Regulation. That is one thing that isn’t mentioned much when discussing Autism, but it has a huge impact on everyday life for people with autism. To understand the problems with regulation, let’s start with the differences in brain structure and functioning. In the autistic brain, there are areas that are too connected, and then areas that aren’t connected enough. What this means is that signals that are traveling between the different areas may take longer to get to the final destination, or those signals can arrive with a greater impact to that final destination.
Whereas a neurotypical brain has a specific highway system with clearly defined exits and off ramps, the autistic brain is more of a mixture of a congested downtown traffic system and backcountry roads. You are still going to get to your destination, but you may need some help, or it may take more time.
As a result of these differences, the way a person with autism feels the world is different. Stronger, more intense, or weaker, less intense. A person with autism can FEEL so much that it may feel as though those sensations are vibrating on the surface of their skin. Feel so much that the feeling just overwhelms you. You belong lost in the world of this feeling, this sensation, whether it be pleasant or not.
This is where stimming can help; help with regulating emotions, sensory input, and maintaining focus. We all stim, but for some of us, those stims are vital to functioning. Stimming is anything that works to stimulate sensory areas in your brain. Stims can be visual, auditory, tactual, etc. Stimming can be a very useful tool to refocus and avoid meltdowns.
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