Autism & Stimming, 2000+ Views for Conor Stimming Video

"Conor Counting and Stimming", Conor's Youtube video showing him stimming while counting from 1 to 100, has now received more than 2000 views (2,050 at present, without CNN promotion).

Conor has Autistic Disorder with profound developmental delays. He will not be attending Simon's Rock College for gifted youths. And he will not be writing elaborate screenplays explaining how his stimming is a way of communicating with the physical world around him. His language skills are not that good. As far as I can tell, Conor stims to relieve tension and frustration. He enjoys stimming and we do not try to eliminate stimming behavior. But it is not a "language" in any sense of that word. His favorite stim object is the straw which he manipulates in this video.

Conor's stimming is not dramatic, it is not fancy but ... it is real. It is what he does ... whether there is a camera trained on him or not.

2,050 views. If some of those viewers are new to autism then I am glad that they had the opportunity to see autistic stimming, Conor style. No drama, no profound philosophy, not very fancy but very real.

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Autism and Stimming - Conor Shows How It Is Done

The photos above are of Conor relaxing with Dad this morning at the Second Cup, Kings Place, Fredericton, one of our favorite weekend haunts. The staff have seen him there with Dad for the past several years. They know he has autism disorder. They know him as Conor. They have seen Conor laughing and enjoying himself. They have seen him melt down on occasion. Conor has always been very welcome at the Second Cup.

In the photos above, in sequence from top to bottom, Conor is seen stimming with a straw, his favorite stim object. In the bottom picture the straw is moving so fast you can barely see it in the photo. If you look at the basket behind Conor in the first 3 photos you will clearly see a red ribbon hanging down the side of the basket. If you look at the bottom pic you will see an object in front of the basket, slightly obscuring the red ribbon, Conor's straw, moving so fast it is barely discernible.

For Conor stimming is not a way of communicating with his environment. It is not a special autistic language. It is what he does.

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Carly's Writings - A Child With Autism Tells Her Story

Carly's Writings - CTV News Photo

In Girl's writings opening new window on autism CTV tells the story of 13 year old Carly, diagnosed with autism at an early age and non verbal, who can now communicate very well with a computer. Carly surprised her family and therapists when she began typing words and then sentences. Carly was believed to be intellectually challenged. She is able to describe the frustrations she endures because of being different, in some ways, then other children, and because of her inability to express herself verbally. At the same time she describes very ordinary feelings for a child, including having "crushes" and describing "yucky" siblings.

The CTV article states that Carly's development of computer assisted communication abilities challenges conventional views of autism. That may be so, at least for some children with autism disorders. But Carly's story also challenges the anti-ABA, anti-treatment, ideology advocated by some prominent "autistics" and espoused by their neurodiversity followers. And challenges their rhetoric that all persons with autism want to remain autistic.

Carly's parents refused to "write her off" and instead obtained intensive ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) intervention for her. Professionals, including autism specialist Dr. Wendy Roberts, who has read some of her writings and observed Carly on video, says that she is "certainly unique in her abilities and provides some fascinating insights into the condition of autism". Dr. Roberts also notes that "Carly possesses unique abilities that make her a rare case, or it may be that her early and intensive training simply drew the skills out." Her parents are very happy that they provided Carly with the benefits of ABA therapy.

CTV has also provided a separate page of Carly's writings which are fascinating reading. Some of what she says strikes me in many ways as similar to what I imagine my son Conor is feeling. I found her writings on stimming particularly interesting.

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Conor Counting and Stimming

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Autism and Stimming; A Conor Case Study

Stimming, like all autism topics, is a matter of some controversy. Some see it as a negative behavior to be eliminated, others see a natural form of expression for an autistic person, others a relief from environmental pressures and so on. I see no harm in stimming and Conor enjoys it so I don't try to prevent it. To the contrary when we visit a store or mall I look for a straw, his favorite stim object, for Conor to enjoy.









Conor stimming in the nearby volleyball pit. Any time we walk by Conor goes over to stim (sifting sand). He will usually sift the sand for as long as I let him. Stimming by sifting sand, for what seemed like endless periods, was one of the first indicators to us that there was something "different" about Conor and helped lead us to seek a medical assessment.











Conor enjoying some treats, and stimming with a straw, during a break while seeing Shrek 3 at the theater.












Conor multi-tasking, reading a Dr. Seuss book, while stimming with a straw with his other hand.
















Conor sitting on the side step and stimming with a straw, while waiting patiently for Dad.

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My Autism Blog Motivation

Conor and Dad having a good laugh watching Pontoffel Pock on Youtube.

















Shower hair? No big deal.














Stimming with a dandelion stem.











Conor, sensitive to noise, reacts to the loud sounds of a passing motorcycle.












All smiles at the mall, Conor is about to get a favorite treat - a gum ball.

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