Hand Flapping

bbnelson

hello my son is going to be 7 years old and as far as I can remember he too, has always flapped his hands. He just started to use the swing just a couple of months ago, but he holds on. I'm sure he will get the hang of it soon and learn to hold on when he start to swing.

bbnelson

My sons teacher also said, the flapping my come from a comfort zone. for example Just like me always moving my legs when I sit. Just remember every child is different.

meechieny

Hand flapping is a stimulating behavior. They call it a "stim" for short. A lot of the kids on the spectrum have a "stim" and hand-flapping is a quite common one. It can be a form of comfort as "bbnelson" stated.
Common forms of stimming among people with autism include hand flapping, body spinning or rocking, lining up or spinning toys or other objects, echolalia, perseveration, and repeating rote phrases.
There are many theories about the function of stimming, and the reasons for its increased incidence in autistic people. For hyposensitive people, it may provide needed nervous system arousal, releasing beta-endorphins. For hypersensitive people, it may provide a "norming" effect, allowing the person to control a specific part of their sensorium, and is thus a soothing behavior

Hope this is helpful.

LoriBell

This is VERY common in the ASD population. The best therapy we have found is to use ankle weights around the wrists. Depending on the size of your child get those Velcro weights, (start with the smallest weight) and put them around his wrists at home for a few hours a day. It really helps. Increase the time & weight until you find that sweet spot. It also helps a lot with muscle tone many ASD kids lack. A friends child asks for them.

ladybuggy02

Hi my son is 8 and is a hand flapper it is just part of him he has aspergers , his cousin is also a flapper just wondering why the wieghts??
ladybuggy02

GatsbyLuvr1920

Everything meechieny said was 100% on. Some hand flappers flap when they're stressed; others flap when they're excited; others do both. I never thought I hand-flapped, but I realize that I do it mildly when I'm excited. I put my hands up near my face and shake them. For me, I think it's because there is so much tension from the excitement, that it needs to be released by movement of some sort. The same goes with why I rock and wring my hands when I'm upset.
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

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