Newsgroups: bit.listserv.autism
Date:         Tue, 26 Jan 1993 09:49:22 EST
              <AUTISM@SJUVM.BITNET>
From:         Lisa S Lewis <LISAS@PUCC.BITNET>
Subject:      Self-stimulation as self-therapy

To those who suggest that self-stimulatory behaviors are useful and not
to be discouraged, I must protest.  I think that in some cases, a child
*is* craving a certain kind of stimulation, and that this should be
provided for them. But I do not think it makes sense just to let them
do it in their own ways.  The behaviors typically engaged in, which include
rocking, hand flapping and tensing, facial grimmacing, to name but a few,
are (or will be in the future) very stigmatizing behaviors.

If a child is so low functioning or so non-social that this isn't a factor,
well, perhaps that's a different situation. But for many of the children
discussed on this list (my own Sam, Alex Mont, Jason Steele and James
Good come to mind) have shown real interest in other people, and have real
desires for positive social interactions.  Surely if they are allowed or
encouraged to display these behaviors whenever they "need to" they will not
have much success at socializing with their peers, who may find the behaviors
frightening at worst or just weird at best. If therapy teaches a child to
get the same effect from a more socially acceptable mode, then he can use
it both to relax himself and be with other children, for example.

If a child has a high anxiety level, and these behaviors are very helpful
in calming themselves down, perhaps being taught to go to their own room to
do them for a set time would be useful.

With Sam, when he hand flaps or tenses, he really zones out of the world. It
interferes with his ability to listen, to learn to do anything at all except
focus on his inner self. While this is ok at times, I certainly don't think
it is acceptable all the time or even most of the time.  He spends five hours
a day in school, for example, and if he is "stimming" he certainly isn't
benefiting either cognitively or socially from his environment.

I think that people overestimate the "value" of these behaviors.  I think
that they are usually performed because they are highly enjoyable to the
person.  That's why they are so hard to get rid of.  They obviously FEEL
GOOD.  For that reason, I think that a child should be allowed to do them
at appropriate times and places, but within limits.  This isn't that unlike
"normal" children who have to be taught early that masturbating isn't evil,
but it isn't appropriate in public either.

Sam recently proved to me that as enjoyable as his "stims" are, if he is
sufficiently motivated he can control them very well. We were due to visit
one of his favorite people, but he had spent the last two hours in almost
non-stop hand tensing and facial grimmacing. I was sure that he would "freak
out" the friend, and I just didn't want to do that. I told him we just couldn't
visit, because Chris wouldn't like to see him playing with his hands.  I
told him (calmly) that'd we'd go another time when he felt more relaxed. Sam
insisted that we go and said he would have "quiet hands."  I didn't see him
do it again for over four hours.  Clearly, he wanted to see Chris more than
he wanted to stim.  That was the more enjoyable activity.  Unfortunately, with
autistic children it is often hard to find something that motivating.  I think
it's also interesting, that the motivator in this case was purely social!

Lisa
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU