High functioning Autism and arm flapping?

[Janeway]

My 10 yr old has an IQ that measures at about 142. He has never had arm flapping. Now, in the last month or so, it is constant.  He holds his hands up to his ears and flaps them. He tells me he is fanning himself.  When he is not doing it by his ears, he will have his hands in front of him as in pretending to be a puppy and flap them. When he never did this for the first 10.75 yrs of his life, it seems odd that he would start now. My husband and I have no idea what to make of it. Could this just be due to the shut down? Also, he did start meds in the spring for ADHD.  He is not taking it now as we are on summer break. I wonder if this could be an after effect? I would doubt that though as he has been off of it longer than he was ever on it.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Janeway

[gardenmom5]

it could very well be a response to the Rx.   it may or may not stop even after quitting.    is he on a different rx?  

 adolescent hormones can change things.

finding things to help with anxiety could be helpful.

[NorthwestMom]

It's possible he previously engaged in more subtle and culturally validated self-stimming (shaking his leg when he sits, cracking his knuckles, squeezing his hands) like everyone does, and now the mode has changed to a more observable action.  It may be related to anxiety during the pandemic. I doubt it is an after-effect of meds but I am not an expert in that. 

Edited June 12, 2020 by NorthwestMom

[kbutton]

Sometimes kids work through a whole list of stims--sometimes they are all similar (all vocal, all hand stims even if not flapping, etc.). Did he have other stims that were not hand flapping before this?

Does he have another underlying condition such as Tourette's?

I don't think it's unusual for things to change over time or to become more noticeable, but you might want to rule out a tic of some kind.

 

[PeterPan]

Do his stims and repetitive behaviors rotate? Then they may have just rotated to this. However for my ds, the increased stimming during the shutdown has been stress. We ended up having to put him on anxiety meds to get it calmed down. Best decision, no regrets.

How long has he been off the ADHD meds? They wash pretty quickly. Stimulant meds can increase anxiety in some kids, meaning he would need an additional med or to try a nonstimulant med.

The other thing could be compensating for being off the ADHD meds. He might not like how he feels off them and doesn't have a way to say it. Stimming is both expression (big emotions, etc.) and self-regulation. So if he's feeling dysregulated off the meds, he might stim more hoping to get back that calm feeling he possibly had on the meds. 

You could work on interoception and see if he can express any of that. https://www.kelly-mahler.com/what-is-interoception/

Edited June 12, 2020 by PeterPan

[prairiewindmomma]

My quirky kid stims more without adhd meds. The meds help his inattentive brain. When his meds wear off he stims to focus again. He finger flaps, rubs his finger on his arm, taps his foot or rocks his chair—all in a socially appropriate way so people just think he is impatient or bored if they don’t watch carefully.

[LucyStoner]

Pre-puberty dials things up for a lot of kids on the spectrum. 
 

My son started much more visible and noticeable stimming once he hit about 10. The stress from the pandemic or other issues could be exacerbating it.  Stims are self soothing mechanisms,  

[Tanaqui]

This is not something your son "has", this is something your son does. And while I can't speak for your son, I'll say that it's actually pretty fun and feels good to flap. Seriously, have you ever tried it? It feels at least as good as spinning in an office chair, with less chance of getting dizzy. Having discovered that it feels good, why wouldn't your son do this now?

[maize]

12 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

Pre-puberty dials things up for a lot of kids on the spectrum. 
 

My son started much more visible and noticeable stimming once he hit about 10. The stress from the pandemic or other issues could be exacerbating it.  Stims are self soothing mechanisms,  

 

I would add that tics (which can look a lot like stims and may share some common etiology) are common even in boys not on the pectrum around this age.

[Lecka]

Could he be bored?  Has he outgrown some things he used to do to entertain himself, and not have new ones?