Autism is a neurological condition that affects millions of children worldwide. It is characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and repetitive or restricted behaviors. One of these behaviors, known as "stimming," is often observed in children with autism. While stimming may seem unusual or even disruptive to some, it plays a crucial role in the lives of these children. In this blog post, we will explore what stimming is, its significance, and how we can create a supportive environment that embraces and understands the importance of stimming in the lives of children with autism.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with An Autism Specialist at CareGen? Just click here to BOOK your appointment!

Understanding Stimming

Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behavior, refers to repetitive body movements or sounds that individuals with autism engage in to self-soothe, regulate their emotions, or express themselves. These behaviors can include hand flapping, rocking back and forth, spinning, finger flicking, vocalizations, or any other repetitive actions. Stimming can vary in intensity and form, and each child may have their own unique stimming behaviors.

Significance of Stimming:

1. Sensory Regulation: Children with autism often experience sensory sensitivities, where they may be overwhelmed by certain sensory stimuli or seek additional sensory input. Stimming behaviors help them regulate their sensory experiences. For instance, rocking back and forth or spinning can provide a calming effect by creating a repetitive and predictable sensory input, helping them filter out overwhelming sensations.

2. Emotional Regulation: Stimming also plays a vital role in emotional regulation for children with autism. When faced with stress, anxiety, or frustration, stimming can serve as a coping mechanism. Engaging in self-stimulatory behaviors allows them to release tension, manage their emotions, and regain a sense of control over their internal state.

3. Self-Expression: Communication challenges are common in individuals with autism, especially for those who are nonverbal or have limited verbal abilities. Stimming behaviors can become a mode of expression, enabling them to communicate their needs, preferences, or emotions. For example, hand flapping may indicate excitement or joy, while repetitive vocalizations can convey discomfort or displeasure. Caregivers and professionals who closely observe these behaviors can gain valuable insights into the child's inner world.

Supporting Stimming in Children with Autism:

1. Sensory-friendly Environment: Create a sensory-friendly environment that accommodates and respects individual sensory preferences. Consider factors such as lighting, noise levels, and the availability of sensory tools like fidget toys or weighted blankets. This environment allows children to engage in stimming without judgment and supports their sensory regulation.

2. Visual Schedules and Predictability: Establishing predictable routines and using visual schedules can help reduce anxiety and provide a sense of structure for children with autism. Knowing what to expect and when can contribute to a feeling of security, minimizing the need for excessive stimming behaviors as a response to uncertainty.

3. Positive Reinforcement: Focus on positive reinforcement rather than attempting to eliminate stimming behaviors entirely. Acknowledge and praise children for using appropriate stimming behaviors or engaging in alternative coping strategies when needed. This approach encourages self-awareness and self-regulation while promoting a healthy self-image.

4. Social Acceptance and Peer Education: Encourage peers and classmates to embrace and accept stimming behaviors. Educate them about autism, explaining that stimming is a natural part of how some individuals with autism interact with the world. Foster an inclusive environment where differences are celebrated and valued.

5. Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy can be beneficial for children with autism as it provides strategies to enhance sensory integration, self-regulation, and alternative coping mechanisms. Working with an occupational therapist can help identify specific stimming patterns and develop individualized strategies to address sensory needs and explore alternative outlets for self-expression.

Conclusion:

Stimming is a significant aspect of autism, serving various purposes such as sensory regulation, emotional management, and self-expression. By recognizing the importance of stimming and implementing strategies that support and embrace it, we can create an inclusive and empowering environment for children with autism. Through education, understanding, and individualized approaches, we can ensure that stimming is celebrated as a natural and valuable part of their lives, promoting their overall well-being and fostering a sense of belonging.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with An Autism Specialist at CareGen? Just Click here to BOOK your appointment! 

For majority of individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism, at some point has had the comment “you sure it’s not just social anxiety?” or “they’re just a little shy”. This can be very frustrating as these can be very different. That’s why, we at CareGen, thought we would write an article highlighting the difference between Social Anxiety and Autism.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with an Autism Specialist at CareGen? Just click here to book your appointment!

Rigidity and inflexibility of thought

This is the biggest difference between social anxiety and autism. Sure, there are difficulties with social communication and interaction within both, however if there is evidence of rigidity and inflexibility of thought, then it may be time to consider autism. This can be in the form of needing routines and struggling to understand jokes and sarcasm. This is one of the main diagnostic areas of Autism which differentiates itself from other difficulties such as Social Anxiety.

Are you the type of person that has a strong need for routine in your life? Can you put yourself in other peoples shoes? Then your difficulties may be more than the social anxiety that your teachers/parents labelled you with. It may be that you visit your GP to see if there is enough evidence to get a referral to an Autism assessment service. Or if you can book a FREE Clinical Appointment with an Autism specialist at CareGen by clicking here.

Present in Childhood

One important question to ask yourself could be “how long have these difficulties been present?” This is because one of the main criteria’s for Autism is that there were difficulties present in early childhood. This could be in the form of difficulties with friendships back in nursery or lack of creative play when you were younger. Again, all of this goes outside of the realms of social anxiety and could possibly fit within the autism spectrum.

It may be that you discuss this with your parents or those closest to you when you were a child. If there were difficulties present in social communication/interaction and rigidity and inflexibility of thought, it may be time to discuss this with your GP. In addition, it may be that you bring your parent or family member with you to your appointment if you find social interactions difficult.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with an Autism Specialist at CareGen? Just click here to book your appointment!

If you’ve ever been on an NHS Autism assessment waiting list, then you know how long they can be! This is why a lot of parents/individuals are looking at alternative services, like CareGen, to get an Autism Assessment completed. However, finding one of these services is a daunting task (which is why we wrote a guide to going private that you can read by clicking here). This is why we thought it may be helpful to write an article outlining what our assessment processes look like, to give you an insight into what to expect within one of CareGen’s Autism Assessments.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with an Autism specialist at CareGen? Click here to book your appointment!

Free Clinical Appointment

We always encourage parents and individuals to first book in a free clinical appointment to speak with one of our autism specialists. Our main aim is to support families and individuals and to make this support as easily accessible as possible. This is why we offer the free clinical appointments as to provide support to as many people as possible. This appointment gives you the opportunity to discuss your concerns with a trained professional and they can advise you on the next steps, if you decide you would like to go ahead with an Autism assessment.

Gathering Information

Once you have expressed that you would like to go ahead with an Autism assessment, we would then send out forms to parents and school. Once the forms have been completed by both parties, the clinical team will then review the information within an MDT meeting. This is to explore whether an Autism assessment would be appropriate, or if there is something else that may better explain you/your child's difficulties. If the clinical team decide that an Autism assessment would be appropriate, we will inform you of the decision and then advise to book your assessment.

Please note that this is before any payments have been made! Our aim to ensure that an Autism assessment is absolutely necessary before you make any payments. In addition, we always advise our service users to completely exhaust the free options available (whether that be NHS or our FREE Clinical Appointments) before exploring alternative services.

Booking your Appointment

If the clinical team recommend that an Autism assessment would be appropriate, we will send you an email confirming this and then a link to our make a booking page (click here to see what it looks like). We believe that the service user/families should have complete control over when they have their assessment. This is why we at CareGen implement an online calendar booking system so you can choose a date and time that is convenient for you, for your/your child's assessment.

Please note that we now have flexible pay monthly finance for all our services. This is provided by a third-party finance company called Payl8r. You can find information regarding this on the Payl8r website.  You can also use the free Payl8r calculator on the CareGen website to see how much your monthly repayments would be.

Autism Assessment

So, we split our Autism assessments into 2 parts: a detailed developmental history and a Child observation session. We offer both sessions online as to stay in line with NHS practices (see our article on why the NHS complete their Autism assessment online by clicking here). All our assessments are completed by 2 or more clinicians present. This is to stay consistent with NICE Guidelines and to ensure that the assessment is of the highest quality. In addition, all our assessments are completed in 1 day (granted a very long day), which minimises parents/individuals having to come back for multiple appointments.

Developmental history

This session is primarily complete with a parent or close relative. Within this session, the clinician will ask questions about the individual to gain an idea of some of the difficulties they may be experiencing. The clinician will also ask you questions going right the way back to when they were a baby, so knowledge of this time would be helpful for the clinician. This session last approximately 1 hour and a half and provides a space for parents/individuals to discuss any concerns they have with in detail, with a trained clinician.

Clinical Observation Session

The second part of the Autism Assessment is the clinical observation session. The assessing clinicians have a wide range of assessments that they may choose from to assess you/your child for Autism (such as the ADOS assessment). The clinician will choose the most appropriate assessment to complete for you/your child. This session usually lasts approximately 1 hour and a half, however this will depend on how much the child/individual can manage.

MDT meeting/Feedback session

Once all the assessment is completed, the assessing clinicians will ask you to leave the online session so they can have an MDT discussion. This is the opportunity for the assessing clinicians to review all the information (from the completed forms to the clinical observation session). Once the assessing clinicians have discussed the information available, they will invite you back for the feedback session. This is where the clinicians will feedback the outcome of the assessment and to be able to answer any questions you may have. They will also discuss the next steps which includes the detailed report that will be produced.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical Appointment with an Autism Specialist at CareGen? Just click here to book.