Have you ever caught yourself tapping your fingers during a long meeting, bouncing your leg while concentrating, or humming the same tune repeatedly throughout the day? If you or your child has ADHD, these behaviors might be more than just nervous habits—they could be stimming.
With an estimated 7 million (11.4%) U.S. children aged 3-17 years diagnosed with ADHD, and 15.5 million adults (6.0 percent) with a current diagnosis, understanding the full spectrum of ADHD behaviors is crucial for families seeking answers. While stimming is often associated with autism, many people don’t realize that individuals with ADHD also engage in self-stimulatory behaviors—and for important reasons.
What Is ADHD Stimming?
ADHD stimming is when a person with ADHD displays self-stimulatory behavior by repeating certain sounds and movements unconsciously. Unlike the casual fidgeting that everyone does from time to time, ADHD stimming is typically more severe than fidgeting in “neurotypical” people and serves specific neurological functions.
The term “stimming” is short for self-stimulatory behavior, and it encompasses a wide range of repetitive actions that help people with ADHD regulate their emotions, manage sensory input, and maintain focus. Stimming behaviors typically arise as self-soothing mechanisms that aim to calm and comfort oneself, particularly when experiencing stress or overwhelming stimuli.
Why Do People with ADHD Stim?
Understanding why stimming occurs in ADHD requires looking at how the ADHD brain works differently. Research suggests that the imbalance of a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine can affect how folks with ADHD perceive reward and satisfaction. This neurochemical difference creates unique challenges that stimming helps address:
1. Combat Boredom and Maintain Focus
ADHD can make it much harder to pay attention to activities that don’t interest you. Due to this, some people might stim to combat boredom in a dull environment, or help focus when completing uninteresting tasks. For many individuals with ADHD, stimming provides the extra sensory input needed to stay engaged during monotonous activities.
2. Manage Sensory Overload
Because of how the ADHD brain is wired, individuals may be hypersensitive to the sensory information they receive, causing them to experience sounds and sensations more intensely or for longer. Stimming may be one way to cope with ADHD sensory overload, as it can help reduce the anxiety and pressure linked to this phenomenon.
3. Release Excess Energy
People with ADHD often experience heightened levels of physical and mental energy. Stimming provides an outlet for this surplus energy, helping reduce restlessness and improve concentration.
4. Self-Soothing and Emotional Regulation
In certain situations, this behavior could be a way to self-soothe and avoid becoming overwhelmed. Stimming can provide comfort during stressful situations or when processing difficult emotions.
Learning to recognize early warning signs of ADHD burnout can help prevent long-term emotional and functional exhaustion.
5. Express Excitement
There’s also what’s known as happy stimming. This occurs when you need to find an outlet to release and express your excitement.
Related read: What is high-functioning ADHD in women?
Common Types of ADHD Stimming Behaviors
ADHD stimming can manifest in numerous ways, engaging different senses and serving various purposes:
1. Visual Stimming
Visual stimming stimulates your sense of sight and often helps tackle feelings of boredom. Examples include repetitive blinking, drawing, arranging objects, or flipping pages.
2. Verbal and Auditory Stimming
A person may hum, repeat words, click their tongue, clear their throat, or whistle to minimize boredom, manage feelings of anxiousness, or stay focused. Some individuals might listen to the same song repeatedly or mimic sounds in their environment.
3. Tactile (Touch-Based) Stimming
ADHDers may catch themselves playing with their hair, grinding their teeth, biting the inside of their mouth, or picking at scabs or the skin around their fingernails. Sometimes, they may fidget with their clothes, rub their fingers together, or clench their fists.
4. Olfactory (Smell-Based) Stimming
Olfactory stimming can help people calm their nerves. It often involves sniffing items that have a particular scent, such as familiar perfumes or specific fabrics.
5. Vestibular (Movement-Based) Stimming
Vestibular stimming usually involves balance and movement. This might look like tiptoeing, rocking back and forth, pacing, head shaking, leg shaking, or spinning in a circle.
ADHD vs. Autism Stimming: Key Differences
While both individuals with ADHD and autism engage in stimming behaviors, the underlying reasons differ significantly.
As an example, autism stimming most often occurs when a person is trying to manage their emotions and thoughts or cope in an overstimulating environment. In contrast, a person with ADHD may stim either to handle their emotions or help them pay attention since ADHD often makes it challenging to stay focused.
Additionally, stimming is a part of the formal diagnostic criteria for autism in the DSM-5-TR, while it’s not formally listed as an ADHD symptom, though it commonly co-occurs with the condition.
When ADHD Stimming Becomes Concerning
It can sometimes be difficult for people to notice that they stim because it may be done subconsciously. However, there are times when stimming behaviors may indicate a need for professional evaluation:
- When stimming interferes with daily activities, work, or school performance
- If the behaviors cause physical harm (such as skin picking that leads to bleeding)
- When stimming disrupts social relationships or causes significant embarrassment
- If the intensity or frequency of stimming behaviors increases dramatically
- When stimming behaviors are accompanied by other concerning symptoms like difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, or impulsivity
The Role of Comprehensive ADHD Testing
Many adults and children engage in stimming behaviors without realizing they may have ADHD. Recent estimates indicate that prevalence is even higher in children in the United States (U.S.), around 8.7% or 5.3 million, yet many cases remain undiagnosed, particularly in women and underrepresented communities.
At KMN Psych, we understand that ADHD presents differently in each individual. Our comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation goes beyond surface-level symptoms to provide a complete picture of cognitive functioning, including attention, memory, executive function, and behavioral patterns.
Our ADHD Testing Process Includes:
Comprehensive Assessment Tools: We utilize evidence-based measures, including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS IV), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and other specialized assessments tailored to your unique needs and symptoms.
Individual-Centered Approach: Each evaluation is customized based on your specific concerns, symptoms, and goals for testing. We examine not just stimming behaviors, but the full spectrum of ADHD symptoms and how they impact daily functioning.
Detailed Analysis and Reporting: Our team provides a robust 15-20 page report that translates complex test results into actionable insights, confirming or clarifying potential diagnoses and establishing a baseline for treatment planning.
Expert Consultation: Following your evaluation, you have the option to meet with Dr. Doshay to discuss your results in detail and explore next steps for improving your quality of life.
Understanding the Bigger Picture
Stimming behaviors in ADHD aren’t character flaws or bad habits that need to be eliminated. Research has found that fidgeting helps children with ADHD focus better and complete complex tasks. “We hypothesize that the increased movement seen in the children with ADHD, often labeled as hyperactivity, is a way for these children to unconsciously compensate for underarousal or underactivity in some brain regions commonly associated with ADHD,” researchers explain.
This understanding emphasizes why accurate diagnosis is so important. What might appear as disruptive behavior could actually be the brain’s way of trying to maintain optimal functioning.
Moving Forward with Clarity and Support
If you or your loved one exhibits stimming behaviors alongside other potential ADHD symptoms—such as difficulty concentrating, restlessness, impulsivity, or challenges with organization—professional testing can provide answers.
ADHD is highly treatable with the right support system. Once you have a clear diagnosis, you can access appropriate interventions, whether that’s medication management, behavioral therapy, academic accommodations, or workplace supports.
Our neuropsychological testing doesn’t just confirm or rule out ADHD—it provides a roadmap for understanding your unique cognitive profile and developing strategies that work with your brain, not against it.
Schedule an Appointment
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References
- Danielson, M. L., Claussen, A. H., Bitsko, R. H., et al. (2024). ADHD prevalence among U.S. children and adolescents in 2022: Diagnosis, severity, co-occurring disorders, and treatment. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1-18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38778436/
- Hartanto, T., Lewis, S., & Schweitzer, J. (2024). Stimming and fidgeting helps some people with ADHD to pay attention. CHADD. https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/stimming-and-fidgeting-helps-some-people-with-adhd-to-pay-attention/
- Staley, B. S., et al. (2024). General prevalence of ADHD. CHADD. https://chadd.org/about-adhd/general-prevalence/