Hand flapping - elevated | Autism PDD

Don't worry about what people think, if she is happy then be happy with her! My son doesn't do this, but whem my oldest son with down syndroem would attend gymboree he sued to do things that made others stare and it hurt my feeling so one day I just smiled and acted like it was cute and everyone just laughed along.

My son is a flapper and is much older then your daughter ... so I get lots of looks when he does it in public. I let him do it. If people stare, I stare at them right back.

At home he flaps all the time ... all .... the ... time!! LOL!

There is nothing wrong with hand flapping. I would not try to stop her. It sounds to me like she's having a good time!

Neither of my sons hand flapped, however I have an NT nephew who did it whenever he was excited.

Rita,
If this is her way of showing joy/excitment and she had never done the before I would let her go. My ds also flaps and shrieks when he is excited and I love it when he does it. She is communicating with you. When she does it at home do it with her and see if she notices you. My ds loves it when we copy him, especially when he is flapping. Acknowldge how she is feeling and get excited with her and name how she is feeling.

Does she watch her hands as she does it? I think that is when it is a stim. If she does it to tell you that she is happy then I don't think it is a stim but I could be wrong. It is also done for sensory purpose to help calm down for some kids.

BTW my nephew (nt) flapped for years. We joked that when he graduated from high school that he was going to flap on stage. He didn't.

Other than the flapping, how is she doing in Gymboree. My son is in the next class that goes to 28 months and he just turned 28 months. He has had the same teacher since he was about 3 months so that makes it a little eaiser to take him. She is pleased with his progress and is very supportive.

My daughter has been hand-flapping or flapping her hands - whatever sounds correct (tho both look wrong!!) a LOT these days. Today at Gymboree (mind you she is 26 mos old but still attends the class for 16-22 mos old).. she was flapping ALL the time coupled with shrieking excitedly. This behavior is such a dead giveaway.. I caught a lot of staring faces.

Should I let her flap/scream when she is excited?? I know this is a stim of sorts but could it be construed as an expression of joy/excitement which she never exhibited (she had that lost look and now shows signs of laughter/happiness/excitement) - SHould I be overly concerned?