There are two causes of stimming: environmentally inflicted
stimming and self-induced stimming. Environmentally inflicted stimming is
uncontrollable stimulation, such as being placed in a busy store with lots of
people and loud noises and movement. Such overwhelming input for children who
have a tendency to be selectively hypersensitive is an assault on the senses,
synapses flash like a firework show, chemicals flood the brain, and involuntary
muscular movement (flapping, twitching, pacing) ensues.
Self-induced stimming is probably more common, as it’s seen in the
typical environments your autistic child finds themselves in everyday. As
previously mentioned, one aspect of autism is an element of ADHD. One theory
I’ve come to realize, whether or not it’s been explored I do not know, is that
the behaviors associated with ADHD is not that of an over-stimulated mind like
many believe, but an under-stimulated one, where the activities of the day as
they’re communicated by the five senses are not enough, synapses are not firing
as they should, and the brain seeks more and more stimulation. For a
neurotypical child with ADHD, this becomes looking at and touching everything,
constantly moving and talking, and darting about the room in an effort to flood
the senses and satisfy the brain’s craving for sensory input. Hence the
effectiveness of the stimulant Ritalin, which, contrary to belief of its
paradoxical nature, does as it's meant to, jumpstarts the mind, bringing the
brain up to the normal functional level and the everyday stimulation we all
receive becomes enough for them.
For autistic children, they operate much in the same way a
neurotypical child does, but when they seek stimulation, it usually becomes
overwhelming for them, which results in the reflexive muscular movements
mentioned above. This type of stimulation is called excitatory
stimulation*. And like a bug zapper, our children are drawn to the
alluring but harmful light of whatever satiates their needs. When these
children find something that satisfies their sensors and sets synapses firing,
I believe there is a neurological reaction to that stimulation, a flooding of
chemicals that overwhelm the brain and creates not only involuntary movement,
but a natural drug-induced high for the kids. Much like an adrenaline junkie
who continues daring tricks and feats to feel the rush of the chemical surge
through his skull, these children enjoy and thrive on the rush they get from
sensory input. They become dependent on the neurochemicals; this is typically
why many children obsessively rush to TVs, music, items with particular colors,
sounds, scents, movement, or textures (their choice of stimulation depends on
their dominant senses, which will be discussed in more detail in the next
blog). This is also why pulling their desired object away from them usually
results in a meltdown. Like taking away a drug addict’s supply, they can hardly
bear the separation.
Additionally, like a drug addict, this stimulation seeking can be
harmful to our children. The constant tensing of the muscles during movement
undoubtedly causes physical discomfort for them (go ahead, try tensing your
entire body’s muscles and flapping your hands over and over, after awhile it
doesn’t feel so great). For some autistic children who are unfortunately given
to epileptic seizures, sometimes the stimulation they seek out triggers those
seizures. But, no matter how much their bodies may ache or the seizures may
hurt them, they will continue to seek out their vices undeterred for that
moment of bliss.
Another example would be that of a rat in a neuro-behavioral
study. The rat had an electrode implanted into his brain, in a very particular
section called the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc), the structure of the brain
responsible for pleasure. When stimulated, the NAcc releases an opium into the
brain, giving us that warm fuzzy feeling following an intimate moment or that
first spoonful of your favorite Ben and Jerry’s. The rat was then given two
levers, one connected to the electrode, and one connected to a food dispenser.
He was given the option to select whichever he desired. The rat initially began
with the food lever, but once he discovered that the second lever stimulated
his NAcc, the food became a faint memory. Becoming what could be determined an
opium junkie, the rat neglected the food lever in favor of the electrode lever
to the point where, without researcher intervention, the rat nearly starved
himself to death.
One other important note that should be made is that these items
also hinder your child’s growth and desire to reach outside of their solitude
to engage the world around them, and consequently, you. When they become
enthralled with the TV or the iPad, when they sit for hours with a musical toy,
fascinated by the blinking lights, or even something as simple as a collection
of crayons, they are permitted to retreat to that fantasy world where everything
else fades to darkness, they’re left with a bright toy, and they don’t need
anyone else. A recent article remarked how these items, specifically the iPad,
are becoming “useful tools” (aka babysitters) for the parents of autistic
children. Parents who could never take a moment for themselves sat their
overactive child down with an electronic tablet and found the free time to
complete chores, talk with other members of the family, and returned hours
later to find the child still seated, playing. Obviously we have all been
guilty of this, placing our children in front of the TV so we can fold the
laundry or wash the dishes, and it bears mentioning that tablets have
applications for autism that can help your child communicate, learn letters,
animals, shapes, colors, and help them with fine motor skills, so leaving them
with the toy doesn’t seem so bad. But for hours? Remember something as bright
and involved as an iPad program is giving them a neurological fix, no matter
how quiet your child is (this is called calming stimulation*).
Limit its use, and when the dishes are done, sit with them and work on the iPad
together, make a social activity of it. Otherwise chuck it and the isolation
that inevitably comes with it.
Evolving from our hedonistic hippie era, the phrase “if it feels
good, do it” hardly seems appropriate anymore, but we all have our vices:
smoking, food, irresponsible sex, etc. that we know we shouldn’t indulge in,
knowing the potential harm of such. As parents, you have the responsibility to
protect your child from that as well, and given the harmful effects of some
stimulatory objects, you need to be able to identify these items and remove
them from the environment. Sometimes becoming over-stimulated isn’t always
exhibited by the usual physical movements; as has been repeated multiple times
in this blog, no autistic child is the same. Some over-stimulation (both
excitatory and calming) can be shown through fits of giggling, rapid breathing
or a few heavy pants, fluttering of the eyelids or rolling upwards of the eyes,
or intense focus on a particular object or activity. Learn to recognize your
child’s stims and the objects or activities that cause them and remove them. As
noted above, calming stims are not as dangerous as excitatory, they don’t result
in stereotypical movements or seizures, and parents can tend to the demands of
their homes and families. But again, always in moderation and try to engage
with your child in these activities to not only encourage social interaction
but to also allow the parent to take an active role in their child's interests
as well, whether it's a favorite game or a few simple strings.
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*Excitatory Stimulation: Over-stimulation of the brain that results
in involuntary muscular movements such as hand flapping, twitching, and pacing
*Calming Stimulation: Over-stimulation of the brain that results
in what appears to be calm activity, intense focus and engagement in an object
or activity
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