣

I'm just playing with my hair, opening and closing the clip on my neck, playing with jewelry (especially rings if I have any), adjusting the tightness of my watch, playing with my tea mug...

Yeah, I do many of these things. I'm a gifted adult, and suspect I may be autistic, maybe also ADHD. I have many of the signs. One of those people who would find all of these things out later on in life as an adult. Would definitely explain A LOT about my childhood experiences, which then carried into adulthood, and why something has always felt off. I've also been one of those people who have always had to try extra hard to make myself look "normal".

Do all of those except the nail biting. I brush my eyebrows the most with my fingers. People look at you weird but helps calm me down

Used to use rapid walks for stimming with music like a lot… not the same when you are in an electric wheelchair but has some of the function

My repeating to the hellfire breakdown 25 times:

I always need to move around I find due to what I think is more ADHD Stims. Just like I fidget with my fingers, my feet need to play footsie with themselves or shake. My body just needs an outlet to exert energy when I am trying to sit/stand still. It is nearly impossible. My kids and I dance and sing a lot to move energies around. I tend to rock now and then without intending to. I noticed my dad does that often as well. I have a habit of picking at things like my nails, eyes, skin, etc. I find I do that especially so when I am bored or tired. I make random noises or sayings out loud. I have OCD Tendencies that make me feel like I need to organize and clean often. I noticed my youngest, my son.. does happy stimming more so. Like turning in circles, running back and forth in certain spots and subtle hand flapping. He can concentrate on an activity and looks people in the eyes as well as includes them in play. If anything, he may be more high functioning. My oldest is more ADHD. She can't sit and do one thing. She bounces around from one thing to another. She has behavioral and defiant issues that developed in utero when I had severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It can be hard for her to regulate her big feelings and get it into words. She also had hearing and speech problems that we worked on in early childhood development. Everyone is different. Not everyone has the same Stims. Thank you for enlightening the online world more about this topic. It is not talked about a whole lot.

The more I learn about Autism the more it confirms I need to be tested.

I don't tend to do a lot of rapid blinking, but I slow blink for a bunch of visual stims (afterimages, etc.).

Picking, singing what I'm saying randomly, switching dialects for no reason, being generally socially uncomfy or awkward, picking my face when stressed...etc. It feels good to see other ppl experience this, too. It feels less lonely. I was expected to be the normal eldest child because my brother was diagnosed at an early age. His is pretty severe, so he needed a lot of attention and help. I was expected to be the helpful "normal" older sibling and guilted for my signs and symptoms. Now, as a mid 30s adult, I'm diagnosed and making the best of my life as who I really am, without the masking and expectations. 🖤 I'll dance if I wanna dance. I'll sing if I wanna sing, I'll fidget if I need to fidget. I try not to pick, but it's a work in progress. 😅 Point being, I'll do what I do because it's ok and safe for me to be me. 🖤🖤🖤

if anyone relate to this lovely youtuber. GO SEE DOCTA ASAP. Ty for your hardwork mom

I do the rapid blinking thing, and bite my nails

How about picking at fingernails or tearing paper?

I really like chewing gum, it's so soothing. But also that cracking of bones in the Fingers is incredible. Stimming in what everything Form is just so nice, I cant do without, but it's rallye annoying when working in the same room as someone else.

Yes!! I'm currently a bit fixated on tying my hair in knots and it's SO annoying! Feels so good though...

As I sit here with chapped skin under my lower lip from doing the mouth thing a lot over the last 2 days. (I also do all of the others except blinking, especially the finger twisting/popping and drumming.)

I do a lot of this but I am not diagnosed with that. I don't know what to think. Thought it was just my anxiety or my ADHD which can of course make me anxious as well...

Great impression of me! I wish playing with my hair didn't annoy people so much as it does

Me who developed trichotillomania as a result of my autistic stims

High heels. I call them my stompy boots. I wear six inch heeled lace-up combat boots everywhere but work. It helps give me stability for my toe-walking (never actually grew out of that) and I LIKE the striking sensation in my lower legs.

Sometimes I get the urge to blink my eyes many times. Never knew it was a stim!

I don't have autism but i stim when i get happy lol

NOT ME DOING ALL OF THIS BUT TYING MY HAIR INTO KNOTS BCUZ IDK HOW TO-

I never tried my hair in knots, but I would take a similar amount of hair and make micro-braids out of them, up to three, which I could then braid, then undo them all and start over again. Everything else is spot on, though!

+MomontheSpectrum *As a self- and other-trained musician, I mime any of a number o' parts on Song tracks.* Bass guitar and drumset primarily, but also keyboards and even chorus conducting.

good video. i use to twist my hair alot, pull rough strands of hair out, chew my nails, clack my teeth together to made uo rhythms but have grown out of most of those now that im older but not some.

I am just 40 and was diagnoses with asd just a few months ago along with my fibromyalgia diagnosis (something i am wondering if it is linked to so long without a diagnosis) and have had an interesting ride. I do so many of these and when i worked in a call centre (yes i somehow surived this) i used to drum and shake the desk enough to annoy everyone and have no idea

I’m an autistic guy and I do some of these stims!

I Do These All The Time

Omg! I just wondered recently if the fact that I always cover up my social anxiety by dancing (by myself) also is stimming.

I felt called out at the “playing with hands” cause I’ve done that my entire life and still do it, I even gave my hands names, I pretended my fingers are a family etc. And I have just SOOO many memories of playing with my hands 😭

When I was younger I ALWAYS tied my hair in knots 😆😆😆

Tying hair in a knot. I forgot I used to do that!

Women tend to be better maskers due to the fact women tend to have more close knit social groups and as such, they can "parrot" or "mirror" their contemporaries. This unfortunately also has the effect of leaking it harder to notice autistic traits and thus make it less likely for early diagnosis. Autism rates seem to be fairly equal between males and females but formal diagnosis occurs earlier in men on average as a result. Women also as a result may seem more "normal" in behavioural archetypes and as a result, their mental health can be all over the place due to the exhaustion of masking autistic traits all day every day. These women may then as a result have a meltdown of dramatic proportions which may escalate into self harmful behaviours/actions out of desperation for control over themselves. Don't forget, women are typically more socially fluid than men and as such their interpersonal dynamics may seek less harmful until they get "outed" which can result in ostracisation and being abused by their former friends when such behaviours manifest. It's important to speak to these people early on, focus on their behaviours and offer open communication. Their symptoms may be hidden, but they're not absent. Upon noticing traits of autism, monitor their situation and seek further investigation upon getting preliminary evidence. On doing this, we can then make a positive change in so many lives and perhaps reduce our morbidly high depression rates and maybe even save lives.

Omg the blinking thing is stimming? Never knew that!

I used to play with my hair so much just one specific spot would be greasy faster than the rest. I still do it, but mostly I take my hair down and put it up 30 times a day. I also play with my hands when I have to talk to people I don’t know and ask questions. I dance when I’m cooking dinner at night. It’s a great way to relax. I actually do all of these in some way.

I have all of this!! And am not shamed 😍

Not diagnosed (suspect I am autistic) ... I do most of these. I think all except the blinking (at least I don't think I do the blinking). I tend to wrap hair around my finger or tug on the end of my braid more than tie knots.. but I have done knots several times.

This would be me if I were born a girl. I don't tie my hair in knots... but everything else...totally.

As a kid (and now) I sometimes blink super fast, I didnt know why. My parents asked doctors and they sead its just like a tick probably will go away, with time i realised that happend when I am felling u comfy or scared or anxious. And always stim with my fingers. I also do the think where i put my hand tughether, so like it looks like fingers cross or like make a patters yk like 1 finger from lesr hand the 1 fingers from the right. Idk how to explain it. And I would put my hamfs like that to my head and squeze my hands and smile and sometimes shake. I would do that hand think when I was happy or exsided like when I felt like an emotion was sm i cant handle alone. I true tp hide it bc people sead it weird. Idk if Thats just a normal thing, but I am not thinking much of it.

I do almost all of these to this day. My biting lip thing though is my covert on because it is this spot on the inside of my mouth that I catch with my eye teeth and roll back and forth when I need comfort or am not thinking about it. Add to that, just get me in a restaurant and hand me a straw. I am going to carefully take that straw and open it all the way up, then have it folded tightly along with everyone else's paper. Used to make my mom crazy watching me do it.

My other thing is I will think of a line from a song and I have to tap it on my fingers so that the last note/syllable is either my thumb or pinkie. Example: if the line from the song has 7 notes/syllables, I start with middle finger tap to one end (thumb or pinkie) and then go to the other end (pinkie or thumb). I am very strict that the last note of the line from the song must end at thumb or pinkie. So I have to figure out the "start" finger. I have musical talent (played an instrument in high school) so that figures in.

I've never been diagnosed, but do bite my cheeks. Among other things like drumming. I knew something was wrong when I was put in those special ed and speech classes back in elementary.

I tend to wave my feet really fast when I'm sitting down waiting. I try not to make people uncomfortable by just being on my phone. But it's so hard not to lmao. Is raising your eyebrows rapidly while smiling when someone looks at you a form of stimming? I sometimes think do it cuz I feel like it diffuses the tension atleast for me LMAO XD

RAPID BLINKING 👏👏 lady’s and gentlemen, we got ‘em | ITS LITERALLY HAPPENING TO ME RIGHT NOW AND ITS SO UNCOMFORTABLE!!!

I do the lip thing. And lots of others that are similar to these.

Yep. 😂

ALL. All of these.

I know I (probably) dont have autism, but i do that 🤣

The hand playing and eye blinking! I also chew my fingers to bits!

I bite the skin off my lips until they bleed, pick my nails so short it's painful, and also detangle my hair using a single unfolded paperclip lol. I've done at least one of these daily for as long as I can remember.

I used to play with/put a stand of my hair in my mouth until I got yelled at for “sucking on my hair” a few times, then I moved onto biting my nails for years of my childhood

not just women!

Apparently just talking to yourself is one; I thought everyone talked to themselves.

I always tied my hair in knots when i was a child

I have this stim when I get upset or I experience a really strong emotion I start violently rubbing my head and neck against my shoulder and twitching it against it, usually I’m jumping around whilst doing this and making upset noises like “mrrrrrrrr” or something of the sorts. I only do this when I get like really upset or a really strong emotion but I always think it’s so strange.

REMINDS of the time I used to tie my hair in knots and eat it and when I was in third grade

My favorite is wiggly nose and scrunchy nose!

Just realize I stim by blinking. Learned something new about me today.

Can some of these be caused by anxiety? like I drum on stuff and play with my hands a lot mainly when I'm around other people and anxious, but I do bite my lips all the time. I'm having a really hard time determining if my actions are caused by social anxiety or if they're autistic traits

I hum… and I don’t know I’m doing it!

i know this is infantilizing but i do not mean it that way when i say it because i too am an autistic adult woman but omgggg You are absolutely adorable making me happy stim from watching you stim!

I like to braid my hair, which I think is similar to tying your hair in knots.

Literally all of these things are absolutely normal and basic lol

Erum... all the things I think back that I used to do that I've surpressed.... 😢

I do the blinking thing but my eyes also go up when I do it so it looks like I'm rolling my eyes

OMG. Most of those I have done a lot in my almost 39 years ☠️