Stimming is not a problem to fix

Stimming is repetitive movement or sound that helps a nervous system settle, focus, or express feeling. Non-autistic people do it too — bouncing a knee, clicking a pen — but autistic stims are often more visible, and more necessary.

Stopping a stim because it looks unusual is like taking someone’s glasses because you prefer their face without them. The behaviour you see is often the thing keeping the person in the room.

The only time to intervene is when a stim is injuring the person or someone else. Then the work is to find a safer stim, not to demand stillness.

If a stim bothers you more than it bothers the person doing it, the kindest move is to look away and let them have their body.