Beyond self-regulation: Autistic experiences and perceptions of stimming

Added on 11/01/2025

Type de contenu

Journal article of the type Scientific research ( ; english)

Isabelle Morris * , Jesica Sykes * , Emilie Paulus , Alharith Dameh , Aysha Razzaque * , Lauren Vander Esch , Jenna Gruenig , Philip Zelazo
Beyond self-regulation: Autistic experiences and perceptions of stimming published in the journal "Neurodiversity" n°3, 13 pages , doi: 10.1177/27546330241311096

*Three co-authors had publicly identified as autistic. [Learn more about this mention]

- 5% of authors cited in the bibliography of this resource have publicly identified as autistic (5 out of 105 authors).
- 12% of references cited in this resource contain at least one author who has publicly identified as autistic (5 out of 41 references).

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Summary/Presentation

Repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors (“stimming”) are a hallmark characteristic of autism. Stimming is thought to aid in self-regulation, but autistic perspectives of stimming are underrepresented in the literature. Autistic adults (Study 1 N = 131; Study 2 N = 117) completed a survey about their autistic identity and their experiences and perceptions of stimming, as well as the functions stimming served. Participants reported stimming to be sometimes positive and sometimes negative, with stimming only being a negative experience when it was self-injurious or stigmatized. Despite frequently being a positive experience, participants purposefully suppressed stimming (“masking”), which was done almost exclusively for extrinsic reasons (e.g. to avoid judgment from others). The majority of participants felt stimming (1) was an important part of their friendship with other autistic people, (2) helped them connect with other autistic people, and (3) that when they saw other autistic people stimming, they could tell what they were feeling. Study 2 found that the degree of connection to the autistic community was the most important predictor of whether stimming served these social-communication functions.

For your information:

(1) References in blue are resources listed on our site.

(2) Authors listed in this bibliography whose names are in color have published other resources referenced on the site. Clicking on the name allows you to see the list of resources they have published and shared on the site.

(3) Authors whose names are followed by an asterisk have publicly disclosed being autistic.

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