Last week, I saw another meme in my Facebook feed castigating parents for forcing their autistic kids to make eye contact and to sit with “quiet hands” rather than flapping. It’s a common theme in ...

People with autism often face a stigma for stimming — a repetitive behavior to regulate emotions that can sometimes look like someone flapping their hands or wiggling their fingers. The children’s ...

Stimming is short for self-stimulation. It means doing the same movement, sound, or action again and again. Many people stim. You might tap your pen, bounce your knee, or twirl your hair. Many parents ...

Hand flapping only came up as positive behavior, a sign that our children are happy. Wrote one mom, “My son loves flapping… He isn’t hurting himself or anyone else. No harm there!” Below are some ...