A psychologist has taken to TikTok to share some key signs that could indicate you have autism.
The National Autistic Society reports that more than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum with around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
However, many people with autism often go undiagnosed.
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What is stimming?
To shed some light on the disorder, mental health expert and psychologist, Dr Kim Sage, has shared expertise on behaviours known as 'stimming'.
According to the NHS, stimming is a type of repetitive behaviour that is usually harmless and is a way for autistic people to manage their energy and self-soothe.
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What are some examples of stimming?
In one TikTok video, Dr Kim listed off a number of 'autistic stims' which included hair twirling or playing with hair, playing with jewellery, twirling a 'blankie' and playing with pen caps.
Dr Kim also said that making 'mouth sounds' as well as nail biting or skin picking are examples of stims too alongside nail tapping.
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And, the expert's last example on the rundown was 'repeating dances, songs, lyrics, trending sounds/videos'.
After watching the video, people rushed to the comments to reveal they displayed many of these 'stims'.
One TikTok user penned: "I do all of them. Thought it was anxiety."
"Wait…I do all of these…" wrote a second while a third echoed: "Wait…doesn’t everyone do those?"
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Now, Dr Kim made sure to explain in the video's caption: "Most everyone stims and doing these does not make you autistic - but among autistics stimming can be very calming and regulating and quite common."
What are some other signs of autism aside from stimming?
According to the NHS, the main signs of autism in adults include:
- finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
- getting very anxious about social situations
- finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
- seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
- finding it hard to say how you feel
- taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like "break a leg"
- having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
Autistic women may also be more likely to:
- have learned to hide signs of autism to 'fit in' - by copying people who do not have autism
- be quieter and hide their feelings
- appear to cope better with social situations
- show fewer signs of repetitive behaviours
This means it can be harder to tell you're autistic if you're a woman, the NHS explains.
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Find out more about autism on the official NHS website here.
Rhiannon Ingle