Autistic Behaviours - "Wizzarding"

I tried to rouse my eleven year old, Rosie, a number of times this morning, to no avail.

Considering the additional burden that having three children with disabilities brings to my family life, I am fairly adept at not losing my temper.  My patience has been stretched and stretched to a ridiculous extent, and perhaps the elasticity has now gone for good.  I am largely immune to unreasonable behaviour, and it has to be said that this may be a logical progression, as the children are largely immune to being told off!

Needless to say, this morning was an exception to the rule, and I became cross.

"Sorry, Mum, I'm just so tired!"

"Well perhaps if you got a good night's sleep, it wouldn't be a problem!"

"Thanks for the advice, Mum.  Not all that easy when you are being wizzarded in the night".

Fair point, but let me explain.

"Wizzarding" is our family term for the repetitive, self-stimulating behaviours often undertaken by people with autism.  The experts call it 'stimming'.  We invented the term "wizzarding" long before we knew the real term, and even before we came to know that Rosie and Lenny were autistic.

"Stimming" behaviours can include flapping, bouncing, twirling, humming, spinning.  Largely any repetitive action undertaken for its own sensual gratification, rather than in pursuit of a more constructive purpose.

When Lenny is in full wizzarding mode he stares wildly at the object of his desire, his whole body being tense to the point of implosion.  He performs curious hand dances whilst uttering incantations in his own specific language.  These utterances become gradually louder and more resonant as his state of wizzarding goes on.  He first began to exhibit this type of behaviours aged about eighteen months, earning him the affectionate nickname "Wizzard Boy".

Things that Lenny likes to Wizzard in order of preference

Sawdust

Saliva particles (his own; being blown out 'raspberry' fashion into any source of light

dandelion clocks (how we love those blissful early summer days when entertainment is so cheap and plentiful!)

human hair (mine, his sisters', bemused and long haired strangers who we meet in family restaurants...)

sand

dust-motes (he apparently can see these when they are invisible to the none-autistic naked eye - either that or he is seeing something else; something not of this world.  I'll stick with the dust mote theory!)

"Wizzarding", or "stimming" is a largely harmless activity, though some of the resulting problems can be immediate recognition of disability from the general public (although, as I have found, this is not alwaysa bad thing), side tracking from other, more useful activities (this can be extremely problematic developmentally) and the causation of sleepless nights for the autist's siblings and wider family (terrible; of course, but weirdly something that you can get used to).

She would probably not recognise this fact, but Rosie too exhibits "Stimming" behaviours.  She will run round and around in circles (naked, if the occasion allows) skipping occasionally with snippets of remembered or imagined conversation bursting from her mouth, completely regardless of who may or may not be listening. 

When I ask her what she is doing on these occasions, she never answers "wizzarding", instead, her term for her own stimming behaviour is "Having a bit of a think".  Sounds a lot more socially acceptable!