Wow, I just didn't realize that jumping could be stimming. He jumps off of absolulty everything. He replaces walking with Jumping I think like you he is going to break something one of these times.. He's already almost bit his tongue off! That was not a fun trip to the E.R. I do let him go, it can just be nerve racking at times. It definetly doesn't bother me what others think, it can just be obnoxious some days.
This may sound stupid, but I didn't realize that constant jumping instead of walking to/through a store/parking lot would be stimming? I knew that his flapping at the ear, hitting his nose, and flapping his fingers while talking were part of that, but I didn't realize that the jumping could be... I just always thought of it as him. He jumps every where we go, really hard to deal with....
Jumping is one of my sons stims,the other kids are playing on the swings ,he finds something to jump off of,he constantly climbs the stairs to jump off,he piles things to jump on, or over,some day he will break a ankle,or Become an olympic high jumper
As for stimming ,I let him go,unless he is in danger,I feel it is part of who he is.
God bless,Linda
Perhaps there is atoy your son can hold in his hands to keep him occupied like a little hand hel electronic game with buttons to push. also Ive heard of keeping a stress ballin your pocket to sqeeze when you get excited. My kids get loud and noisy at the shops and seem to be overstimulated by the lights. sunglasses and a baseball cap seem to make it more bearable for them. Aso listening to music through headphones is very calming with a littl cd player. Mikki I'm so sorry about the nurses dumb comment.. she really should have known better, that is not at all professional. I'm with the toy idea. My son gets fixated on 1 toy and thats the favourite for the week - so it goes EVERYWHERE. It's normally something like a small teddy bear or a hat, but as he is concentrating on it, it stops the hand flapping.My son is 8 years old now, and he sometimes sings/makes high-pitched noises for example on the way from the parking lot to the school. The bigger he gets, the more these behaviors seem out of place. The other day I tried to point out that the singing draws attention to him, but I think this just made him feel ashamed and confused, so I need to find another approach. I liked the toy idea.
If you're interested, here's an easy-to-read article on stimming that includes a chart on the various types. It discusses such issues as redirecting and limiting stims.
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/archive/mannerism.html #Chart
My ds is 6 years old, and I've never tried to stop his stimming in public, and have never seen a reason to. I can understand there are times when it may be a hazard and then I would work on it, but if he's not harming any one I don't know why he should stop. Public places are very difficult for my ds, and he needs an outlet, which usually means he will hold a piece of plastic in his mouth, and twirl the cord on the other end.
If my ds is not stimming, it is still very obvious something is wrong with him, and maybe that's why I'm not overly concerned with stimming. I also believe if more NT people see a behavior such as stimming, then maybe there will be a little more understanding.
Again, if my ds was at the mild end of the spectrum, I may see things very differently.
If it is a stim that you and your family find important for him to stop, then you will need to find another behavior to replace it with. Redirection to a toy of some sort (or even a small squishy ball to keep in his pocket-can find 'em at walmart for a buck) may work. Just redirection to "use your squeeze" when the behavior's occuring. Some children have been taught to put their hands in their pockets when they feel like they're going to flap, or to only do their flapping in private (ie, go in a bathroom or in their bedroom.)