Stimming - what does it include?

[debs40]

I'm interested in the stimming thing. DS (6) constantly licks his fingers and hands and chews things (bits of paper) etc. He doesn't hand flap or anything. Would you consider this stimming?

If it is constant or very frequent - Yes

Aye, tis constant! Chews absolutely everything - including all the tassles off my Laura Ashley cushions! He's got a rythmic licking of each finger going on now - each in turn - which is very attractive

Do you have some professional background in these issues cyberseraphim or does your knowledge come from experience with your children? Your posts are always informative

My DS1 is autistic and my brother has HFA. Like everyone I am learning on the job - You too will know more than every expert in the world by this time next year ! It does sound like stimming then if it is constant and if he seeks it out constantly for pleasure. Hand flapping started here (DS1 is 5.5) just recently. I'm hoping it means the string stim might die down.

DS does this. He licks his hands his arms even his feet. He also licks a lot of his food. He eats tissue cardboard even carpet fibre. I would consider it stimming as he is trying to fulfil a sensory need. I have introduced DS to xylitol chewing gum as it keeps his mouth busy and helps with the non teeth brushing problem. He also has a chewy tube but doesn't use it as much as he used to. I am getting some sensory equipment from talk tools to help with this as he's gone mad with it recently.

I'm envious of the gum chewing - DS1 calms down a lot with chewy sweets but just swallows gum as though it were a sweetie.

I thought ds would swallow it too but I caught him early in the chewing and made him spit it out to get another.

That's interesting. I got DS a chewy tube ages ago but he's not interested. He likes little bits to chew so maybe the gum would help. Would be worried about him swallowing it and it getting stuck though!

DS (3.9) has been known to suck the bars of the shopping trolley at tesco, his nan's face, a wooden stick, the lid of the tube of marge, windows, and he will eat playdoh , although i suspect a lot of kids even nt ones do that! But it's not stimming in his case more of a sensory thing because he doesn't do it that often.

AS far as daily stimming , we have humming, screetching like a whistle, some quick pacing in circles (usually with a bit of humming too).

Sometimes some twirly finger movements when he 's very excited or upset, and a bit of toe walking + humming now and then!

Do new stims pop and change in phases then?

Ds2's stims do pop and change. We have snorting - which has just re-emerged. Not annoying at all...... !

We also have chewing/sucking. He has a blanket that he cuddles and it gets chewed every now and again.

Finger twirly things like insy winsy spider.

Where do you get a chewy tube from?

www.bonanzle.com/booths/HeavenSentGifts/items/Chewy_Tube_Red_Oral_Motor_Sensory_OT_Autism_SPD_ASD_ne w

I've not used the company before, but I do know friends who've used chewy tubes and found them useful.
I wonder why they don't have them in blue though!

you can get chewy tubes from talk tools in US or ebay sometimes cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chewy-Tube-Green-knobbly-for-SEN-Autism_W0QQitemZ330351769646QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_To ysCreativeEducationalRL?hash=item4cea7ff82e&trksid=p3286.c0.m14
The US talk tools have a chocolate smelling chewy that I think ds will like.

btw I made an order from the uk distributor of talk tools (re enterpise)and it didnt turn up and they dont answer the phone or call back .When I finally did get through 1month later they said they had lost distribution right in UK and only then did I get a refund. Head office said that I should order direct from US but they are having trouble with my UK address?!

thankyou!