Safety, Connection, and Communication: Qualitative Insights into the Multidimensionality of Autistic Stimming

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Metadata sources used for this reference

OpenAlex Crossref OpenCitations
Learn more about the sources used

Bates, J. R., Morris, I. F., Dameh, A., Paulus, C. R., Legrid, K., Chen, C., Zelazo, P. D., & Hall-Lande, J. (2026). Safety, Connection, and Communication: Qualitative Insights into the Multidimensionality of Autistic Stimming. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581261424784

Publication date: 19 Feb 2026 Added to AutiHub: 6 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
8
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 8 (25.0%)
  1. Jesica R Bates *
  2. Isabelle F. Morris *
  3. Alharith Dameh
  4. Crius R. Paulus
  1. Kathleen Legrid
  2. Chen Chen
  3. Philip David Zelazo
  4. Jennifer Hall-Lande

Abstract

Background: Autistic stimming (e.g., repetitive movements or vocalizations) is often misunderstood or pathologized in clinical and public discourse. This study explores how Autistic adults perceive and experience stimming, including its personal meaning, emotional significance, social dimensions, and role in identity. We examine perspectives on both one’s own stimming and stimming observed in others, moving beyond reductive behavioral framings to understand its multidimensional roles in Autistic life. In this study, we explored how Autistic adults perceive and experience stimming in their daily lives. Methods: We used a multimodal participatory-qualitative framework to conduct semistructured Zoom interviews with 15 Autistic adults from diverse, intersectional backgrounds. Interviewers shared possible topics in advance and supported multimodal communication during sessions. We analyzed the data using an integrated sequential approach that combined framework analysis with reflexive thematic analysis. Results: We identified three primary themes: (1) Identity and Self-Perception of Stimming, which described stimming as central to self-recognition and identity development. (2) Navigating Safety and Trust, which highlighted how participants masked stims as a strategic decision. (3) Stimming as Connection and Communication, which illustrated the relational and communicative dimensions of stimming. Participants described stimming as essential to emotional regulation, cognitive processing, and authentic self-expression. They also reported that their willingness and openness to stim depended on their perceptions of safety and social acceptance. In environments lacking these conditions, participants masked and selectively disclosed their identities. Conclusions: Our findings position stimming as a multidimensional expression embedded within Autistic identity and sociality. Based on these insights, we call for interventions, supports, and narratives that affirm stimming’s expressive and relational functions. This study also highlights the value of participatory research methods in capturing the nuanced lived experiences of Autistic people.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 08:06.

Cited references
65
With a DOI
48
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
17
12 / 65 (18.5%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 65 (6.2%)
References with detected author names
61 / 65 (93.8%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
17
References with raw author names still to review
4
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
156
From DOI or external metadata
156
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
4
87 / 156 (55.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 69 / 156 (44.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
31 / 156 (19.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 31 / 87 (35.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 28 / 138 (20.3%).
  2. (n.d.). RADAR. What is autism? An introduction to the autistic perspective. 2020. https://innovation.umn.edu/radar/about/what-autism-introduction-autistic-perspective [Last accessed: January10 2026].
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  3. Nina Simmons-Mackie , Jack S. Damico (1999). Qualitative methods in aphasia research: ethnography . Aphasiology, 13(9-11), 681-687. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/026870399401786 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2030616170
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  5. González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4247665917
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  6. Fran Baum , Colin MacDougall , Danielle Smith (2006). Participatory action research . Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60(10), 854-857. BMJ.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1136/jech.2004.028662 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2164908162
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  7. Nicola K Gale , Gemma Heath , Elaine Cameron , Sabina Rashid , Sabi Redwood (2013). Using the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research . BMC Medical Research Methodology, 13(1), 117. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-13-117 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1976770755
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  8. Vikram K. Jaswal , Nameera Akhtar (2019). Being versus appearing socially uninterested: Challenging assumptions about social motivation in autism . Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42, e82. Cambridge University Press (CUP).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x18001826 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2809138493
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  9. Marc J. Lanovaz , Kirsty M. Robertson , Kara Soerono , Nicholas Watkins (2013). Effects of reducing stereotypy on other behaviors: A systematic review . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(10), 1234. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2013.07.009 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1978351263
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  11. John W. Creswell , Dana L. Miller (2000). Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry . Theory Into Practice, 39(3), 124-130. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2150374398
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  12. Virginia Braun , Victoria Clarke (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology . Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1979290264
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  13. Rebecca A. Charlton , Timothy Entecott , Evelina Belova , Gabrielle Nwaordu (2021). “It feels like holding back something you need to say”: Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults accounts of sensory experiences and stimming . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 89, 101864. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101864 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3198915402
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  15. Edward M. Ornitz (1974). The modulation of sensory input and motor output in autistic children . Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 4(3), 197-215. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/bf02115226 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2003914204
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  18. Joyce Davidson (2010). ‘It cuts both ways’: A relational approach to access and accommodation for autism . Social Science & Medicine, 70(2), 305-312. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.10.017 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2005512196
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  20. Sean A. Kidd , Michael J. Kral (2005). Practicing participatory action research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 187-195. American Psychological Association (APA).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.187 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2031193590
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  21. Kanner L (1943). Autistic disturbances of affective contact . Nerv Child, 2(3), 217.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  22. Elizabeth Pellicano , David Burr (2012). When the world becomes ‘too real’: a Bayesian explanation of autistic perception . Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(10), 504-510. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.08.009 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2125191661
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  23. Erin Felepchuk (2021). Stimming, Improvisation, and COVID-19: (Re)negotiating Autistic Sensory Regulation During a Pandemic . Disability Studies Quarterly, 41(3). The Ohio State University Libraries.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.18061/dsq.v41i3.8426 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3199723037
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  24. Michael Orsini , Miriam Smith (2010). Social movements, knowledge and public policy: the case of autism activism in Canada and the US . Critical Policy Studies, 4(1), 38-57. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/19460171003714989 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2060574889
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  25. Delacato CH (1974). The Ultimate Stranger: The Autistic Child . The Ultimate Stranger: The Autistic Child.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  26. José Medina (2013). The Epistemology of Resistance: Gender and Racial Oppression, Epistemic Injustice, and the Social Imagination . Oxford University PressNew York.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199929023.001.0001 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4206597645
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  27. Nancy Bagatell (2010). From cure to community: Transforming notions of autism . Ethos, 38(1), 33. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01080.x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2085448344
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  28. Kristen Bottema-Beutel , Shannon Crowley LaPoint (2021). Pervasive Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Applied Behavior Analysis Autism Literature . Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 676303-676303. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.676303 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3157517315
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  29. James F Leckman , Mark A Riddle (2000). Tourette's Syndrome . Neuron, 28(2), 349-354. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)00114-8 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2089277503
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  30. Katherine McDonald (2017). On the Right Side of History: Community-Based Participatory Research and People with Developmental Disabilities . Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 4(1), 11-13. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s40474-017-0104-3 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2589534180
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  31. Barbara A. Israel , Amy J. Schulz , Edith A. Parker , Adam B. Becker (2001). Community-based Participatory Research: Policy Recommendations for Promoting a Partnership Approach in Health Research . Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice, 14(2), 182-197. The Network: Towards Unity for Health.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/13576280110051055 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2123511849
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  32. Eleonora Marocchini * , Irene Baldin * (2024). Cross‐neurotype communication from an autistic point of view: Insights on autistic Theory of Mind from a focus group study . International Journal Of Language & Communication Disorders / Royal College Of Speech & Language Therapists, 59/(6), 2465. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.13095 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4401172396
    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  33. Sofia Tancredi , Dor Abrahamson (2024). Stimming as Thinking: a Critical Reevaluation of Self-Stimulatory Behavior as an Epistemic Resource for Inclusive Education . Educational Psychology Review, 36(3), 75. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10648-024-09904-y OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4400476818
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  34. Louise Bradley , Rebecca Shaw , Simon Baron-Cohen , Sarah Cassidy (2021). Autistic Adults' Experiences of Camouflaging and Its Perceived Impact on Mental Health . Autism in Adulthood, 3(4), 320-329. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1089/aut.2020.0071 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3170765972
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  35. Tina Koch (1994). Establishing rigour in qualitative research: the decision trail . Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19(5), 976-986. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1994.tb01177.x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2140534260
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  36. Julia Sinclair (2012). Loud Hands: Autistic People Speaking . Loud hands: Autistic people, speaking, 223.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  37. Philip David Zelazo , Destany Calma-Birling , Ellen Galinsky (2024). Fostering Executive-Function Skills and Promoting Far Transfer to Real-World Outcomes: The Importance of Life Skills and Civic Science . Current Directions in Psychological Science, 33(2), 121-127. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/09637214241229664 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4392107248
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  38. Sacks OW (1995). Seven paradoxical tales . Seven paradoxical tales.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  39. Cathy MacDonald (2012). UNDERSTANDING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY OPTION . The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 13(2), 34-50. Nipissing University Library.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.33524/cjar.v13i2.37 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2170580565
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  40. (n.d.). Kashi K. To be or not to be seen: re-conceptualizing neurodivergent masking for agential and self-determined design futures. Master’s thesis. University of California Santa Cruz; 2025.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  41. Stephanie Petty , Amy Ellis (2024). The meaning of autistic movements . Autism, 28(12), 3015. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613241262151 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4399923083
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  42. M. Remi Yergeau * (2016). Occupying Autism: Rhetoric, Involuntarity, and the Meaning of Autistic Lives . In Occupying Disability: Critical Approaches to Community, Justice, and Decolonizing Disability (pp. 83-95). Springer Netherlands.
    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-9984-3_6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2293530065
    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  43. Price D. (2022). Unmasking autism: Discovering the new faces of neurodiversity . Unmasking autism: Discovering the new faces of neurodiversity.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  44. JA Garlick , P Levine (2017). Where civics meets science: building science for the public good through Civic Science . Oral Diseases, 23(6), 692-696. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/odi.12534 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2487201999
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  45. Sarah Cassidy , Louise Bradley , Rebecca Shaw , Simon Baron-Cohen (2018). Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults . Molecular Autism, 9(1), 42. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2887488849
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  46. Meng-Chuan Lai , Michael Lombardo , Amber Ruigrok , Bhismadev Chakrabarti , Bonnie Auyeung , Peter Szatmari et al. (2017). Quantifying and exploring camouflaging in men and women with autism . Autism, 21(6), 690-702. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361316671012 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2543847144
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  47. Gabrielle Nwaordu , Rebecca A. Charlton (2024). Repetitive Behaviours in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults: Associations with Sensory Sensitivity and Impact on Self-Efficacy . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(11), 4081-4090. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06133-0 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4387033228
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  48. Joost Wiskerke , Heléne Stern , Kajsa Igelström (2018). Camouflaging of repetitive movements in autistic female and transgender adults . BioRxiv.. openRxiv.
    Type: Preprint DOI: 10.1101/412619 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2891471780
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  49. Laura Hull , K.V. Petrides , Carrie T. Allison , P. Smith , Simon Baron-Cohen , Meng-Chuan Lai et al. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(8), 2519-2534. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2616560149
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  51. McGill O (2020). The Neurodiversity Reader . The Neurodiversity Reader, 177.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  54. Lucy A Livingston , Punit Shah , Francesca Happé (2019). Compensatory strategies below the behavioural surface in autism: a qualitative study . The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(9), 766-777. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30224-x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2963462665
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  55. (n.d.). Abbott S Boyte H Jordan N et al. A call to action: Civic science and the grand challenges of the 21st century. White paper presented at: National Science Foundation Workshop; October 2–3 2014; Washington DC.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  56. Margaret Price (2011). Mad at School . University of Michigan Press.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.3998/mpub.1612837 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4237709270
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  57. Alison Kafer (2013). Feminist, Queer, Crip . Indiana University Press.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.2979/6841.0 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W584056901
    Crossref OpenCitations
  58. (n.d.). Prizant B. Uniquely human: A different way to see autism and create pathways to success. Webinar. 2015. https://presence.com/articles/schools/dr-barry-prizant-in-conversation-with-clay-whitehead/ [Last accessed: January10 2026].
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  59. McDonnell AA (2010). Managing Aggressive Behaviour in Care Settings: Understanding and Applying Low Arousal Approaches . Managing Aggressive Behaviour in Care Settings: Understanding and Applying Low Arousal Approaches.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  60. Bascom J. (2012). Loud hands: Autistic people, speaking . Loud hands: Autistic people, speaking, 177.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  61. Kuhn TS (2012). Arguing About Science . Arguing About Science, 74.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  62. Fricker M (2017). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing . Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  63. Yergeau MR (2018). Authoring autism: On rhetoric and neurological queerness . Authoring autism: On rhetoric and neurological queerness.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  64. Sherwin S (2000). Readings in Health Care Ethics . Readings in Health Care Ethics, 69.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  65. Milton DE (2013). Autistics speak but are they heard . Med Sociol Online, 7(2), 61.
    Type: Other
    Crossref