Stimming is self-regulatory behavior. Everyone stims! Smiling, laughing and dancing are all examples of stimming. In autistic people, this might look different. We might flap our hands, repeat a sound or any other number of ways to regulate our emotions and bodies. Most stimming is not harmful and shouldn’t be regulated.

Autistic person or person with autism? Most autistic people prefer identify first language. Saying person with autism implies that autism can be separated from the person. When in doubt - ask what a person prefers!

Functioning labels seek to define the level to which an autistic person can function in a neurotypical world. It is not a linear spectrum from higher functioning to lower functioning. Each autistic person needs more or less support in each aspect of their lives, and these support needs fluctuate.

Many autistic people have more than one diagnosis. Some are more common than others. Additional diagnoses for autistic people include - but are not limited to: ADHD, OCD, eating disorders, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, anxiety, depression, dysautonomia, and gastrointestinal disease.