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Vestibular Stimming

Part of the Comprehensive Guide to Stimming

Children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD commonly face challenges when it comes to regulating their emotions. In response, they exhibit what are known as self-stimulatory behaviors to try to calm themselves and cope with whatever they’re feeling.

Stimming, as it’s also known, is not a behavior that’s specific to only children on the autism spectrum. In fact, many people stim every day.

For example, people who feel nervous might tap their fingers, shake their legs or bite their nails. There are many reasons why people stim, though it’s commonly associated with being a way to help someone cope with a situation in which they feel stressed or uncomfortable.

Even though anyone can stim, it’s particularly present in children who have autism. Vestibular stimming is one type of this coping behavior that some children will tend to exhibit over other types.

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

Table Of Contents

What is Stimming?

Stimming refers to all repetitive and/or self-stimulatory behaviors that individuals engage in. There are many reasons why stimming might be happening, and many ways in which people can express these behaviors.

It could be biting nails or tapping fingers repeatedly if you’re feeling nervous, as mentioned above. The behaviors could also be vestibular in nature, such as spinning or rocking repeatedly.

Children who have ASD typically stim as a response mechanism to the emotions that they feel. They do it not only when they feel afraid, stressed or anxious but also excited, happy and bored.

One of the common reasons why children with autism stim is they feel overwhelmed by something. This could be a new environment that they’re in or if they’re around a lot of people they don’t know.

Stimming is a way that they then regulate their emotions and calm themselves in the process.

What is Vestibular Stimming?

Vestibular stimming refers to balance. It might involve a child doing repetitive motions such as rocking, pacing, jumping, spinning and rolling.

If your child rocks back and forth, jumps on one foot, paces back and forth or spins around repeatedly, they might be exhibiting vestibular spinning behaviors.

However it manifests, vestibular stimming will involve an individual’s balance and different movements they make with their body. Children who exhibit these types of stimming behaviors typically find comfort in doing them, which then allows them to regulate their emotions.

Since vestibular stimming can obviously present safety concerns, a good idea is to provide soft play areas for them. This could include mats on the ground or even pads up against some walls.

It’s also a good idea to give them safe spaces where they can go to vestibular stim, so they’re not at risk of bumping into fragile or dangerous things.

What Triggers Vestibular Stimming?

Emotions are typically the main trigger for all types of stimming. Children with autism commonly struggle with processing their emotions and expressing what they need and how they feel.

If they feel stressed, for instance, they might not know how to tell a parent, teacher or authority figure how they’re feeling, which might hamper their ability to get the support they need. They also might not have the ability to regulate their emotions in what would be considered typical ways.

In response to this, they might exhibit a vestibular stimming behavior. The children who participate in this type of stimming will usually find comfort in manipulating their body’s balance.

By engaging in these behaviors, the children are able to self-sooth, reducing anxiety, increasing their attention and relaxing sensory overloads. Because of this, the vestibular stimming behaviors can be considered their way of communicating their emotions and expressing themselves.

How Does ABA Therapy Approach Vestibular Stimming?

Applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, recognizes that all stimming behaviors, including vestibular stimming, are natural for children the autism spectrum. As such, the practice knows it’s important to create strategies to help children manager their behaviors more effectively.

ABA therapists might encourage vestibular stimming, especially when done in safe environments where harm can’t be done. They might encourage the child to escape to an environment where they can safely vestibular stim if they’re feeling overwhelmed, for example.

A main goal of ABA therapy is to identify each individual child’s triggers for vestibular stimming. This then helps therapists create the strategies needed to help children with autism manage stimming in effective ways while reducing their possible exposure to some of the triggers.

Children also learn how they can self-regulate in more effective ways. By doing this, they can express themselves better and receive the support they need.

Blue Gems ABA Addresses Vestibular Stimming

Vestibular stimming is a self-regulatory behavior that many children on the autism spectrum will engage in. While all people may stim in some fashion, children with ASD are more likely to do so to help them self-regulate and cope with their emotions.

At Blue Gems ABA, we know that vestibular stimming plays an important role for some children with autism. Our team of experienced BCBAs therefore integrate coping mechanism and strategies into ABA therapy treatment programs to address vestibular stimming in children who express this behavior.

We are better able to support our patients this way, as we help them build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they commonly struggle.

To learn more, please contact us today.

References

  1. https://bluegemsaba.com/stimming-examples-and-behaviors/

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