Do you let your DC stim?

[sammythemummy]

My dd never used to have stims, but lately i have noticed her walking on her toes, blinking a lot and sometimes shaking her head. I tell her to stop which she does, but am I creating a bigger problem for her? Is this something she needs? And why has this only begun now? (shes 3.5)

I try and stop them, though it is not easy

And now my hf asd stepdaughter is able to talk, she tells me she is very pleased we stopped her rocking, keening stims at age 3-5 as (to quote her) "I don't want to look weird to my friends"

Hi Sammy, I do let my ds stim so I will be watching this thread with interest. I find it impossible to stop him most of the time. I try to get him to change a few that he does when we are outside because they can cause problems. If they are getting in the way of him going about his day to day life or causing a safety issue then I encourage him to change them. If they are not causing a problem I leave them alone.

My ds needs to stim when he is anxious. The stims change. I did not notice ds walking on toes and handflapping until he was 4.

I let my ds stim. He is so far undiagnosed but if i tell him to stop, it often creates tantrums as he says he feels like he may explode if he doesn't do what he needs to do. Even though his stims are on the whole annoying to me, throat clearing, dislocating shoulders and i can hear them crunch! Letting him stim is better than the possible outcome of asking him to stop.

My ds2 is 12 now, and I let him stim, a long time ago I asked did he know why he did it and he told me it comforts him and makes him feel less anxious, they change from time to time but I don't say anything, I have noticed in the last couple of months that he can stop them but at the end of the day when there is just me and him he stims like crazy.

i let my 2 kids stim as it reduces anxieties and helps them regulate

If DS stims I know its a signal he is tired or anxious so rather than just let him I try to detect which it is and if I can solve it.

If I cant help then i let him get on with it but it does depend on which stim it is and I do suggest using a particular one or replacing with a fidget toy or squeeze ball instead but sometimes its just going to happen.

But how do you know what to replace it with?

Tip toeing (is that even a stim?) and the blinking I can let go but the head shaking itnink needs to be stopped. She does it so fast that she loses balance and giggles, what can I replace it with?

also, she doesnt really mind that I stop her but would do it again sometime later or the next day

This is possibily a daft question but how do you know when your child is anxious if they have a lang delay?

Yes I let ds stim/repetitive behaviour, although I do try to move him on from them when/if its interfering too much with things which need to be done. In ds's case interaction.

For example when we have visitors ds will go to his room and constantly line things up, its how he copes. I can get him to join us in a room, if I let him have his ipod, which he holds about 3 inches from his face and he will interact for short periods.

not sure how to replace head shaking. My ds only really shakes his head at home so I dont say anything. If my ds is chewing his clothes or hard objects I will try to replace this with him chewing a special chewy toy. Jumping up and down on sofa is replaced with him sitting on a bouncy hopper.

I know he is anxious because he is chewing everything and he does not do this when he is not anxious. Doors are a big problem for us. I know ds is anxious if he insists that only he can open the door, no one else is allowed to open a door and he has a meltdown if someone else does. When he is not anxious there are not so many door related problems. There are lots of signs that my ds is anxious including hand flapping, head shaking, toe walking, putting one foot on top of the other, needing to stick to the same routine exactly for certain things. But routine can be changed slightly when not so anxious.

It took me a while to understand that these things were a sign of anxiety. It helps us both that I can spot the signs now. It takes a while to figure it all out and there are still alot of things I am finding out about my ds.

I've tried to stop the tiptoes because ds complains of cramp and I think that's what causes it. Problem is I'm so used to it I don't notice it a lot. He stims massively at bedtime when he's getting to sleep and I just let him get on with it then.

Can you see an OT with regard to doing a sensory profile?

To try any help with the head shaking do you think having a spin chair would help at all? Ikea sells some which have a pull down cover so that you can hide away. Obviously this wouldn't be any use if you were out and about but might be worth a try?
www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/?query=IKEA+PS+LÖMSK+Swivel+armchair

boobybum - a spin chair is a really good idea! I think I might get something like this for my ds.