Dr. Melissa Shepard

Stimming (short for self-stimulatory behavior) is any repetitive movement, sound, or activity that helps regulate emotions, sensory input, or focus. Many neurodivergent people (especially autistic people and ADHDers) stim as a way to cope with stress, express excitement, stay focused, and calm anxiety or other intense feelings. These are some examples of more mild/subtle ways that people may stim. Stimming isn’t unique to neurodivergent people- everyone does it sometimes. The difference is that neurodivergent people tend to do it more often, more intensely, or in more visible ways. As long as people are able to stim in ways that are safe, it’s not necessarily something that needs to be “fixed.” In fact, it can be an important tool in someone’s self-regulation toolkit! As always, this is for general education and is not medical advice. If you have concerns or worries about this (or anything else!) always best to talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider who knows you personally. #stimming #fidgettoys #neurodivergent #autism #adhd