Understanding Your Child's Stimming: What’s Happening in Their Brain and Why It Helps What Is Stimming and Why Do Autistic Children Do It? As a parent of an autistic child, you've probably noticed your child doing repetitive movements like hand-flapping, rocking, spinning, or making sounds. These behaviours, called "stimming" (short for self-stimulating behaviours), might seem puzzling or concerning at first. Imagine This: What Soothes You Also Soothes Them But before we dive into the science, let me ask you something: How do you feel when you're sitting on a beach with a cold breeze and waves breaking in front of you? It's so soothing that you feel peaceful and forget your problems for a few moments, right? Are you someone who clicks their pen continuously while thinking, cracks their knuckles, or shakes their leg without even realising it? Stimming is something very similar to what your autistic child does, either consciously or unconsciously. T...