Stimming

Stimming

What is stimming?  Stimming is a number of different actions done over and over.

Echolalia is another kind of stim.

Caroline has both.  She smells her fingers, she imitates a laugh track, and she talks to imaginary people.  Some NT, neurotypical people stim too.  Have you ever twirled your hair, tapped a pencil, or chewed on a pencil?  Those can be categorized as stims.

One of Caroline's Echolalia stims is talking about back flips.  No matter how many times we talk about them in detail she still comes back to the subject that day or the next.  I put her in gymnastics and told her she would not learn how do back flip the first day.  Every day she asks when she is going to learn to do a back flip.  

Caroline is also "interested", her word, in construction.  There are several buildings under construction in our town and she has to comment on each one every time we drive by.

I've tried to catch her in her stims but she is smart enough to ask what I'm doing and she will stop. 

So, it is a constant battle with, 'Caroline, stop talking to imaginary friends. Caroline, stop using a laugh track.'

I don't let up.  Every time I hear her or see her do a stim I am on her to stop and start something more positive.