For a child with Autism, Stimming is an abbreviated term for Self Stimulating behaviour.
It is a necessary element for the Autistic child in that it seems to be a way for them to make sense of all that is going on around them. It can also be termed as Zoning Out.

Stimming can manifest in many ways. It can be displayed as flapping, an obsessiveness with a particular item or the way that it is moving or self injurious like biting of the hands or knuckles to name but a few.

No two children with Autism are the same so it is quite natural that there will be many forms of Self Stimulating behaviours.

For the Autistic child, this is a needed outlet and if the stimming takes a form that is not inappropriate, it should not be restricted. It seems to act as a self control method for them to calm themselves and even, in some ways, to digest information.

Stimming seems to manifest on a larger, more intense scale when the child with Autism is in a situation that they are not entirely comfortable with which could be as small as a person entering a room that they are not familiar with or an assembly hall which could be filled with many people and lots of noise.

For a child with Autism, stimming is a necessary outlet. It can be reduced somewhat by controlling the external environment e.g. dimming the lights or lowering noise levels. However, to attempt to completely eradicate it may not be the correct thing to do as it may be replaced by the Autististic child with another stim that may be less appropriate.

It may be far more beneficial to both the Autistic child and the caregiver to develop a means of encouraging the child to use their stims at home or in privacy thereby decreasing the risk of being socially ostracized by their peers if they were to use them in public.

Some children with Autism are not even aware of their flapping but if gently reminded, they will attempt to halt it themselves if they are in a place where it could be looked on as an anomaly.

With some Autistic children, their stimming can be used as a positive tool to encourage social interaction.

For example, if the child with Autism’s particular stim is ripping paper then if you were to join in and rip paper too, after a while, you would notice that the Autistic child will look to see what you are doing. This is especially true when in the past, you have tried to discourage stimming.

Every look should be responded to with positive feedback e.g. “Great, you looked at me” or “Wow, what pretty blue eyes you have” or something similar. In time, this will open the door to more social interaction with the Autistic child sometimes handing you paper to rip or seeking you out so that you can participate in their stim.

Any time that the Autistic child spends interacting with you is less time they are spending in their own world which should be the ultimate goal. A paper ripping session today could turn into next weeks jigsaw puzzle with slow, positive guidance from you.

The three major areas that children with Autism have problems in are: Communication, Play and Social Interaction. If you can increase their socialization skills, then you can only be helping the other two areas to increase also.

Donna Mason has been a Registered Nurse for the past 16 years. She is the mother of 6 children, 3 of whom have varying degrees of Autism. For more information on Autism signs and symptoms, and to learn more about this mother’s battle in the fight against this misunderstood condition, visit us on the web at: http://www.autisticadventures.blogspot.com

Parents of autistic children often struggle to get them to sleep, and therefore struggle with their own sleep as well. However, we all know the importance of ensuring children get the sleep that they need in order to get the most out of the various therapies and efforts being made to improve their symptoms. However, it can be easier said than done!

Over-sensitivity to stimuli can be a frustrating challenge for both autistic children and their parents. Over-reaction to various sounds in the child’s environment, as well as smells, lights, or any other sensations may make it difficult for a child to fall asleep or stay asleep. Many autistic children have sensory issues within their sleep environment. This can make it difficult for them to relax enough to fall asleep or to find a comfortable position in which to sleep.

In Siegal’s book The World of the Autistic Child, it was suggested that the sleep problems faced by autistic children may also be a result of the way autistic neurotransmitters in the brain function. It stated that about 56 percent of autistic children struggle with sleep-related issues that they will rarely “grow out of”.

So one of the first steps for remedying the lack of sleep is to try to identify what is causing your child to struggle to sleep. Is it anxiety, sensory issues, medical issues, attention seeking, or something in the bedroom itself?

The following tips are for parents to help their autistic children get to sleep and stay that way until morning:

- Set a bedtime and stick to it, including the routines that occur before bedtime. This allows the child to experience a degree of consistency and predictability, which is often vital to an autistic child’s proper functioning.

- Provide your autistic child with visual rules that indicate the rule for staying in one’s room or bed at night. These visual rules should be posted in various visible areas of the bedroom.

- Pair the bedtime rules and routines that you create with social stories that can help to speak to your autistic child’s sleep-related anxieties.

- Change the bedroom environment to make it more appealing to your autistic child. While some autistic children respond well to having a nightlight, others require total darkness with a black out blind over the window for blocking the exterior light as well. Many autistic children sleep better when their bed is pushed up against the wall, as they feel more secure; a corner is even better. To block out any sounds that may be distressing your child, use a white noise machine or run a fan in your child’s bedroom.

- If you usually sleep in the same bed as your autistic child and he or she is struggling to sleep alone, “replace” yourself with a sleeping bag or body pillow to mimic the pressure that would usually exist if you were lying in the bed.

- Use layers for your child’s pajamas and tuck him or her in well so that any tactile sensitivity will be minimized.

By rooting out any disturbances causing your child not to sleep and by introducing routines and an effective sleeping environment, your autistic child should be able to enjoy a great deal more sleep – as will you.

References: http://www.hsc.mb.ca/autismprogram/topic_of_the_month.htm

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans’ brand new Autism Newsletter – Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family overcome autism sleeping challenges and for information on effective autism strategies please visit The Essential Guide to Autism.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by problems with social interactions, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication and a pattern of repetitive behavior with narrow, restricted interests. Boys are more likely than girls to have autism. Though the exact cause for autism is unknown, genetics plays an important role, and environmental, immunological and metabolic factors may have a contributory role.

Behavioral therapy, coupled with specific education, and periodical assessment by a multi-disciplinary team, form the mainstay in the management of children with autism. Additional Ayurvedic herbal treatment can be given to reduce troublesome symptoms and improve cognition. Herbal medicines can be given safely for long periods even to children, and therefore, this therapy is specially beneficial for children with autism.

The brain tissue can be treated by correcting the metabolism of the “Majja” dhatu in the body. Medicines useful in this condition are: Pancha-Tikta-Ghruta Guggulu, Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis) and Musta (Cyperus rotundus).

In addition, Ayurveda mentions a category of medicines known as “Medhya”, which improve the working capacity of the brain. This category includes medicines like Mandukparni (Centella asiatica), Yashtimadhuk (Glycerrhiza glabra), Guduchi, Padma (Nelumbo nucifera), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Vacha (Acorus calamus) and Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis).

Normally, a combination of several medicines is used in the treatment and management of autism. In addition to the two categories of medicines mentioned above, other medicines like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) are also used routinely. Autistic children usually require a high dose of herbal medicines to get good results.

In addition to oral treatment, autistic children benefit from massage treatment all over the body using medicated oils like Chandan-Bala-Laxadi oil and Mahanarayan oil. Ayurvedic Panchkarma procedures like “Shirodhara” and “Nasya” are beneficial for the problems related to autism, but may be more suitable for older children and adults.

Treatment has to be tailor-made for each child according to the severity and presentation of symptoms. In addition, different children may respond differently to the herbal medicines. Parents should avoid the temptation to treat their children on their own.

Dr. A. A. Mundewadi is Chief Ayurvedic Physician at Mundewadi Ayurvedic Clinic based at Thane, Maharashtra, India. He is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com

The online clinic offers Ayurvedic treatment for all chronic and refractory health problems. Dr. A. A. Mundewadi uses high quality herbal extracts in tablet form, which are easy to take, effective and safe for long-term use.

Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, B.A.M.S., has clinical experience of 23 years and clinical research experience of 9 years. He has conducted extensive research in HIV infection, Schizophrenia and many other chronic diseases.