Triveni Goswami Vernal
(Registered Special Educator CRR: A64010)

Stim is a self-stimulatory behaviour that an individual with Autism, often engages in. Unless it is Self-Injurious in nature, or causes harm to others, Stims need not be stopped. Stims help in regulating the incoming sensory information, which can overwhelm or underwhelm individuals on the spectrum.
Stims are often repetitive. It is always best to acknowledge and recognize the stimming behaviour and if need be, provide an alternative, keeping the context in mind. Stims can be Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Olfactory, Gustatory, Proprioceptive or Vestibular.

Source: https://justkeepstimming.com/2019/05/21/types-of-stimming-infographic/

AUDITORY STIMS
Some of the common Auditory stims are Covering the ears to Loud sounds /High Frequency sounds (mixie, loud speakers etc), humming, vocal echolalia, listening to the same song over and over again, listening to the same sound on repeat. Sometimes, individuals also seek certain types of Auditory input, on repeat.
I would like to share two kinds of Auditory stims that my child, Kabir, has developed over the past year, that I found extremely interesting.
1) Backmasking: I had no idea what Backmasking was, till he began to repeatedly watch videos in reverse. For example, episodes of Thomas and Friends on YouTube but in reverse. Not only, were the images being played backwards, but, so was the sound and entire dialogues. To us, it would sound like “static”, incomprehensible sounds. But he listened to it over and over again. He absolutely loved it. I wrote to several support groups led by Autistic individuals and they were the first to mention the term, “backmasking”. In fact, I searched more about it, and I found that there were 1000s of videos with backmasking on YouTube. So, it was far more common, than I had imagined it to be and I don’t think it is confined to only individuals with Autism. I think there are tons of people who like listening to Backmasking audio.
2) Reverb Music: Kabir is fairly adept at navigating YouTube on any device. And he has always tinkered with the speed of the audio on any video he has watched. Of late, he has been fascinated with the Reverb versions of songs. It is a slowed down, raw, mechanical, sometimes off-tune version of the song, that also has elements of echo/reverberation.

While these are two very specific examples of Auditory stims, I think they raise a more important question about how individuals with Autism, perceive sound in their environment. They are so sensitively attuned to sound, that even a particular frequency or decibel may be problematic for them. Or, they may seek a specific kind of sound, and want to listen to it, over and over, again. 

As neurotypicals, we may be more regulated sensorially than individuals on the spectrum but we must recognize how privileged we are to take for granted every sensory experience, which might not be the case for individuals on the spectrum. Imagine being placed in a room, where you can hear even the flickering of a tube-light or the slow hum of the whirring fan. In such a scenario, how can someone attend to the task at hand? Or converse with people around them? It is quite challenging, to say the least.

Sensory Integration may be something that can help an individual on the Autism spectrum, especially, if their sensory experiences or stimming behaviour, begins to hamper with their day-to-day functioning.

From my own experience, I have noticed, that the nature of stims, change over time.   But what is most important, is to acknowledge and authenticate their particular sensory experiences as well as stimming behaviours. That recognition and assurance, that we understand them, can help the individuals on the spectrum be more authentic versions of themselves, in the long run.

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Author Triveni Goswami Vernal

Triveni Goswami Vernal is an Autism advocate, registered Special Educator (CRR A64010) and an Independent Researcher. Her areas of interest include Autism, Disability Rights, Gender, Art and Northeast studies. She is a mum to an 12 year old on the Autism Spectrum.

Artwork- “Sunflowers”: Acrylic Painting on Canvas Board
Artist- Kabir Vernal