Busy Hands

Hi J. - my son is on the spectrum is 7, and is integrated in public school. Are you comfortable giving examples of his busy hands? Is he flapping them? If yes, that's usually a sign of happiness :) Yes, it's different, but if you know what it means, its easier to not be embarrassed. My son flaps when he's REALLY happy, so it's not frequent but it's there.
This is called "stimming", and there can be a lot of reasons behind it - here's a site created by autistic adults that might help you out re. understanding what's going on.

http://what-is-stimming.org/so-what-is-stimming/

Also, ask your son about it - how it makes him feel or helps him. You may find that it is something that is GOOD for him and helps him de-stress. If it's big and disruptive (not embarrassing, but actually problematical), finding a "replacement stim" is better than trying to stop it, because if he can find something that works himself, chances are it'll be better for him than being MADE to stop and having something else crop up that creates more of an issue.

The best thing to do is realize that it may bother YOU more than it bothers him. If that's the case, you'll need to find peace with it.

Here's a great blog that you might enjoy and find helpful: adiaryofamom.wordpress.com

Feel free to ping me with a persona message if you want to. :)

He needs the stimulation. Get him a fidget.

There's a nubbly seat that he can sit on in class which will give him tacticle stimulation so he feels less inclined to fidget with his hands. Here's one for a great price on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WQ4Z94/ref=ox_sc_sfl...

And there are TONS of fidgets out there for him to hold, pet, twist, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/TACTILE-TIGER-FIDGET-NUMBER-SELLING...

A squishy hand ball exerciser might work.
A lot of kids I know that age like to learn string figures (Cat's Cradle, Witch's Broom, Jacobs Ladder, etc).
If you Google 'string figures' you'll find lots of instructions.

Hi J., if you ask a thousand different parents what they did to combat stimming (or whether they believed anything at all should be done), you're likely to get a thousand different answers.

If you even just google "what to do about stimming" you'll get a thousand ideas.Maybe you can find one that works for your kid without causing too much distress, and maybe not. Like someone else pointed out, they often grow out of it. Depending on their social awareness, at some point it will make them self-conscious and they'll find their own way to end it.

You can also ask his PT/OT or teacher for some tips.

Enjoy him!

:)

Our son has ADHD and also has active hands. We got him a fidget ball to keep his hands busy. If you search online, you should be able to find a variety of products in various shapes and sizes. It's in his 504 plan that he can use one in class when he wants.