Anyone think this is behavioural/stimming??

[Ineedtinsel]

Dd3[8] does have stims such as throat clearing, finger clicking and lip licking which come and go depending on her stress levels.

In the last couple of years she has developed a very loud seal like cough, it starts if she has had a cold [so probably starts off genuine] but can continue for up to a month after the cold has gone.

I have taken her to the GP many times, she has never had a chest infection and it is not Asthma [ we have tried an inhaler].

All fairly normal you say, but when she is occupied she doesn't cough, when she is asleep she doesn't cough!!

At the moment she is coughing roughly every 30 seconds or so.
If we say stop coughing it gets worse.

So what do you think clever people ?? ... I am beginning to think this is a stim but how can I be sure??

I bark like a seal when coughing even when I do not have a cold/chest infection. If I think about it then I cough more.

Could it just be a habit?

Ok sorry not being funny [honest] but how do you tell the difference between a stim and a habbit.

That's a good question.

I guess I see stimming as seeking out sensory feedback due to frustration and boredom. Or a need to 'single channel' onto one thing to block something else out. This is idiosyncratic to ASD

Habit - well, is pretty persistant and done without much thought, part of a routine.

Nah, you're right: there's not a lot in it.

Will shut up now but I'm sure someone with more a clue will be along....

LOL spinkle... I love your theory and think you are right. I just don't know how to tell, maybe I will ask whoever we see at CAMHS tomorrow.

I do think that if we had a DX I wouldn't be thinking why is she doing these things and it would be easier to just accept it as part of who she is.

Why does everything have to be so b....y complicated.

Please don't shut up . I value your opinion and I did ask!!

My son does these things.....especially when stressed. His lips get very dry from a) his OCD meds and b) constantly licking 'em.

He also clears his throat and hand wrings.

I think it somehow alleviates the stress? Not sure, but when I see him doing these things I know he's reached a point where he needs "time out".

I don't think it's a habit as such.

Yes we've had/have (as they come and go) the coughing, throat clearing, lick-lipping and finger biting, lately it's slurping noises. I tend to think of these as nervous habits, unconscious and pretty much impossible to control but not necessarily permanent which helps keep me sane when a new one starts.

I don't know how you define a stim exactly either. Like wendihouse see them as sign of stress but also noticed an increase when on some types of medication.

Just re read my earlier post and realised it makes me sound like I don't accept Dd3 for who she is. Of course that is not true, we love her to bits nd no amount of stims or quirks would change that. I just find it hard to deal with a constant barage of unusual behaviours and think we would not always feel that we should be trying to correct her or force her to be less quirky.

Thankyou for your comments, Dd3 has never been on medication but I see some of the stims as a sign of stress and yet others can occur when she is totally relaxed and is free to be herself like in the holidays.

I have been told that she never stims at school but they are completely useless at spotting stress in her. Last week she was so stressed she vomitted! But of course that was a bug!!.

I was reading a book the other day (like you do...) and they thing most autistic parents have the least understanding and tolerance of were the 'unexplained behaviours' the ASD kids produce.

This makes sense to me.

I think once you understand the 'whys' of them doing it the quirks become less stressful. We've just started Sensory Integration Therapy with DS (6, ASD) and it's been really useful to start to put the jigsaw of all these behaviours together. Constantly trying to adapt to 'our' world puts them under strain and, of course, they adapt things to help them cope.

Hope that doesn't sound stupid.