Stimming (Self-Stimulatory Behavior)

Stimming is short for "self-stimulatory behavior" — repetitive behaviors that include rocking, hand flapping, jumping, spinning, repetitive vocal sounds, biting, squeezing, rubbing surfaces, repeating words or phrases, and many others. It occurs in autistic people and people with ADHD, but also in neurotypical people (leg bouncing, twirling hair).

Stimming serves multiple functions: sensory and emotional self-regulation (managing sensory overload or under-stimulation), expressing intense emotions (joy, excitement, anxiety, frustration), helping focus and processing during boring conversations, and pure sensory pleasure.

Suppressing stimming — which was central to historical behavioral approaches — deprives a person of a regulation tool and often causes distress. The neurodiversity movement promotes acceptance of harmless stimming.