Spinning and rocking out to success

 

* Raising awareness and acceptance for neuro diversity. 

Kira spins. She started consistently within a week or two of walking. I noticed from the age of two that her ability to retain knowledge is connected to her spinning and rocking stims. She would spin ridiculously fast (never getting dizzy), learning languages, the alphabet and the solar system. I once out of curiosity stopped her mid spin when she was learning, and she shut down immediately, the learning connection was lost.

Just as we gave her managing techniques in regards to the rocking, we also have helped her with techniques which allow her to fulfil her innate need for the spinning sensation.

She has an exercise ball which helps with both sensations of rocking and spinning, depending on how she uses it. She can also sit at a desk and bounce up and down gently whilst working. 

She is encouraged to spin when she is learning. She still travels at insane speed without getting dizzy. She can be holding her ipad playing an educational game, answering the questions correctly judging by the sounds. I wouldn't be able to tell any other way because she will be a blur as will the ipad. 

Thus between this and the time on the ball she has been able to decrease her time spinning to pointed activities, rather than spinning and rocking all day from the minute she wakes to going to bed, which she did when a baby and a young toddler once she had learnt the skills. 

Out in public we can go via a playground so she can spin on a roundabout to reset herself, or swing if she needs to fulfil the rocking sensation. This way she manages being out and being social without having to mask. The other day on the beach she periodically sat down and dug sand in between other activities, rocking in time with the spade going in and out of the sand. It was a less noticeable way to stim than if she was just sat there rocking staring into space. She was in a very happy headspace, and looking at her from a distance no one else would have noticed to the point of wondering if there was anything  'wrong' with her. She had a swing in between playing with kids the other day at the park. 

I do not believe that we as a society have the right to tell children or adults or make them feel they have to stop spinning and rocking etc entirely, so long the stim isn't causing harm or dangerous distraction to the person involved or to anyone else in the vicinity. 

If a child learns by standing up, spinning or rocking in their seat in school, then let them. This is either a learning tool or a coping mechanism which is protecting their brain from overloading, preventing a meltdown. Enforcing masking isn't necessarily helping the child/adult, you're taking away a probable mental safe space for them.