Stims and ticks.

In this post I'm going to tackle stims and ticks. These are two things covered in a million and one books about raising autistic children, but I want to bring it from the perspective of a young adult living with AS.

Let's start with something that I don't think falls under Stims or Ticks. I really don't know what to call them, I guess just Quirks. I am referring to Things like Coverring ears, pacing, rocing, humming, counting, stutterring, or any combination of the above.

-TICKS

Ticks are often a calming, or theraputic device, a way of establishing ones place in space, or a reaction to something upsetting.
I have a number of stereotyped ticks, everything from blinking and head jerking, to bouncing my leg or flapping my hands. Ticks may come at inoppertune times; at work, in class, or worst of all on a date (as if dating weren't akward enough with AS) I often accompany my ticks with stutterring; I stutter when I'm trying to explain something to somebody who is having a hard time understanding me, when I have too much information scrolling through my head, or when I'm just genuinely upset.
My ticks are quite prevelant, and can be very intrusive and draw a lot of attention.

-STIMS

Stims. Those things we do that annoy the heck out of others and would normally annoy the heck out of us, if we weren't the ones doing it.
I have mentioned in other posts that I have issues with audible sensory input, the slightest sound may rub me the wrong way. However, If I'm the one doing it, and I am expecting the sound, there may, just MAY be the opposite response, it's not guaranteed, but it is possible.
Just the other day, I turned on a speaker on my computer, the speaker made a "pop" sound as electricity flowed in. It hurt my ears, but I was compelled to do it again, when I turned off the speaker, it made the noise again; back on "pop" back off, "pop" back on, back off, on, off, on.....this continued for about five minutes, all the while I was in a somewhat trance-like state.
I didn't mean to sit there turning the speaker off and on, and I certainly didn't mean to waste five minutes doing it. and If someone were to turn it on when I wasn't expecting it, I'm sure it would've hurt my ears, and I may have hurt my ears and made me tick, or worse.

Some stims can be harmful. I used to bash my fists together, punching until my knuckles bled, not because I was angry, or depressed, but because I was fascinated with the sensation. I also used to rub the part on my hand, just above the thumb until it bled; Again, not because I was depressed, or wanted to harm myself, I was just fascenated with the sensation.Of corse this was a difficult thing for most people to unerstand and it just perpetuated the theory that I was emotionally distraught........which of corse I wasn't.

Stims, Ticks, or Quirks, can get intrusive in our daily lives. It isn't always easy paying attention in class when something piques your sensory interrest and you tune everything else out. It isn't easy finding gainful employment when you get easily confused my audible direction, flap your hands, cover your ears, and aren't good with people. Not to mention that it can becume distracting to others, and draw attention to you and the fact that you may have something different about you. Personally, I hate it when people notice me, and when you're in public covering your ears and rocking, it tends to draw a lot of attention.