If you’ve ever noticed a student repeatedly flapping their hands, tapping a pencil, or humming to themselves throughout the day, you’ve likely witnessed a stim. Short for self-stimulatory behavior, stimming is something we all do in one form or another—but for neurodivergent individuals, especially those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing differences, stimming plays a much bigger role.
Let’s break down what stims are, why they matter, and the different types of stimming behaviors you might see in your classroom, home, or community.
A stim is any repetitive behavior or action that stimulates the senses and helps a person regulate emotions, attention, or sensory input. Think of it as the brain’s way of hitting “reset” when things feel too intense—or not intense enough.
For neurodivergent individuals, stimming can help:
While stimming is more commonly associated with autism, it’s not exclusive to it. Many people with ADHD, anxiety, and even neurotypical individuals engage in stimming behaviors. Ever twirled your hair, bounced your knee during a meeting, or clicked your pen repeatedly? Yep—that’s stimming.
The key difference is usually the intensity, frequency, or form that stimming takes for neurodivergent individuals—and how others respond to it.
Short answer: No.
Stimming is often a healthy, adaptive behavior that helps people regulate and feel more in control. The only time it becomes a concern is when:
Even then, the goal should never be to eliminate the stim entirely, but to understand the purpose behind it and support alternative strategies if needed. Often, the best thing we can do is simply allow stimming without judgment.
Stimming can involve any of the senses, and no two people stim in exactly the same way. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of stimming behaviors, along with examples:
These stims involve creating or reacting to specific sounds.
Examples:
These behaviors involve visual input—often involving light, color, or movement.
Examples:
This type of stimming is related to touch, pressure, or texture.
Examples:
These stims involve the sense of movement and balance, controlled by the inner ear.
Examples:
Proprioception is your awareness of your body in space—these stims involve body pressure and joint movement.
Examples:
Tight hugs or squeezing oneself
Crashing into things
Pushing or pulling heavy objects
Stomping feet
Clapping hands hard or slamming into furniture
These stims involve smells or tastes and are less common, but still important to recognize.
Examples:
When we recognize stimming for what it is—a valid and often essential way to regulate—we stop seeing it as a “problem” and start seeing the person. Instead of trying to stop or punish stimming, our focus should be on:
In the classroom or at home, responding to stimming with curiosity and compassion goes a long way. Ask yourself: Is this stim hurting anyone? Is it interfering with learning or relationships? If the answer is no, there’s likely no need to intervene.
Stimming isn’t a quirk to be “fixed.” It’s a form of communication, self-expression, and emotional regulation that deserves understanding and respect.
By learning about the different types of stims and what they mean, we can better support the neurodivergent individuals in our lives—and help create a world where everyone feels safe being exactly who they are.
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