<p>There is an excellent paragraph on the <a href="https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/health-and-lifestyle/stimming/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust's &quot;Stimming and Autism&quot; page</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A frequent question from parents of autistic children and teenagers is
what to do about unhealthy stimming. Examples include head banging
against walls/floor, finger biting, or even self-harming.
Unfortunately, pain is the strongest distraction available to us (<strong>have
you ever been to the dentist and dug your nails into the palm of your
hand?</strong>). It blocks out all other sensations.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Unfortunately, I find the wording of your question ambiguous, but if you are asking &quot;Is stimming something that <em>only</em> autistic people do?&quot;, then I think that dentist example above shows that the answer is no.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-15T20:03:35.233Z
2024-10-15T20:03:35.233Z
jaimet
<p>Stimming is the repetitive movements often seen in Autism.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kapp, et al. (2019)</a>. states that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>‘Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements’ are characterised as core features in the diagnosis of autism, yet many autistic adults (and the neurodiversity movement) have reclaimed them as ‘stimming’. Supported by a growing body of scientific research, autistic adults argue that these behaviours may serve as useful coping mechanisms.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I was watching a documentary on Amazon Prime about Autism (McGrath, 2018) and it was commented that everyone stims, but in autistic people the stimming is more exaggerated.</p>
<p>In an unreferenced answer to the question <a href="https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/241/7604">Is leg jiggling a focus aid?</a> by @AlwaysConfused a similar claim was made</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Everybody stims to some extent but it is more common to people having neurodevelopmental condition.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kapp, et al. (2019)</a> does point out that;</p>
<blockquote>
<p>autistic advocates (e.g. Lindsmith, 2014) suggest that everyone stims as a coping mechanism</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But, the citation for Lindsmith (2014) points to a WordPress blog article.</p>
<p>I have not been able to confirm or deny this claim as true through scientific journals and I was wondering what the truth is on this.</p>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>Kapp, S. K., Steward, R., Crane, L., Elliott, D., Elphick, C., Pellicano, E., &amp; Russell, G. (2019). ‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming. <em>Autism, 23</em>(7), 1782-1792. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628</a></p>
<p>McGrath, L. (2018). <em>Autism and Me</em> [Documentary]</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-27T16:33:00.800Z
I guess there is no real "truth" to find here. Instead, it probably depends on the context and definition you adopt. Like most things autistic, I bet it's a spectrum.
Steven Jeuris
<cognitive-neuroscience><autism>
Is stimming purely a trait within autism?
Chris Rogers
# Is stimming purely a trait within autism?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-27)

Stimming is the repetitive movements often seen in Autism.

[Kapp, et al. (2019)](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628). states that:

> ‘Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements’ are characterised as core features in the diagnosis of autism, yet many autistic adults (and the neurodiversity movement) have reclaimed them as ‘stimming’. Supported by a growing body of scientific research, autistic adults argue that these behaviours may serve as useful coping mechanisms.

I was watching a documentary on Amazon Prime about Autism (McGrath, 2018) and it was commented that everyone stims, but in autistic people the stimming is more exaggerated.

In an unreferenced answer to the question [Is leg jiggling a focus aid?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/241/7604) by @AlwaysConfused a similar claim was made

> Everybody stims to some extent but it is more common to people having neurodevelopmental condition.

[Kapp, et al. (2019)](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628) does point out that;

> autistic advocates (e.g. Lindsmith, 2014) suggest that everyone stims as a coping mechanism

But, the citation for Lindsmith (2014) points to a WordPress blog article.

I have not been able to confirm or deny this claim as true through scientific journals and I was wondering what the truth is on this.

## References

Kapp, S. K., Steward, R., Crane, L., Elliott, D., Elphick, C., Pellicano, E., & Russell, G. (2019). ‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming. *Autism, 23*(7), 1782-1792. <https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628>

McGrath, L. (2018). *Autism and Me* [Documentary]

**Tags:** cognitive-neuroscience, autism

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I guess there is no real "truth" to find here. Instead, it probably depends on the context and definition you adopt. Like most things autistic, I bet it's a spectrum.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-15. Score: 1

There is an excellent paragraph on the [Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust's "Stimming and Autism" page](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/health-and-lifestyle/stimming/):

> A frequent question from parents of autistic children and teenagers is
> what to do about unhealthy stimming. Examples include head banging
> against walls/floor, finger biting, or even self-harming.
> Unfortunately, pain is the strongest distraction available to us (**have
> you ever been to the dentist and dug your nails into the palm of your
> hand?**). It blocks out all other sensations.

Unfortunately, I find the wording of your question ambiguous, but if you are asking "Is stimming something that *only* autistic people do?", then I think that dentist example above shows that the answer is no.


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