sudden increase in stimming

[thisisyesterday]

what does it mean???

DS1 has suddenly developed several verbal stims, plus this weird throwing his head backwards thing.

last one was a kind of finger clicking hting which wasn't so obvious, but this looks awful! I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I don't want poeple making fun of him or treating him differently because of it.

but my main question really is why the sudden increase? does it mean anything or is it just one of those things?

Ds ,12,stims mostly by rocking to music or sometimes flapping his arms.This definitely intensifies if he is stressed about something/worried etc but he also does it to wind down/relax.He has explained it as being very enjoyable and simply something that he loves to do.
I dont know really but I would say make sure that he is not stressed out about something-ds is old enough to know that if he does these behaviours when in public then he will be stared at and we keep stressing to him the importance of regulating his behaviours and doing them in private etc but it does worry me that sometimes he will forget and get teased/stared at .
I dont know how old your ds is so he may or may not be old enough to understand all this.But generally I would say that there is probably a reason behind, it even if it is only that he is very young and has just realised that this new way of stimming is more enjoyable/rewarding than what he was doing previously.Ds didnt really start any apparant stimming until he was about 7 ish.

he is 7, up until maybe a year ago he didn't stim at all, or not in any particularly noticeable way

i guess he might be worrying about going back to school

Ds does stressed stims and happy stims, I can tell the difference between them even though the difference is seemingly subtle to anyone who doesn't know ds. At the moment he's stimming a lot because he's happy because he's out of school and it's sunny.I don't and couldn't stop him but he's been doing it for that long that I don't notice it that much anymore tbh

DS 7 flaps arms, rolls shoulders, stands stiff while repeatedly opening and closing his fists and he has always said it is because he is excited and he likes doing it (but then again we always said "he's excited" when he was smaller) and watching him I would agree. But occasionally he mutters to himself while he is flapping while walking around in circles this had us worried for a while because we thought it may be due to anxiety more notable before he was due to go to school, now we are quite sure he is telling himself stories or inventing something its as though he just goes into his own world.

Maybe its a mixture of excitement but also the uncertainty of the new change when he gets back?

Actually the more I think about the muttering I'm now wondering if it is a stress thing and the stories are to take his mind off it...oh dear here I go again :)

My 8yo DS has several stimms....I wouldnt have called them that until about 12-18 months ago- they were just things he did. It's as he and his peers get older that its obvious that these are things that he needs to do and that he cant 'turn off' to suit a social situation.
As someone else says, he has different 'happy' and 'stressed' ones. Some I tell him are private to his own room and some I just write off that the rewards of him doing it even in public outweigh the stress to him of not being able to do it. E.g. today, ''echo-y'' supermarket which he hates, he stimmed his way around flapping his hands across his eyes. Looks odd. If I stopped him, he would find the noise overwhelming and would pick a fight with his sister or get whiny. It worked to help get him through it.

ds2 sniffs repeatedly & clicks his tongue, he does it when he doesnt knwo what else to do.
A car journey is delightful, with him sniffing & clicking & his brother moaning about him clicking & sniffing.. we've tried ipods, laptops, earphones etc. I think its the enforced sitting still that he cant cope with.

He also does it at home if anxious while pacing up & down, at least then we can leave the room.

Summer holidays? DS's repertoire of stims are all increased at this time of year (also forgetting how to sleep. Which is why I'm responding at this ridiculous hour).

thanks all... i think i need to observe him more closely to see if I can find a difference between happy stims and stressed stims.
I don't like to draw too much attention to them, so have never asked him why he does it! but do you think that's ok to ask him?

we also have hideous car journeys, and yes yes yes to the stopping sleeping!!!

does dribbling excess saliva and attempting to mop it up by licking it count as a stim too? any tips on how to control it?

What's the difference between a tic and a stim? Sorry - I really should know by now!

My DD who is 5 has started clicking her tongue a lot and and rolls her hands round as if she was doing the 'wind the bobbin up' actions. She sometimes pinches her fingers together. She went through a phase of smacking her head but fingers crossed she's come through that one. I was quite tough with that one though for obvious reasons.

I can't always explain why she does it. It's not usually just because she's stressed, I think she just likes the way it feels. Maybe it's some sort of release.

i am n o expert, but i think that a tic is an uncontrollable movement that serves no purpose, whereas a stim is done to stimulate a certain sense? so it's done on purpose?

not sure though

razumob i would think it would count yes, if they're doing it to stimulate themselves? no idea on how to stop it