Full Body Stimming

Part of the Comprehensive Guide to Stimming

Self-stimulatory behaviors, or stimming, is often associated solely with children who have a developmental disorder such as ADHD or autism. However, stimming is actually something that can occur in any individual, regardless of their abilities.

People who are nervous, for example, might tap their fingers or shake their legs repeatedly, or even bite their nails. This stimming is done for many reasons, but it’s almost always associated with a way to help people cope with situations in which they feel uncomfortable or stressed.

While stimming can happen with anyone, it’s particularly common for children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Full body stimming is just one type of this behavior, and some children tend to exhibit this form over the others.

Below, we’ll discuss what full body stimming is and what role stimming plays in children on the autism spectrum.

Table Of Contents

What is Stimming?

Stimming is a general term referring to any self-stimulatory and/or repetitive behavior an individual might engage in. There are many reasons why a person might engage in stimming, as well as a number of different ways these behaviors can be expressed.

As mentioned earlier, tapping fingers or biting nails when you’re nervous is an example of this. It could also be full body in nature, which involves movements that use the entire body.

Children on the autism spectrum typically stim in response to the different emotions they feel. In addition to fear, anxiety and stress, they might stim when they feel happy, bored and excited.

One common reason why children with ASD stim is they feel overwhelmed in a situation. This could be if they’re in a crowd of people they don’t know or if they’re in a new environment.

This stimming behavior is a way, in essence, that they regulate their emotions and calm themselves down.

What is Full Body Stimming?

Full body stimming is any repetitive movement that involves the entire body. This could include spinning, jumping or rocking back and forth.

If your child bounces from one side to the next when they feel overwhelmed, they might be full body stimming. No matter what ways in which it manifests itself, full body stimming will involve movements of the whole body.

Children who exhibit this type of stimming find comfort through these behaviors, which then allows them to regulate their emotions.

If your child full body stims, then it’s key to provide them with the space and tools they might need to self-regulate. This could include a rocking chair or a room where they can bounce around without concerns that they might hurt themselves or break things.

What Triggers Full Body Stimming?

The main trigger for all types of stimming is typically emotion. Children on the autism spectrum often struggle with processing their emotions and expressing how they feel and what they need.

If they feel stressed, they might not be able to properly communicate that to a parent, teacher or other authority figure who could help them through it. In addition, they might not be able to regulate their emotions.

In response to this, they might exhibit a stimming behavior. Children who do full body stimming will normally find comfort in moving their whole body.

By engaging in these types of behaviors, they self-soothe better, which helps them reduce anxiety, focus their attention and relax the sensory overload. In many ways, full body stimming behaviors are a child’s way of expressing themselves and communicating emotions.

How Does ABA Therapy Approach Full Body Stimming?

Applied behavioral analysis recognizes that while all stimming behaviors, including full body stimming, are natural for children on the autism spectrum, it’s also very important to provide them with strategies to help them manage these behaviors effectively.

That’s why ABA therapists will sometimes encourage full body stimming behaviors, especially if they’re safe and not harmful. They might encourage a patient, for instance, to retire to a safe space where they can full body stim if they’re feeling overwhelmed.

One of the goals of ABA therapy is to identify the triggers of full body stimming. This allows therapists to better create strategies that can help children manage their stimming in effective ways while also reducing their exposure to certain triggers.

Children can learn how to better self-regulate, and better express themselves and get the support they need as a result.

Blue Gems ABA Addresses Full Body Stimming

Full body stimming is a behavior that many children on the autism spectrum will exhibit to help them cope with their emotions and self-regulate.

At Blue Gems ABA, we understand the important role that full body stimming plays for some children with autism. That’s why our experienced BCBAs integrate and address coping mechanisms and strategies that specifically address full body stimming in children who exhibit that behavior.

In that way, we are better able to support children with autism and help them build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they may struggle.

To learn more, please contact us today.