#category: classroom stimming

[amypfefferorchardpark]

Understanding the Many Forms of Autism

It can be tough to comprehend autism if you or a loved one has been diagnosed. This is especially true if you are unfamiliar with the many varieties of autism and how they are currently classified.

Initially, the medical establishment classified autism into five categories of diseases. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) then updated its standards in 2013, defining only one type of autism as ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Obsessive behaviors are frequent in children with autism, and many of them also have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This can be as simple as touching or washing specific objects repeatedly, or as sophisticated as becoming concerned with things like germs.

When an autistic person brushes their fingers repeatedly on a table to relax or stimulate their senses, they are engaging in stim. It's a non-emotional, self-soothing approach to deal with boredom or worry, but in the case of OCD, it can become a compulsion.

These compulsions are induced in OCD by the notion of risk or damage. These thoughts imply that a person is feeling out of control or unable of confronting their fears. Therapy for OCD symptoms can assist these people in breaking the link between obsessions and compulsions.

The most common and problematic behavior among people with autism is repetitive activity. They might range from extreme to mild, and may include repetitive hand flapping, body movements, or vocalizations. According to some experts, these behaviors are significant in autistic persons because they assist them manage stress and anxiety. They can, however, cause social problems and physical harm if they are intense or self-injurious.

Finding the fundamental reason of the behavior, which could be stress or fear, is the greatest strategy to assist eliminate repetitive behaviors. This can be accomplished by asking the person what is causing them to behave in this manner and assisting them in better understanding how to cope with their feelings.

Autism is characterized by difficulties with social interaction. They can be aggravating for individuals and have an impact on their quality of life. These can include having trouble starting a conversation, recognizing facial expressions, and responding to others in a social context. They can also cause anxiety and a loss of interest in socializing.

Several tactics can assist people with autism improve their communication skills and social skills. Social tales, for example, aid in the concrete and visual breakdown of abstract notions.

They can also help a person identify and manage various emotions. They can also emphasize what was stated in a conversation as well as people's intentions.

These unique hobbies, according to Winter-Messiers, can give major benefits to autistic people, even if they present problems and difficulties. She recommends that teachers and therapists assist these children in using their specific interests to improve their classroom performance, social skills, academic task mastery, and coping abilities.

Gunn and Delafield-Butt discovered a substantial correlation between the Adaptive Coping scale and the BASC-2 Leadership subscale, which evaluates "skills associated with achieving academic, social, or communal goals, including the ability to collaborate with others" in their study (Reynolds and Kamphaus, 2004).

The Perseverance and Social Flexibility variables are orthogonal to the Adaptive Coping component. If a confined interest has few negative characteristics (high Perseveration) but many positive aspects (high AC), it may be worthwhile to address it with an appropriate treatment plan that takes both parts into account.

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

I have a few study tips!

- Colour code! By this I mean get a bunch of pens in different colours, or highlighters, or both. Different pen or highlighter colour for different topic (syntax section is green & grammar review is red for example). Then whenever you take a test, use the same colours. I can't explain it but the association helps a lot with memory.

- If you're able, chew flavoured gum while you study and chew the same flavour when testing. Same idea as colours - the association helps with memory - but also helps you quietly stim.

- If your teacher(s) are flexible/willing, tell them you struggle to focus during tests (if you feel safe, mention you have a disability; in the USA at least, they're usually not allowed legally to ask questions if the accommodation is reasonable, & they're absolutely not allowed to force you to show them a diagnosis (they're not entitled to your medical records) - thank the ADA for this) and ask to listen to music (via headphones/earbuds). They may worry this means you'll listen to cheat-y materials, so if you're able to offer to let them see your playlist. If they let you have headphones in, then make a study playlist! This can be classical music, music in another language that you don't know, or music that you've already memorized the lyrics to. This means your brain won't have to or be able to process new lyrics, but it will give you consistent association with your chosen category (or even a mix of all three if desired). Arrange it in whatever order you want, then keep it in your desired order while you study and play it in that same order when you take the test. The familiar order will help you remember.

- Please please please let yourself use fidget “toys”/tools. Chewing gum, music, foot swings for your chair, wobbly chairs, quiet fidget spinners (metal is quieter than plastic), fidget cubes.... Fidgeting with ADHD helps your brain produce enough dopamine to maintain focus and helps regulate emotions so you won't get too overwhelmed and stressed. Find the ones that work for you in a classroom & in a study space, & use them. You're not stealing resources from anyone, even if you're undiagnosed. They're tools to help anyone who needs them and they're not a finite (limited) resource. Buy them, request them from your school (or university) if your school can provide them, enter free giveaways— just make sure to accommodate yourself first.

- Once you do get a diagnosis, medication does sincerely help some of us with ADHD & may be worth exploring. If you can't use meds, explore some natural options to make it a little easier (nicotine, weed if it's legal where you are, coffee (if it puts you to sleep too much, try adding creamer, half & half, milk, &/or sugar - the sweetness will help keep you awake/alert when the caffeine balances out your dopamine)) but be careful because people with ADHD are more likely to get addicted (dopamine seeking).

This isn't an exhaustive list but it'll give y'all (anon & anyone out there who hasn't asked yet) a place to start. 💜

~Nico (he/they)

Undiagnosed Adhd culture is beating up yourself for the being "lazy" because that's what society has led you to believe but you just have ADHD really

Side note* I need study tips for ADHD peeps bc I really can't do the pomodoro sht and other tips people give me TT

.

[stimtoybox]

I get really anxious, and I recently bought a fidget cube and it strangely works wonders! But when school starts up again, I won't be able to use it (the small switch which I use almost constantly makes too much noise and I wouldn't want to be the one to get cubes banned from school) I was wondering if you had any alternative (quiet) ideas? something small I could hide under my desk or in my sweat shirt pocket that wouldn't distract those around me?

Thank you so much, anon, for being considerate about how your stimming impacts others. Thank you. Not that I have any concern about your being the one to cause a ban (the fault with that lies with teachers, the school and the education system, not the individual user) but I really appreciate the thought you’re putting in to be able to look after your needs with minimum impact on others.

I’m so glad you’ve got a cube and it’s working for you! Yay for stimming!

You might like to check out our Household Stim Toys ask, as almost everything there is small and pocket-sized, and things like marbles, screws and cotton balls are going to be quiet when held in a palm. You also might like to look at our Subtle/Classroom Fidgets ask, as most of these things are small, subtle or quiet.

Now, stim toys that are small and absolutely or very nearly quiet:

Hedge balls / porcupine balls / hedge creatures: small balls or animals shaped like a ball with protruding spikes, some stretchable (I mean you can pull on the spikes), some not. These are hand-sized and make no noise. My hedge monkeys are stretchable and don’t even make noise when stretched.

Edamame poppers: a pea-shaped popper with three peas you can push up from the pod. Makes a negligible creaking sound. Not all that durable under heavy stimming, but extremely cool.

Wooden bolts and screws: makes the slightest of scratching sounds when the bolt is twisted up and down the thread of the screw. Durable, great for constant repetitive movement, has great texture.

Bottle corks: great if you want something to pick at, only a slight scraping noise made by a section of the cork peeling away, a little bit messy.

Stretchy squish balls: quiet, so mouldable and stretchable, stress ball perfection. I need to see if I can find an online source for these things, because Stimtastic can’t keep them in stock and my local Lincraft is now sold out. These are a little bigger than most things on this list, but they are so nice, I can’t not include them.

Marble mazes and marble loops: absolutely silent, great for keeping your hands moving. Marble loops are like to be more portable and easier to use in the classroom, although if you DIY your maze, you can make it in whatever size you need.

Squishies: some are way too big for subtle stimming, but mochi squishies are tiny and readily portable (although they do collect dust and lint like nothing else). Silent and squishy. Note that some might have a strong smell, which might be an issue for people around you. The mochi squishes, at least the few I’ve handled, don’t have a strong smell, so I think these should be okay for classroom use.

Stress balls: particularly foam stress balls and DIY balloon stress balls. The DIY balloon ones can be made as small as you like; foam stress balls come in mini sizes, often in the party favours section of a department store or dollar shop.

Puzzle, kneadable and capsule erasers: all silent. Puzzle erasers (Iwako-style) can be pulled apart and put back together; kneadable erasers are like a portable putty that’s easy to justify; capsule erasers have textures to touch and make a great worry stone.

Chenille knobbly pencil cases: quiet, stimmy, as stealth as anything. If you don’t find stroking does a lot for you, you might not want this as your main stim, but it’s a great back-up stim, especially as most of us need a pencil case anyway.

Mini Koosh balls and smaller puffer balls: silent, small enough to roll in your palms, has fronds that you can pick and pull at.

Makeup blending sponges: palm size, silent, squishable. Good for rolling, rubbing and squeezing.

Tassel and pompom/fluffy keychains: can be attached to your pencil case, quiet. Depending on design, good for braiding, twisting, stroking, tugging, rolling through hands.

Chain fidgets: all the DIY ones I made myself click, but I’ve handled professionally-made chain fidgets and they were absolutely silent. This might vary from fidget to fidget, though, so this one might be a little risky.

Telephone cord bracelets: inexpensive, can be worn on wrists as jewellery or in hair as hair ties, subtle, can be twisted between fingers like a Tangle. Sometimes make a slight noise when twisted.

Lastly, if you want to try a Tangle, they all click some, but the Tangle Jr Fuzzy is generally quietest - the coating of flocking cushions the plastic pieces from clicking as they touch together. It will still make some noise (Tangles aren’t very loud anyway) but not as much as a regular Tangle Jr. In this case, I wouldn’t get the cheap ebay Tangles, as they’re generally louder than my branded Tangles.

A last note on safety:

Toys like mochi squishies, puffer creatures, stretchy squish balls, DIY stress balls and Koosh balls might present a problem for folks with latex allergies. Anything made from that kind of rubbery plastic, I believe. Some people just can’t touch them and some people can’t even be in the same room as a balloon skin. I bring this up not to stop people from using these stim toys, but just to note that it can be a concern. If you need to quietly approach your teacher and ask if anyone in the classroom has those allergies, do so. Same applies for scented items and noisy items. We can stim with these, but we need to be mindful about the people around us and open to feedback from those who sit beside/behind/around us. There’s a difference between that creaking sound is getting on my last nerve and that stimming is weird, stop it. The last we can and should ignore; the first asks us to do the adult thing of trying to negotiate a compromise. This is another of the many reasons having a wide and varied stim kit is a good idea, so we have options if a favourite toy is dangerous, distracting or difficult in any given environment.

I hope this gives you a few good ideas for exploring quiet classroom stims. Good luck, anon, and thank you so much for keeping others’ comfort in mind!

- Mod K.A.

[headspace-hotel]

My random unsubstantiated hypothesis of the day: the popularity of "stim" videos, fidget toys, and other things like that is a warning sign that something's Deeply Wrong with our world.

Don't freak out. I am autistic. These things are not bad. However, can we just...take a second to notice how weird it is that there are entire social media accounts full of 10-second videos of things making crunching noises, people squishing slime in their hands, and objects clacking together, and that enjoying them is mainstream and normal?

It seems that nowadays, almost everyone exhibits sensory-seeking behavior, when just a decade ago, the idea of anyone having "sensory needs" was mostly obscure. It is a mainstream Thing to "crave" certain textures or repetitive sounds.

What's even weirder, is that it's not just that "stim" content is mainstream; the way everything on the internet is filmed seems to look more like "stim" content. TikToks frequently have a sensory-detail-oriented style that is highly unusual in older online content, honing in on the tactile, visual and auditory characteristics of whatever it's showing, whether that's an eye shadow palette or a cabin in a forest.

When an "influencer" markets their makeup brand, they film videos that almost...highlight that it's a physical substance that can be smudged and smeared around. Online models don't just wear clothes they're advertising, they run their hands over them and make the fabric swish and ripple.

I think this can be seen as a symptom of something wrong with the physical world we live in. I think that almost everyone is chronically understimulated.

Spending time alone in the forest has convinced me of this. The sensory world of a forest is not only much richer than any indoor environment, it is abundant with the sorts of sensations that people seem to "crave" chronically, and the more I've noticed and specifically focused on this, the more I've noticed that the "modern" human's surroundings are incredibly flat in what they offer to the senses.

First of all, forests are constantly permeated with a very soft wash of background noise that is now often absent in the indoor world. The sound of wind through trees has a physiological effect you can FEEL. It's always been a Thing that people are relaxed by white noise, which leads to us being put at ease by the ambient hum of air conditioning units, refrigerators and fans. But now, technology has become much more silent, and it's not at all out of place to hypothesize that environments without "ambient" white noise are detrimental to us.

Furthermore, a forest's ambience is full of rhythmic and melodic elements, whereas "indoor" sounds are often harsh, flat and irregular.

Secondly: the crunch. This is actually one of the most notably missing aspects of the indoor sensory world. Humans, when given access to crunchable things, will crunch them. And in a forest, crunchy things are everywhere. Bark, twigs and dry leaves have crisp and brittle qualities that only a few man-made objects have, and they are different with every type of plant and tree.

Most humans aren't in a lot of contact with things that are "destroyable" either, things you can toy with and tear to little bits in your hands. I think virtually everyone has restlessly torn up a scrap of paper or split a blade of grass with their thumbnail; it's a cliche. And since fidget toys in classrooms are becoming a subject of debate, I think it pays to remember that the vast majority of your ancestors learned everything they knew with a thousand "fidget toys" within arm's reach.

And there is of course mud, and clay, and dirt, and wet sand. I'm 100% serious, squishing mud and clay is vital to the human brain. Why do you think Play-Doh is such a staple elementary school toy. Why do you think mud is the universal cliche thing kids play in for fun. It's such a common "stim" category for a reason.

I could go on and on. It's insane how unstimulating most environments humans spend time in are. And this definitely contributes to ecological illiteracy, because people aren't prepared to comprehend how detailed the natural world is. There are dozens of species of fireflies in the United States, and thousands of species of moths. If you don't put herbicides on your lawn, there are likely at least 20 species of plant in a single square meter of it. I've counted at least 15 species of grass alone in my yard.

Would it be overreach to suggest that some vital perceptive abilities are just not fully developing in today's human? Like. I had to TEACH myself to be able, literally able, to perceive details of living things that were below a certain size, even though my eyes could detect those details, because I just wasn't accustomed to paying attention to things that small. I think something...happens when almost all the objects you interact with daily are human-made.

The people that think ADHD is caused by kids' brains being exposed to "too much stuff" by Electronic Devices...do not go outside, because spending a few minutes in a natural environment has more stimuli in it than a few hours of That Damn Phone.

A patch of tree bark the size of my phone's screen has more going on than my phone can display. When you start photographing lots of living organisms, you run into the strange and brain-shifting reality that your electronic device literally cannot create and store images big enough to show everything you, in real life, may notice about that organism.

[jennsepticeye]

Hi, yes, let's talk about how ADHD stigmas and what they actually mean from an actual ADHD person.

Hi, I'm Jenn, I'm 18 and I was diagnosed when I was 14 and have been taking Methylphenidate to help me function like a normal human being for 4 years.

There's a whole alphabet of abbreviations in here, so have a key

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADD Attention Deficit Disorder

SPD Sensory Processing Disorder

ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder

RSD Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria

ASMR Autonomous Sensory-Motor Response

ADHD and ADD effect everyone differently. Everyone. And it's really important to understand that because comments like "well you don't look ADHD" or "but you're so calm" can be really damaging to people struggling with it. It can be invalidating and trivializes how hard living with ADD really is.

Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD, is relatively common among kids and adults with Attention Deficit Disorders. This is basically when someone perceives an interaction negatively even though it might not be. If internalized, it can cause major depression and can be misdiagnosed as rapid cycling bipolar disorder. If externalities, it can appear as an anger disorder. Kids and adults with RSD are ultra sensitive to rejection, more so than non ADHD people. So if someone you know has ADHD it is important to make them feel wanted and be aware that externalized reactions are not ones they really have control over.

ADHD is not a childhood disorder. My brother is nearly 30 and still struggling with symptoms. Some children do grow out of it, and most do not.

ADHD people are not lazy. We're not. Not inherently anyway. If you're someone without ADHD I imagine it's hard to comprehend the complete lack of motivation that comes with such a disorder. I want to have good grades, and I want to get my homework done, but I am so easily distracted that tasks which take a neurotypical person 20 minutes will take me upwards of an hour. My brain is a constant cycle of "I'll do it later." I have a hard time prioritizing what needs to be done vs what I want to do. I could do my homework but I would rather read or write.

There are some overlapping symptoms between ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I struggle with one of those symptoms, sensory processing disorder. Basically what that means is sometimes I get sensory overloads due to environmental factors that can lead to anxiety like attacks. There are also some sounds, textures, sights, tastes, and smells that absolutely do not agree with me. Velvet lined clothes are an absolute no go because the feel of velvet on my skin is liable to cause a sensory attack, scrambled eggs are the same way, and those phone dog whistles. Be mindful of people with SPD around you, and what triggers them.

Typically when you think ADHD you picture a kid with no filter running around the room, a trouble maker who can't sit still. And when you think stim, you either think ASMR or the ASD kid who yells all the time. There are lots of different types of stims and it's important for these kids to stim because it helps them function. Verbal stims are called echolalia. Kids who stim this way often seem obnoxious or unintelligent. They usually repeat something often, a quote or just noises. This is generally the least socially acceptable stim. But these kids aren't dumb, or unintelligent. They repeat those phrases as a way to maintain focus. If this is a stim that distracts or disturbs you, then be kind about it. Offer the person a place to work where they won't distract others, but can stim as they please.

Another stim is oral stims. These people usually chew on things, be it fingernails, coat sleeves, pencils or gum. There are several types of stim "toys" for this purpose. Rubber necklaces that prevent tooth damage while limiting and self destructiveness, like fingernail biting. Baby teething rings are a favorite of mine because they hold up well.

Tactile stims are the ones most commonly labeled toys. I know that fidget spinners now have a bad rap, but they were originally designed for people with attention disorders to stim with. But There are also other toys such as Tangles, Fidget Cubes, Spinner Rings and maze bracelets. If these appear in say, your classroom, don't rush to confiscate them unless they are more of a distraction to the students that a beneficial tool.

Tactile stimmers may also make repetitive motions that seem abnormal for neurotypicals, almost like Tourette's in nature. For instance, I clap the sides of my feet together or rub or punch my collar bone. You should only try to stop this behavior if it's self-destructive, because this is a stim that is helping that person focus

Auditory stims. I know we've all seen that person who needs music to focus, or someone who prefers silence. It can be problematic for some ADHD kids who need music to focus because in my experience I am easily distracted into singing along with the lyrics. Video game music is often composed specifically to boost concentration and I've found that movie soundtracks are a good option as well. If you're a teacher, be mindful of these students' needs.

Now lets talk about why this works. One of the leading theories for ADHD (be mindful that I'm not a doctor) is what I call the Floating Focus theory. As humans evolved we couldn't focus 100% on just one task. If we were picking berries we had to have been mindful of our surrounding to be aware of threats. This lookout side focus is called the "floating focus." In ADHD people the floating focus is overactive, which makes us easily distractable. I once spent an entire hour playing with a sequined pillow because I got distracted from some AP reading. With these stims, our floating focus is occupied on something, so we can't get distracted be something else.

(Bonus fact about floating focus: it's part of the reason some ADHDers seem to have awesome hearing because their floating picks up on conversations in quiet environments. For instance, I could be reading with my door closed and hear one parent say to another "should I call Jenn down to take care of the chickens?" And then I'll get up and head down before they've caked me)

I wanted to put this after the stims because it's not quite the same. Deep Pressure stim is another type. Kids who stim like this may wear compression shirts or weighted clothes, or use a weighted lap pad. I sleep with a 15lb blanket. This is a sub category for tactile stimming, but sometimes a useful tool in bringing someone down from a sensory episode. For instance I sometimes have my sister lay down on top of me and wearing a chest binder is a happy coincidence. They also train service dogs to do the same thing.

ADHD peeps are not always tired. The disorder really fucks with a person's sleeping rhythm, so an ADHD person might have a really hard time sleeping at night because their thoughts are really loud, or because boredom has a wild effect on us. A person with ADHD may have no problem staying up all night but they will be paying for it the next day, which is why they seem lethargic and tired. My sleep schedule is something I'm still working on, but a weighted blanket is often a great tool. (Currently premade ones are super pricey but there are a lot of resources for making your own).

ADHD people aren't slobs. Messy behavior can often be attributed to what's called "visual background-noise." Some ADHD people are messy because they've stopped recognizing the mess, it's just background noise in their visual field. Related to this, ADHD people may seem to know where everything is in their mess, which is often the cause of a reluctance to clean. If they clean then everything will be moved from where it was and they won't know anymore. There is also the reluctance due to lack of motivation.

There seems to be an ongoing commentary that ADHD people can pay attention if they choose to, and this is often said right after someone has done something efficiently. ADHD people can't choose really what they pay attention to. If something is done super efficiently is is often caused by what's called "hyperfixation" or what has previously been called "special interests." These are areas where an ADHD person can focus on a task often better than a neurotypical person. This isn't always good, especially in a case where the itself hyperfixation is bad, is not the assigned task, or if the focus is so strong that a person like me forgets to eat or sleep. You read that right. I honest to god forget to eat. I'll lose track of time and when I check, I'll have been working from 700 to 1500 without stopping.

Meds aren't inherently bad. Like I said I've been taking the off brand equivalent of Ritalin. Methylphenidate. Side effects if ADHD meds include disrupted sleeping pattern, decreased appetite and I sometimes get headaches when they wear off. Last year I lost 10 lbs because of my meds. Meds like Ritalin or Adrerall can also be semi addictive as an ADHD person becomes dependent on their effects. However, if in the right dosage and paired with other non chemical methods, meds can do a lot of good. I am completely nonfunctional in a classroom environment without my meds. This is the case for a lot of people. If you demonize treatments like Aderall then people who need them are less likely to get the help they need. I said at the beginning that everyone is different, this means that the treatments are different for everyone. Do your research and listen to your physician. Don't rush do slander a med because it didn't work for you.

[an-a-for-every-occasion]

My roommate is a teacher for really young kids, a good few of who are autistic, and these categories are exactly how they split up stimming in their classroom. Give your children healthy ways to stim.

don’t know what parent of an autistic child needs to hear this but as long as they’re not harming anyone your kid’s stimming is not a “problem behaviour”

[whiteclericmaris]

Honestly it's way past midnight but I can't sleep because I am still mad about that All in a Row show. Like for real they couldn't have a human actor play as the autistic. Do you have any idea how many times my Mom always likes to point out that Sheldon's actor from the Big Bang Theory has autism? And yet he acts in a TV Series for multiple episodes which are longer hours than that All in a Row must be? You're telling me you couldn't do that for the show (not that it matters as the plot of All in a Row just likes to dehumanize us more).

I'm even more livid at the fact that NAS told them to make changes and they didn't. Heck I just signed a petition to have that show pulled and you know how many signatures they need? 170,000. You know how many they have? 168,000+ (and that's just in one day). NAS told you to change stuff and you disregard it. Like that's some big disrespect for the autism community itself.

You know nothing about Autism. Oh but I know because I have it? Not JUST because I have it but I have met others with Autism.

One person used to be a neighbor in one of the old apartments where I lived. Let me call her Monet for this post. Monet was part of a Russian family and we happened to meet her because during one Halloween my sister noticed Monet and her sister trick or treating. So what my sister did seeing as they were young (like around 8 and her sister 12) she took them trick or treating as their babysitter since she was a teen. Monet was and still is autistic for all I know. Her mother was helping her with some therapy sessions for the autism. She would sometimes visit our apartment and I will always remember how she will say words. The most repetitive one would be something that sounded like "Again... Again..." for most of the stuff. She would not talk sentences but rather short words. Also she'd flap. Not just by screaming when kinda frustrated but actually flap how most autism people stim. When happy she's flap those hands. When upset she'd go up to her mother and push her forehead against her hand in frustration or just tired.

My Mom always had a thing for children and knew how to take care of them. She invited Monet over one time to watch Rio (the bird movie) since it was colorful and she knew Monet might like it. While Monet would walk oddly (like not really in order as kinda tilty from one side to the other with each step) you'd just think she was a baby in a kid's body.

Outside of Money my Mom found a place where they would host Autism meetups in a University. I'd usually go but one of the struggles is... It's mostly boys. Like there were 15 people and I was 1 girl out of 2-3. Sometimes we would play board games with each other and one day we even shared our favorite songs. Most of them could talk relatively normal. Some were even older than 30 and 1 had even written a book about their life with Autism. Some were slow in reaction but it felt normal. I don't remember why I stopped going (it wasn't because they moved where they hosted it but I just stopped).

As someone with autism you don't know the struggles I go through. I am at home and I barely do chores because too much trouble yet when I am at stores I organize nail paint by color and try pairing all the paint together with similar colors or even the exact same color, I organize DVDs where they should be and cans however the idea of doing something similar at home is like 'Does not compute'. I cannot sit still for long periods of time. In a classroom I tend to pull my hair for stimming and something else I'd rather not mention. My sister has been bullied for years all because of these repetitive behaviors of mine and I have been shouted at and told repetitively by my Mom to stop it. I even tried to find some ways to stop doing these tics but eventually I end up going back to eating my nails and other 'bad' tics of mine that I give up trying to even stop. For example I tried letting my nails grow but eventually they got too long (like not pointy long but maybe like 2-3 centimeters long). I do not know about other females but always having bitten nails my life having long ones feel odd. There's this area on the side of the nail that would start bugging me when long. Like not really vibrating but more itchy. I've never been a manicure type either so to me nails are not really important. The most I got teased for is by my Mom for not being able to open canned stuff. However having long nails did not mean I stopped scrating my head. I would bleed more often with the long nails as I scratched often. Eventually I just ended up eating those long nails back to short. However I don't injest the nail like I used to as a child rather I spit it out.

Honestly I usually feel ashamed when scolded by my Mother. Always fighting and telling me to stop doing some of these tics and I try but I always go back to it. It's not like I end up doing it on purpose nothing like 'Haha my Mom gets mad whenever I do this so let's keep doing it'. No it's more something I automatically come back to doing to even a sort of subconscious level. It's a real struggle.

Finding support as an adult is rough. I get denied Medicaid often because I am not in their category for disabled and just recently they set me up for failure. The last time I applied for benefits they told me I had to start working for them. Who does that? How do you expect someone who doesn't drive to find a job in a few days? I ended up having my food stamps taken away just because of this and am still umemployed and spend most of my time at home.

It's not just financial but also group support. I went to a program before but the thing is I felt they would not help my needs. It's like my Mom would say 'You're mentally challenged but not TOO mentally challenge that it looks like you'd blend in with neurotypicals'. I can speak english but I'm lacking as I barely use my words. I even noticed with my Dog whenever I go to pet him I say 'Yummy' cause he makes me so happy yet I also ended up saying 'Yummy' to an Uber Driver not because of the food they delivered but because my body recognizes 'Yummy' as happy.

Being autistic does not mean as if it is the end of the world. It's not that your child is in a coma all because they have autism (no offense to the relatives of those in actual comas). It does not always mean that your child is violent and resorts to violence. Also adults have autism too. It is not something they 'grow' out of. Some people find out in their older years they are autistic (I was 17-19 when I was diagnosed with it but that group I mentioned? I remember someone mentioning somewhere in their 20s). Autism is not something you can take away from the person. It is a way of being. Honestly it is offensive that someone would want to take it away.

'All my child does is go Bah bah'.

Have you ever considered that's not autism but them communicating something? A baby cannot speak words when born yet it cries as a signal that something is wrong. Knowledge isn't something people that speak automatically know. No it's something they learn from their teachers and parents. Maybe they might never say a coherent sentence but that does not mean they do not have a language.

[isourchildrenlearning]

Teacher (band)Aide

I had a role as a Teaching Assistant in the University of Auckland. One of the classes - Maths 153, was for high school students doing a first stage Mathematics paper. I remember the course instructor mentioning a lot of the students were “on the spectrum”. This was fine with me. I spent my high school and undergraduate life hanging out with autists, ADHD folk, queers, mentally ill and disabled people. These are categories I understand, because I belong to them. Spotting a neurodivergent student is relatively easy - whether they have a formal diagnosis or not, I know how to identify the symptoms and what can be done for assistance. This was greatly advantageous when tutoring. I see someone stimming or distracted, I sit down next to them and ask how they’re doing. After a quick chat, I assess what they understand, how they understand, and how I can elucidate whatever material is meant to be covered. I have worked with young children with dyslexia or ADHD. I know they typically like concrete examples, visual aids, and interactive learning. I know they love to explore their own interests and I often exploit this to trick them into learning the mandated curriculum. I know students are naturally curious and love learning and it only takes a little creativity and guidance for them to teach themselves and their peers. In my undergraduate degree I took a course on Philosophy for Children. The course was based on Learning by Inquiry and I was so happy to see a wealth of research was well underway on highly effective and engaging pedagogical techniques, specifically for children. I loved that this concept reflected the way that I both learned and taught. I loved finding out one of the leaders of Mathematics by Inquiry was a New Zealander, Bobby Hunter. I found her research and resources and integrated them into my practice. I ran an after-school Scholarship Calculus tutorial under little-to-no supervision using the skills I had developed and resources I collated and crafted myself. The students loved it. Any teacher should know how beautiful it is to hear a student say “I get it now!” or “it’s so easy, I can’t believe I struggled with this before”. Today I had four periods of shadowing and spent most of my time observing. To my dismay I saw a lot of extremely disengaged students. Most were obviously extremely bored, fidgety, restless. The ones identified with a learning disability were acting out in the stereotypical ways, the others just knew how to mask their disengagement. I felt foolish reinforcing the lesson plan, which itself was disabling student’s learning. I was witnessing a systemic creation of learning disabilities. I cannot in good faith endorse this when I know, from theory, practice, and collaboration, that there are much better ways to actually support the education of students. I heard a student make a nihilistic comment about his climate despair, and frustration with the problems of old being forced upon his generation. This was disheartening, but not nearly as much as his teacher’s dismissal. He continued to fidget and see how far his pen’s spring could be launched across the classroom. I know he would love the mechanics part of the syllabus, but I was not optimistic. In a physics class, one of the students was eager to not work on the simple force diagram; he wanted to explore boat motors and their systems of propulsion. It would be so easy for him to explore this in depth and learn about buoyancy, turbulence, pressure, and forces. I was instructed to make sure he had his laptop shut while he drew the simplified model, so I complied with stifling both him and myself. He would do well with independent guided research and would probably be more confident in presenting to the class if it was on something that interested him. I am once again reminded that school is about learning how to achieve qualifications, rather than learning how to learn. It is a depressing thought. I want to work on developing individual lesson plans for students with hyperfixations. I want to work on raising class engagement. Learning disabilities tend to arise much the same way a locomotive disability arises in a space without wheelchair ramps or elevators. I do not want to be a bandaid on a systemic disability. I cannot in good faith endorse the status quo.

[scriptautistic]

(1/?) Hiya. For my story I'm still plotting out the characters, one who'all be autistic. Idea is that a bunch of people are kidnapped/experimented on/get superpowers. Story revolves around them dealing with that trauma while trying to help people. Inspired by Lilo and Stitch and Deep Blue Sea, I was imagining a young autistic girl who gains some shark-traits, but mainly telekinesis. However I don't want to dehumanize her. Should I cut the shark parts entirely? Create more autistic characters?

(2/?) I’m planning for the main character (who will have ptsd) to adopt the autistic girl and they are able to talk about the different workings of their brains. Another character whose powers involve hyper-senses works with her to find ways to cope. All the other kidnapees care for her and want to help since most of them are adults, and slowly realize she might be the most powerful of them all, and she ends up being the one who saves the day in the end. I’ve planned stims and special interests.

(3/3) I don’t want to make her a stereotype, so what can I do better? Are there representations of autistic characters as heroes you would prefer to see or haven’t seen before? Do you think it’d be better to show her going to school or being homeschooled? Are there specific autistic-child stereotypes I should avoid? What things should the adults do so both she and the reader know they love her? Are there common ways autistic people cope with emotional trauma? Thank you so much for your time!            

  Hi! There’s a lot of questions here, so I’ll get to them in order.

Is giving some shark traits to an autistic character too dehumanizing?

I’d say in your case, given that

1- your character wasn’t born with these inhuman traits and

2- other characters in your story who are not autistic were given powers/inhuman traits,

you should be alright. To avoid the readers drawing the parallel autism=non-human, I’d say there are two main ways: making autistic characters who are human, or making non-autistic characters who are not human in the same way. Your story seems to fit in the second category.

What can I do better to avoid stereotypes in this situation?

I’d say the “the autistic child is magic and extremely powerful” thing is kind of a trope (well i mean the kid is not necessarily canonly autistic, but *weird* in ways that generaly make them autistic-coded, such as being nonverbal). This trope is usually used to show how scary that kid is (*gasps* what if they have a meltdown and destroy us all???). So I’d say that making your autistic character have powers is A-ok, especially if she’s not the only one, making her powerful is alright if it’s not too over the top, and what you should really avoid is making her scary because of her powers. She’s not a time bomb, she’s a small human. Really that’s the thing to keep in mind. Now that’s not to say controlling her powers has to be easy, but maybe don’t have her blowing up a city because people don’t need more voices telling them that autistic people are dangerous.

Otherwise, I really like the idea of a group of people with unique peculiarities finding a way to use them to help each other and support each other, it’s really nice :)

Are there representations of autistic characters as heroes you would prefer to see or haven’t seen before?

I’d say autistic people are rarely portrayed as heroes, at least in what representation I’m aware of. So basically you can do just about anything and it’ll feel novel :) That’s my opinion at least.

Do you think it’d be better to show her going to school or being homeschooled?

That’s one of the matters where it’s really up to you. Maybe try to think in terms of what would best fit your character rather than what would be better to represent, because I wouldn’t say it’s a very important issue. Some questions you can ask yourself : How would she deal with the sensory stimulations that come from a classroom setting? Would she have an easy time making friends or would she be bullied? Would she feel too isolated if she was homeschooled?

Are there specific autistic-child stereotypes I should avoid?

The first that comes to mind (and it unfortunately doesn’t come from bad media representation, but from real-life experiences) is “this child is such a burden and they’re making their caregivers’ life impossible and their caregivers are just so brave and really it’s such a tragedy that this kid is like that”. Of course, a young child has less coping skills and such than an adult, and they might have more trouble managing some of their traits, have a lot of meltdowns… Which is difficult for everyone to deal with, but please don’t portray her as a burden on her caregivers because of this, but rather as a child that they genuinely love and try to care for as best as they can :) (Or, if they don’t, which is absolutely possible, show that their attitude is toxic and that the reader shouldn’t approve of it and sympathize with them).

What things should the adults do so both she and the reader know they love her?

I’d say “the same things that with a neurotypical child” (I have a very vague idea of what this could entail because ??what do with small human ? The other day a friend gave me his baby to hold and I just spend that time focusing on not dropping it) plus showing acceptance for her autistic traits and trying to work with them rather than erase them, because they’re an integrant part of who she is. This can translate as not making her the food she has sensory issues with, letting her stim or even stimming with her, cutting the tags off her clothes if she has a problem with them, trying to make sure her living environment is sensory-friendly, giving her toys she can stim with, letting her follow her routines, telling her beforehand in case of disruption…

Are there common ways autistic people cope with emotional trauma?

I have no experience with this. One thing I think you can consider is that alexythymia (difficulty understanding and identifying one’s emotions) is common in autistic people, probably even more in children, and that the first part of coping with emotional trauma for your character will probably be “taking the time to realize that there is an emotional trauma”.

Then, some coping methods that neurotypicals usually don’t have could be stimming to deal with negative feelings, or immersing oneself in a special interest to focus on something else than the trauma.

If our autistic readers want to chime in and add ideas or alternative opinions to any of these questions, they’re as always very welcome.

-Mod Cat

[orb-weaver-uncle]

Educating teachers/professors about facial tics and other body stims (like hand flapping, tapping, leg bouncing, twisting arms around, clenching & unclenching muscles, etc) would be nice... I realize that's not a category that involves stim toys or other objects that might cause trouble in a classroom, but body stims and those who rely on them tend to be pretty highly stigmatized as "slow" or "crazy" and other fun terms like that and teachers are in no way immune to that stereotype. Helping teachers become familiar with "weird" stimming might have a strong effect on the confidence and ultimate academic success of students with asd/adhd/ocd/etc.

If you could choose…

…what types of stimming and stim toys/any other sensory aid an entire class of teachers should learn about, what would you suggest?

Yes, my professor literally green lighted my assistive tech presentation on stim toys and told me to bring some in for my classmates to experience.

And yes, stim toys are technically assistive tech. Most are considered low tech. Although I stim with my iPhone and that is certainly high tech.

[lynwoodsnd171-blog]

Ways Parents May Motivate More Mature Little Ones, teens, as well as teens To Put on Diapers To Bed.

An order might approve shared protection or grant unique custody to one moms and dad. There is another bonus offer in that the parent group has the primary post apiece from the sub-categories. Having a moms and dad which makes use of medications is actually a strong forecaster of adolescent addiction. Not only carries out the moms and dad induce the little one, however the child induces the parent. So somehow what our company're visiting make an effort following with the Snowshoe and also adding that added seat of wells, our company remain in some methods indicating that our company're meaning to grow up in to that. Leading through example works because much from just what a little one gains from a parent is actually subconscious, and ultimately, they will certainly usually observe your actions no matter what you claim. Back to me as a step moms and dad, I may mention that it has actually been actually a long and making an effort chore, but the perks may be amazingly terrific I reckon That, is actually just how parenting must be anyways Great center! They were largely acknowledged as excellent mousers, and their additional feet were reported to give them much better balance while setting sail the very high seas.

This is the factor when that ends up being tribal warfare; all of them against the common enemy, the target moms and dad. Aux fratries en désaccord dans los angeles prise en cost ou une décision concernant un moms and dad âgé dépendant. THIS is where that biography moms and dad has to be fully grown and also selfless sufficient to motivate her little ones to possess a healthy and balanced & responsive mindset along with the measure moms and dad. Furthermore, since the turning off moms and dad is actually generally well experienced at making use of litigation as a way to control the aim at parent, lots of intended zdrowadieta-zdrowystyl.info parents are exhausted as well as reduced by previous litigation as well as might worry that more legal interference is going to just help make traits much worse. This is actually hard because of the mental and also physical needs certainly ... yet mostly that is actually hard because you seem like you have neglected at your principal task as a parent - to secure your children coming from the bad things" in lifestyle. The opposite side is actually the moms and dad which is actually intrigued and also so unprejudiced in the interests of every party included, thus afraid to come down one edge or the various other, that nothing acquires settled. Yet going out for a food, to the cinema, park, zoo or even yet another day trip could gain youngsters if you are finding they are decideding not to observe one moms and dad. Consequently, although the parent is certainly not always ideal, they are commonly properly appreciated through their children, as they manage to come down to their kids degree as well as possess an unusual, contradicting, capacity from revealing problems to their youngsters in a childlike as well as fully sincere, but fully grown and loving way. Trisomy 18, along with an extra chromosome in pair 18, occurs approximately once in 3,000 childbirths. You will not need to consider hospice senior care solutions up until your parent has been offered under 6 months to reside and has actually stopped attempting to remedy their ailment. You could not have the ability to regulate your dangerous ex-spouse, but you could try to become the best moms and dad you probably can through practicing watchful parenting. While a stim can easily hamper therapy, interfere with a classroom or little one's potential to find out, and also leave behind a parent psychologically fatigued as well as unsure of where to turn for assistance, stimming is not being mischievous.

[littlest-flower-blog]

Regarding fidgets...

Anybody that has any experience studying or living with with mental illness, developmental disorders, emotional/behavioral disorders, etc will always tell you that fidget toys (or STIM TOYS as the rest of us knew them!!) are extremely helpful to people who have a disorder in one or more of those categories. Stim toys are just generally a great way to manage excess energy and to keep a person focused on the task at hand! They also are awesome to distract a person from their anxiety, panic, and meltdowns. They're just...calming. So on the one hand, it's awesome to see them being used and popularized by the general public, cause it makes it easier for those of us who do need them for clinical reasons to be able to obtain them easier and use them in public. There's less stigma, so we are less persecuted for stimmy behaviors. Well, except it's not all roses. While the idea of fidgeting being good is beneficial to everyone, it's not being explored quite well enough to make the stigma of stimming go away entirely. Those of us who flap, or rock, or bang our heads are still seen as weird and unstable (never mind that it's what keeps us from being emotionally unstable in the first place). Plus, I have a secondary concern. I was on Pinterest earlier (I'm studying to be a teacher, so I basically have to use it) and saw a pin about classroom rules for using fidgets. That got me thinking: remember when heelies were all the rage? (I know there's a more modern example but I can't recall off the top of my head.) Anyway, heelies were a huge deal. Everyone had them and used them everywhere. But then they got abused at school and they got banned. Suddenly the neat trend was over and nobody was allowed to use them anywhere. A couple years later, they became a joke. Anybody who liked them at the time (or still did) was laughed into oblivion. I fear that the same thing will happen with fidget toys (aka STIM TOYS. THEY'RE FOR STIMMING. CALL IT WHAT IT IS FFS!). I worry that students who don't need them and use them as playthings to distract from work will abuse the privilege and that any fidget toys will be seen as a problem by the teachers and administration. Especially administration, who have been out of teaching for a while and forget the needs of disabled students. If this trend follows the pattern of every other trend, by next fall some schools will be banning fidget toys. Who gets hurt by that? Not the kids who lost their toys and have to pay attention in class, but the disabled students who needed them so they COULD focus. The kids who needed them to stay calm and avoid outbursts! Mark my words, I expect a huge increase in FBAs and BIPs (both are behavior plans put in place when a (usually disabled) student gets in trouble) when these things get banned. Suddenly a whole host of students are losing their coping mechanisms, all because someone wanted to appropriate something that belonged to this community and use it for profit. Fuck all y'all, stealing shit and not understanding the implications of your actions. Not even calling them what they are to start with, which could have started a much needed discussion about stimming and how everyone needs it and does it to some extent. And you know what? Even if they don't get banned, when they fall out of fashion and become a topic to laugh at, who still gets hurt? The same people who actually needed them to start with and continued to use them.

[stimtoybox]

i think i've figured out why i'm still a bit wary of how stim/fidget things are being treated as a... "trend", i guess? from fidget kickstarters to spinner "jokes", it's because i feel like nd people take a backseat to literally all of it. we may be mentioned in the advertising as "good for people with adhd/autism" etc. amongst keywords to bring people to the page, but after that nobody really mentions us. is it reasonable for me to still be wary even though it makes things more accessable?

Anon, you don’t have to justify your feelings. Feelings don’t have to be reasonable. They’re feelings. We don’t have a lot of control over them most of the time (if at all), and while sometimes research and discussion can influence how we feel about something, sometimes all the thought in the world won’t change the fact that something makes us uncomfortable or unhappy. It doesn’t have to be rational or logical. It’s how you feel.

(Feeling something isn’t wrong. How we respond to those feelings can be, and what actions we take based on those feelings can also be wrong, but the simple act of feeling isn’t wrong. It just isn’t.)

Furthermore, this isn’t a simple situation. This isn’t a case where we should be all celebrating the newfound access to stim toys and showing the negatives down into some dark corner. This is a case where the positives (increased access) come with significant negatives that aren’t just the problem of mass-banning toys from classrooms. This is a case where those negatives need discussion, too, because this is a complicated situation that isn’t going away, and it’s going to provoke a lot of feeling.

(I only dislike the “I hate those NTs that use stim toys wrong and get them banned from the classroom” posts. Posts that ignore the real problem being the education system, posts that forget we ND folk can also be disruptive in how we stim, posts that forget some of those annoying NT folks are actually undiagnosed ND people. Posts that try to simplify a complex situation by giving us an easy villain to hate, something I know that alienates ND folks, especially people with anxiety, from stimming. I dislike those; I’d put them in the category of being a less-than-good response to feelings of valid frustration and anger. But your ask, anon, is not one of those posts.)

The sheer amount of new fidget toys now available is overwhelming. New toys are invented every week, or so it seems, and a day or two after that there’s knock-offs on eBay, Banggood and Wish. It’s hard to keep up with it all. I went from struggling to find anything here to going into my local dollar shop and seeing twenty different types of spinners, fidget cubes, fidget pads and fidget sticks. It’s dizzying.

Now, of course, there’s the articles flooding the internet. Spinners have become a meme, a talking point. There’s pages and videos about tricks made with toys. There’s jokes mocking this fad, as though spinners are an item of clothing that’s in fashion. Our tools, our needs and our culture have become a joke, and that’s not just alienating or erasing - that’s ableist. It’s not wrong to be wary about someone else’s ableism!

Anon, I agree with you. I don’t wish to police who stims or can use the language of stimming, but I still feel that our culture has been yanked from our hands. Objects that were for us and about us now give us that cursory mention, but the growing culture around them, save in ND-specific corners of the internet, excludes us. Part of the reason I personally don’t mind NT folk using the word “stim” is because I want them engaged with us. I want them to know who stim toys are for and why they’re important. I want them to use our words, to read our blogs, to respect our communities, to remember us in conversations on stim toys.

(I believe this will also have downsides, though, and it might prove to be the wrong way to go entirely. It’s hard to know what the best solution might be, and chances are great that there are no perfect ones.)

Accessibility is great, but we can and should talk about how a consequence of that accessibility is our own absence in dialogue about stim toys and stimming. Even if we find no solutions, anon, we know we’re not alone in what we feel, and that is so important. We shouldn’t have to feel alone.

Anon, I am with you on this.

There’s nothing unreasonable about being wary of this situation. Nothing.

- Mod K.A.

[stimtoybox]

Hey, my mum and I both have sensory needs, i really need something to do with my hands, and she really needs no background noise, even the noise of a tangle bothers her. Do you know any quiet toys that iI could use so we can just watch tv together without bothering eachother?

Hi! It’s hard when you’ve got conflicting access needs, and it’s awesome that you’re trying to find a way to make yourself comfortable without your stimming annoying someone else. Go you, truly!

I’ve got pretty sharp hearing myself in a quiet room (I can’t properly filter out noise, so I hear everything) so I’m only listing things that I consider to be completely or very nearly silent. By the latter, I mean no louder than the noise of running a fingertip over your own palm, since almost any stim toy that involves some hand movement will involve fingertips brushing over a surface, and that does make a slight noise! Links go to tags on this blog, as by now we’ve usually collected several (or more) posts on the subject. If you need help in finding any of these in your area, please send another ask.

You also might like to check out our silent stimming category tag for a few more options, particularly this ask on quiet classroom stimming.

Squishies. The foam squishies, often food or animal shaped, make no noise at all when you compress them, leave them to rise and then compress them again. They do make a slight noise if you run a fingertip over the foam. These are just starting to be accessible offline, but they’re readily available online at a variety of price points. Slow-rising will give you longer to watch, but you might prefer the cheaper ones, as they rise quicker, letting you squish more frequently.

Makeup Blending Sponges. Very slight noise when touched with a fingertip; a fraction louder when rolled between your palms. (This is quieter than rubbing your hands together, for comparison, which is a sound I can’t bear when someone else does it.) Silent when held in your hand and squished. Readily available online and off in most makeup departments. The teardrop or hourglass ones give you more surface area to touch and squish.

Hedge balls/creatures. They’re spike balls with heads, legs and tails attached, great for texture. They make less noise when rolled in my hands than sliding them together. The hard ones creak softly, but the rubbery ones don’t. If you pull on the rubbery ones (either on the spikes or the limbs) they make no sound at all. I’ve found several in the party supply sections of dollar and department stores.

Marble mazes and marble loops. Either a loop sewn together with a marble in it or a rectangle pocket of cloth sewn together with lines sewn in forming a maze. You get the very slight sound of fingertips running over fabric (identical to running your fingertips over a shirt or hoodie sleeve) but that’s it, and they’re great for keeping hands busy. These you’ll need to buy online or make, as they’re largely a handicraft item.

Stretchy squish ball. It’s a ball with a rubbery outer and a foam core, very mouldable and stretchable. The outer layer sticks to your hands a little if you pull them away, making a very slight popping sound, but if you just hold it in your hands and press/squish it, it’s just about soundless. Everyone is waiting for Stimtastic to get these in again.

Disney Tsum Tsums (either the plush or the flocking-coated plastic miniatures). Lots of textures for holding in your hand and stroking, nothing louder than the sound of a fingertip over a shirt sleeve. The plush Tsum Tsums have a pocket of pellets in their bellies, which will crunch (softly, but noticeable) when squished, so don’t squish their bellies, but they’re fine when held in a hand and stroked. Likewise, any small plush, plush keychain or even a swatch of fake fur or minky plush fabric will do well here. Most toy stores, some department stores, Disney stores.

Foam stress balls. Like the squishies, silent when squished. Available in just about every dollar shop and department store, in tennis ball and mini sizes.

Prickle massage/sports balls. These are slightly louder because they’re rolled in your hands, but they have a lot of texture and keep both hands moving, so you might like to try these anyway. I swear by them as a distraction stim for chronic pain! I’ve bought mine from the cheaper kind of department store, but also available in just about every OT store online. Be aware that most dollar store versions contain flashing lights!

Kinetic sand dough and kinetic sand. My kinetic sand dough is completely silent to stretch, compress and pull. It’s a bit messy, in that it tends to crumble, but silent. Kinetic sand requires a bowl or tray, but it’s just clingy sand: you can shape it, mould it, dribble it and just plunge your hands into it without making any noise. If you use cutters, it might be noisier if they clink against your tray or bowl, but just using hands should be silent. Dollar stores and craft stores have knock-off brands that don’t support Autism $peaks.

(Similarly, kneaded erasers, playdough.)

Koosh balls and puffer balls. A ball of fine latex or rubbery fronds. Mine rustles a little when tossed from palm to palm, but when rolled between my palms it’s much quieter than rubbing my palms together, and pulling one of the fronds, if you don’t let it snap back to the ball, is silent. Koosh balls are hard to find offline from places not specialist toy stores; puffer balls and puffer creatures are available in just about all OT stores and many dollar shops.

I hope this gives you somewhere to start, and if you need more help, please let us know!

- Mod K.A.

[stimtoybox]

Sorry if you've answered something like this before, but do you have any recommendations for stim toys that are on the subtle side and can preferably be kept on the person?

It’s fine! You can always check my ask tag to see what’s been answered, but I understand if you’re not able to flip through five pages of asks (and tags are harder to access for mobile users, although I keep the tags pages linked in my user description to make it easier). You might like to look through this previous ask for ideas, as it discusses lanyard-clipable stim toys!In addition, if you’re in a classroom or desk office setting, some of the stationery items mentioned in this ask might be workable as stealth toys.

I’m not sure what kind of toy you might be after (chewable, fidget, etc) so I’ll list everything I know of that’s both on-the-person portable and subtle/stealth. Jewellery is like to be your best option. This is a little harder for people like me who prefer not to present in ways socially-coded as feminine, but, thankfully, most of these things don’t have strong associations with a binary gender.

Stimtastic really does have some of the best offerings for teenagers and adults after subtle/stealth stim jewellery.

Fidget jewellery that’s perfectly stealth: Roller Ball Bike Chain Bracelet | Extra Wide Bike Chain Bracelet | Spinner Rings (link to category, in various colours and designs) | Double Circle Earrings | Concentric Circles Necklace | Scented Vial Necklace (I have the cinnamon one and I love it - it’s small enough to be unobtrusive/merely decorative and it smells divine) | Snake Twist Necklace (a subtle Tangle alternative) | Mobius Flower Earrings (I took these off the earring backings and turned them into necklace pendants strung on a leather cord - gender neutral and nobody knows it’s stim jewellery) | Heavy Bike Chain Bracelet | Interlocking Bike Chain Bracelet | Light Bike Chain Bracelet | Wrist Coil Bracelets (like wearing a hair tie on your wrist - unremarkable) | Zipper Bracelets.

Fidget toys that can be attached to a bag or belt loop: Rolling Bead Lanyard | Large Bead Ring | Squishy Panda Charm | Jumbo Bead Ring.

(Note: how stealth these ones are depends somewhat on how eclectic you are in presentation. I can attach a bead ring or a squishy to a belt loop and have no one remark on it, but I’m the kind of person psychologists politely call “quirky”.)

Fidget toys that can fit into a pocket and hide in your hand/palm when someone comes over to your desk: Spiky Animal Fidget | Boinks Fidget | Mini Prickle/Hedge Balls.

(Note: I’ve found the animal prickle fidget toys in multipacks in the party sections of dollar shops and Toys R Us, $4-$4.50 AUD. I’ve also found the mini prickle balls in multipacks in the party sections of dollar shops and Big W, $3-$5 AUD.)

Chewables that are closer to stealth: Chewable Dulcimer Necklace | Chewable Trapezoid Necklace | Chewable Doughnut Necklace. (These are the smaller or plainer chewable pendants, and I assure you, I’ve seen folks wearing non-silicone versions of these. I’ve also walked around various cities, stores and markets wearing the Braid Pendant and nobody has once thought anything of it if they don’t see it in my mouth. Oversized jewellery, especially for femme-leaning folks, is pretty fashionable.)

DIYs: If you want to make your own roller bead lanyards, here’s the tutorial. If you want to make your own bead rings and make them even more stealth, here’s my tutorial on making bead ring necklaces. Nobody has ever treated these as anything more than funky necklaces, and I wear these everywhere, every day.

@caseydickdanger​, if you’re located in the US, makes some seriously unique handcrafted pieces. Most things have textures if you’re just after a necklace pendant to touch and handle. The really stimmy in-stock items include the Nautical Bottle Necklace, Mocha Tubez Bracelet and the Mermaid Sand Tubez Bracelet.

@spacerobotstudio has a phenomenal selection of funky, unique fidget necklaces: Spirit Level Necklace in Red | Spinner Pendant Necklace in Copper and Teal | Bronze Double-Sided Compass Necklace | Pink and Blue Saturn Spinner Necklace (oh, god, want) | Dots and Brown Spinner Pendant Necklace | Blue Glitter Globe Necklace.

Banggood or ebay also sell tiny squishies. Mochi squishies are perfect for holding and hiding in one’s hand (links to many individual ones in this post) but most of the cheap squishy assortments include smaller bun and cake squishies as well (and these have strap attachments for adding to bags).

(If you’re after more bag or lanyard-attachment fidget toys, here’s the ultimate post on where to find edamame poppers!)

Etsy has a wealth of spinner rings. There’s a wide variety running from affordable to bespoke.

You can also find the wrist coil/telephone cord bracelets in cheap multipacks in every dollar store - look in the hair accessory section. Also available on ebay! If you’re not the kind of person who wears bracelets, I’ve seen them as lanyard clips in many dollar shops (link to listing on Banggood).

Chubuddy and Amazon also have chewable telephone cord bracelets, if you want something unremarkable that’s chewable and a fidget.

Chewigem has several silicone raindrop pendant chewables that look just like oversized funky pendants.

In short, there’s a lot of options, especially jewellery-wise. However, most of these sellers are based in the US, so if you’re an international stimmer, be prepared for international shipping rates and conversion fees. While there are therapy-focused stim toy stores internationally, most of them don’t offer a lot in the way of subtlety!

Good luck. If this doesn’t help you enough, please let me know. If there’s something I should have included and didn’t, please also let me know!