I’m guessing that lots of toddlers, even neurotypical ones, exhibit occasional “hand flapping”, especially when faced with something exciting or overstimulating. It’s that quick little, almost compulsive-looking waving motion of contracting their fingers quickly into their palms (usually both hands at once and often raised up over their heads). But, repeated hand flapping, or other compulsive hand movements, can indicate something else is the culprit.

But what?

Here’s a list of disorders that are associated with hand flapping:

Angleman Syndrome
Autism
Fragile X Syndrome
Rett’s Syndrome
Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder (SID/SPD)

Out of these the two most common culprits is an autism spectrum disorder (autism, PDD-NOS, Aspergers) or SID/SPD.

So what should you do about hand flapping?

That’s a tricky question. For years we have tried to rid neurologically disabled children of their odd self-stimulating behaviors through the use of behavior modification…or sometimes just outright ridicule and shaming. Many times the children are able to curb their hand flapping…but does that curb the underlying reason for the hand flapping? Not likely. The reason is usually anxiety…either from being overstimulated, being fearful/worried, or being bored and unable to connect with others.

Yet, as in LuLu’s case of self-stimming behaviors…they provide comfort. Trying too hard to extinguish them can create more anxiety, more stimming and even self-injurious behaviors. Not to mention the feeling of “I must be bad if I keep doing what they tell me not to do.” Yet, ignoring the behaviors doesn’t make them go away either, because they truly serve a self-soothing purpose.

So what to do about hand flapping or other self-stimming behaviors?
Well, you can live with them and recognize that everyone does some type of these behaviors. Tapping your fingers, clicking a pen, rocking in a rocking chair are all socially acceptable self-stimulating behaviors. Or, you can teach your child more socially acceptable behaviors. In our case, we are very focused on sensory toys to decrease some of her more bothersome sensory seeking behaviors, or should I say to rechannel them into less offensive or noticeable behaviors.

The other thing we work on teaching her is that if the need to do the behaviors is so strong, it’s ok to excuse yourself from the presence of others to go do it…like a release…then return. This is a way of dealing with tics and Tourettes behaviors…where there is a build up and the only way to get a release if to go ahead with the tics (they can no longer be suppressed.)