Tag: fuckyeahstimming

is it okay to not have a stim anymore because of being scolded for it and/or pressure to be a “normal kid”? because that’s what happened to me and i feel like i don’t belong here because i’ve pretty much hid most if not all of my stims that can’t be mistaken for fidgeting.

fuckyeahstimming:

disability-positivity:

Absolutely! Stimming isn’t something that makes someone “more” or “less” autistic or any more or less welcome in the community.

Your identity is valid and so is the way you stim (or don’t). ❤

– Cap

The being scolded for it/pressure to be a “normal kid” sounds sucky and terrible but you’re still welcome and valid and all that. ❤

I wrote about this in my autobiographical piece, (In)visible Stimming in a Pre-Asperger World. You’re not alone. There are plenty more of us out there whose stimming behaviours have been affected by people around us, whether through pressure to conform by family or teachers or therapists, or by bullying.

My main stim is chewing/putting stuff in my mouth. I bite my nails really badly and still suck my thumb at night (even though I’m 17). Can you recommend a stim toy or something else I could chew on instead?

fuckyeahstimming:

Folks, ideas?

I am a chronic nail biter too. I reviewed the Twisty Teether Ball HERE. I found it really good for me to fiddle with and chew on when my nail biting gets really bad, but I also keep my hands occupied in other ways. I’m almost always knitting or doing some other craft, and I have a Tangle Therapy that I take with me places, but that’s not really a chewing substitute, just a fidget toy.

Are using stim toys If you’re not autistic appropriative?

fuckyeahstimming:

dearneurotypicals:

dearnonacepeople:

I have ADD and am interested in something to fidget with

not at all, in my opinion. people belonging to many different categories of neurodivergence stim, so any neurodivergent person who wishes may use stim toys.

if anyone feels that i have erred, your contributions are welcome

Stim toys are for anyone who stims.

What I don’t think a lot of people realise is that EVERYBODY STIMS. Everyone. And all in their own way. You swing on your chair? Twirl your hair? Crack your knuckles? Jiggle your foot? Click your pen? Sing or hum to yourself? Wrap yourself in your favourite fluffy garment just because it feels nice? All of these things are stimmy.

Do you know what they call stimming in neurotypical people, particularly babies and toddlers? They call it self-soothing, and it is considered a POSITIVE THING, an important developmental milestone. It is when the child starts to comfort themselves and be less prone to separation anxiety when alone or when their parents leave the room or put them down. Neurotypical kids tend to stim in less and less obvious ways, but lots of people suck their thumbs, well into late childhood or even adulthood. And that’s fine.

What parents, educators and therapists who try to stamp out all stimming behaviour seem to fail to recognise is that stimming performs a very important function in ALL PEOPLE to help them self-regulate. Slinkies? Koosh balls? Stress balls? Rubik’s Cubes? Those little desk sculptures with the swinging balls? All developed for and bought by a largely neurotypical population, and no one would shame an adult for owning or enjoying one of them, even though they’re stim toys, plain and simple.

So do whatever feels right for you and feels best. And fuck anyone who shames you for it, because stimming is a trait that’s common to everyone, even if some forms are more socially acceptable than others.