Stimming
Repetitive movement that regulates, expresses and feels good. Here's what the research — much of it led by autistic researchers — actually says.
What it is
Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behaviour, covers repetitive movements and sounds: rocking, hand-flapping, finger-tapping, humming, pacing, fidgeting with objects. It's most discussed in relation to autism and ADHD, but a 2021 survey including non-autistic participants confirmed the obvious — everybody stims. Clicking a pen in a meeting is stimming.
Why people do it
The most useful research here relies on autistic people's own accounts rather than outside observation. Kapp and colleagues (2019) interviewed 32 autistic adults and found two consistent themes: stimming works as a self-regulatory mechanism, and it lacks social acceptance but can gain it through understanding.
Charlton and colleagues (2021) surveyed 340 adults and found stimming described as enabling emotional expression and providing cognitive focus. More recent work argues the function is broader still — stimming as joy and expression, not only regulation.
What happens when people can't
A 2023 study found something clean: when able to stim, autistic and non-autistic participants showed no difference in self-efficacy. When prevented from stimming, autistic participants reported significantly lower self-efficacy. The gap only appeared when the behaviour was blocked.
In the 2021 survey, 72% had been told not to stim at some point, and 75% said they didn't always stim in the way they'd prefer, mostly because of how it would be perceived.
The related literature on camouflaging — masking autistic traits to fit in — is more quantitative. A 2024 meta-analysis covering nearly 5,900 autistic participants found camouflaging associated with higher anxiety, higher depression and lower wellbeing.
Can a fidget substitute for a stim?
This is where we'd rather lose a sale than mislead. The research points the other way.
Participants in the 2021 survey described substitute stims — chosen because they're more socially acceptable — as more effortful to maintain and less effective than their preferred stim. The 2023 self-efficacy work agrees: altering a preferred stim reduces how well it works.
So "use our discreet app instead of stimming" would be a claim that inverts the evidence. Worse, given what the masking literature shows, marketing a product as a way to hide is not a great thing to be doing.
The honest framing is additive: one more option, if you happen to like it. Not a replacement for what you'd rather be doing.
What is stimming?
Self-stimulatory behaviour — repetitive movement or sound like rocking, hand-flapping, finger-tapping, humming or fidgeting. Autistic and ADHD people stim, and so does everyone else.
Is stimming bad?
No. Research based on autistic people's own accounts consistently describes stimming as self-regulatory and valuable. Being prevented from stimming is what people report as distressing.
Can a fidget toy replace stimming?
Probably not, and we won't pretend otherwise. Research finds substitute stims chosen for social acceptability are more effortful and less effective than a person's preferred stim.
Sources
- Kapp et al. (2019), 'People should be allowed to do what they like': Autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming, Autism
- Charlton et al. (2021), 'It feels like holding back something you need to say', Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Charlton et al. (2023), Repetitive Behaviours in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults, JADD
- Camouflaging and mental health: systematic review and meta-analysis (2024)
- Morris et al. (2025), Beyond self-regulation: Autistic experiences and perceptions of stimming