It’s 8:15 in the morning here in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I just had egg whites with cheese and avocado on a bagel for breakfast. It’s storming outside and oddly enough, I felt compelled to pick up my tablet and start my new series about stimming.
In case you have not seen the previous post, stimming are a series of repetitive sounds and movements that is experienced by all of us. That’s right: we all stim. It’s just that stimming is much more frequent in those with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder. It is a behavior that can be seen in autistic children, as well as severely autistic teens and adults. Higher functioning children and adults are more likely to mask (or withhold) their stimming in public and act on it when they are alone.
Now, without any further ado, lets gets right into the different types of actions and sounds that are all forms of stimming. Don’t worry, it’s not as boring as it sounds. Pinky swear 🙂
Repetitive blinking
You have read it correctly. Repetitive blinking is a form of stim. It may be surprising to some because repetitive blinking is quite common and can occur for many reasons. Repetitive blinking can be due to dry eyes, ingrown eyelashes, vision problems, and mental health problems such as anxiety. It’s very difficult to control once it happens and there are no warning signs leading to an onset.
From my personal experiences, repetitive blinking happens due to autism and anxiety. Whenever I am around people or in loud places (the mall for example), I blink uncontrollably. When I am home or in a quiet place (library for example), my blinking slows down drastically. My body can have a mind of its own at times. I mean, anybody’s body can right?
Yeah, repetitive blinking is a stim that I want to discuss first because I did not know until recently that it’s a behavior that is linked to autism.
This whole discussing autism gig is getting more and more interesting because of the countless surprises. It’s a joy to learn more about something you live with. I look forward to Stim #2! Stay tuned!
An Unique Mind 