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On Stimming and Authorities

5/24/2014

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Originally published 5/20/2014
So today I witnessed someone chastise a child for stimming and grab his hands multiple times to stop him mid-stim. (Which is a GIANT no-no in the Autistic community, and the sight of which would make Caley incredibly angry. I limited myself to covering my mouth in horror.)

Me, broaching the subject carefully: "Have you ever heard the argument that you shouldn't stop a child from stimming?"
Person: "Yes, if the child is just doing it to entertain themselves, but if the child is stimming due to anxiety or stress, that's non-functional."
Me: "...but, dealing with anxiety and stress IS a function."

*face palms*

If I thought there was even the tiniest chance of them listening to me, though, I would totally have some long conversations with people about stimming, using a child's special interests, squishes, and the power of positive reinforcement. (And yes, that child can tell if your reaction is genuine or not.) But I'm just blown off every time.

-Creigh
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    About Creigh

    I'm a college student who grew up with my Autistic younger sister, Caley. I've got a bachelor's degree in Psychology and I'm currently studying for my Master's in Speech Language Pathology.

    Neither of those, however, have given me an understanding of autism. All of my understanding comes from learning from the many autistic people that I know. As a result, I have a very different outlook on autism than most, and a burning desire to tell the world what I've learned. This blog is one of the many areas in which I attempt to do that.


    *Note, none of these make me a professional, so advice I give is not professional advice.

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    Starting about in March 2014, all of these posts are originally published on Autism Spectrum Explained's Facebook page, and later reposted here for archiving purposes and easy access for ASE readers, including those who don't use Facebook. 

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