What If We've Been Getting Stimming Wrong?

A study facilitated by SCERT asks a different question about one of autism's most recognizable features.

Restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests, the stimming, the routines, the deep passionate fixations, have long been treated as problems to solve. Reduce them. Redirect them. Ideally, eliminate them.

But what if that framing has been missing the point entirely?

A scoping review from McGill researchers facilitated by SCERT takes a step back and asks something that sounds simple but turns out to be surprisingly underexplored: what do these behaviours actually do for autistic people?

The answer, drawn from 154 published studies, is more interesting than "nothing helpful."

They regulate. When the sensory environment feels overwhelming — too loud, too bright, too unpredictable — repetitive behaviours help autistic individuals find their footing. They're not random. They're doing something.

They manage anxiety. In a world that often feels outside of one's control, repetitive routines and behaviours introduce structure and predictability. They're a coping tool, not a symptom to suppress.

They create flow. This one is particularly striking. The research found that deep engagement with special interests mirrors what psychologists call a "flow state" — that optimal experience of complete, purposeful absorption in something. For many autistic people, their circumscribed interests are a reliable, powerful path to that state. That's not a quirk. That's a strength.

They support development. These behaviours show up early in childhood and are linked to developmental benefits, suggesting that their persistence into adulthood isn't regression, but adaptation.

The implications for educators, clinicians, and families are real. If these behaviours serve genuine regulatory functions, interventions aimed at eliminating them may inadvertently be removing someone's most effective coping tools.

Understanding why a behaviour exists is the necessary first step before deciding how to respond to it.

This is the kind of research SCERT exists to facilitate — rigorous, school-grounded, and directly relevant to the people working with and caring for neurodiverse youth every day.

👉 Read the full research summary →

Full citation: Lung, S.L.M., Picard, É., Soulières, I., & Bertone, A. (2024). Identifying the functions of restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests in Autism: A scoping review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 117, 102458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102458