On April 27, 2008 I noted that Conor's Counting & Stimming YouTube video had hit 2,050 views. Now I am pleased to say that the video has been viewed 5,000 times. The viewing numbers have not been boosted by multiple CNN appearances by Conor. It is not a scripted, dramatization of what stimming might look like. It is an actual portrayal of Conor, a boy with Autistic Disorder, stimming with his favorite stim object, a straw.I am pleased that so many interested persons have seen the video and have seen what stimming looks like Conor style ... with no agenda and no pretense. For Conor stimming is not a language, or abstract form of communication with distant objects, it is a very immediate, physical and sensory activity which he enjoys and which helps him stay calm. As simple as that.
autism
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The 3 most popular of Alex's 71 videos are "Alex at 7 - Echolalia"(13,466), "Alex starts talking - 6 years & 2 months old"(3,451) and "Alex at 2 - Toe Walking"(2,818) (followed by "Inclusive Education on Prince Edward Island", "Alex at 3 in Daycare" and "Alex's High School Graduation - A Few Moments"). All have been up less than a year. There seems to be great interest in videos of autistics just being autistic. Stereotypical traits like "stimming", "echolalia" and "toe walking" are proving popular both by the number of videos there and the number of hits they're getting.
I showed this video to Tom. He loved watching Connor counting (numbers are Tom's big obsession :D).
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