Is this vocal stimming?

[Plon]

DS is just turned 9. He's always been sensitive and 'high needs', anxious, big issues with separation from me. He can be really challenging to look after at times as he expresses himself with very very silly behaviour where is unreachable and won't stop. But as it's not explosive/angry very often, I don't think others around me get it.

Anyway for a few months I've seen a psychologist with him (not super regular, several sessions with him and with me and DH), originally due to school refusal/anxiety that has been ongoing since nursery. But it's widened and she has now said she strongly feels we should have a full assessment of his needs. He scored a bit above threshold on an autism screening questionnaire and there are other bits and pieces. She's met him a lot.

Anyway it's got me thinking about things he does that are just normal to us but maybe aren't? One is he tends to constantly be making noise, especially when doing something like brushing his teeth or pooing, he'll be shout-singing at the top of his voice with random bursts of kind of noises to a tune, or repeating short sentences in sing song. This is every time he does those tasks. And I mean really at the top of his voice the whole time. In comparison I sometimes hear my other son talking quietly to himself or something.

When he's heightened he'll shriek a repetitive silly sentence he's made about the cat or something like that. It'll be the same thing for months at a time. I've also recently noticed when he's engaged in something or watching TV he makes this quiet repetitive little 'hm' noise, every few moments.

I truly don't know if this is a type of normal behaviour at this age, or a bit more unusual and maybe a type of stimming.

[Sprinkles211]

Yes this is stimming. My eldest needs noise all the time talks to herself. My younger two have a vocal stim where the make the same noise repeatedly when doing either a repetitive task or notice a pattern. My younger two are severe My eldest is mainstream for academics but definitely a few years behind the social side.