Anthony, Who Has Asperger Syndrome, Describes Stimming

Most people know what the Autism Spectrum is, but many don’t understand the range of conditions or differences between Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and the like.

That’s why this wonderful video of Anthony, who has Asperger Syndrome, is so great. Anthony explains what “stimming” is and what it’s like for him.

In short, stimming is described as “self-stimulation” and includes repetitive body movement, often hand flapping. However, Anthony describes it best:

[embedvideo id=”ZxJCBN7NTDQ” website=”youtube”]

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can make learning difficult for many children, especially in an active environment like a classroom. We’ve heard from families with ASD children many times over the years saying that schooling at home and/or online has been a key component to getting their student on track for success in school.

Between the quieter, more comfortable environment and one-on-one support, ASD students are finding great success in homeschool and in virtual schools.

But don’t take our word for it, hear it from these families themselves in these great stories, and more, on our “What’s Your K12 Story?” site.

Dante is a student in 9th grade at Agora Cyber Charter School in Pennsylvania. In his story, Dante describes how other students would bully him because he has Asperger Syndrome, which makes it difficult for him to work with loud noises and blinking lights. Dante is now finding that the home environment is much more conducive to his learning.

In her story, Amanda describes how she went from hating the idea of homeschooling to embracing all it has to offer. “I remember crying as I sat in the parking lot of our local high school holding their transcripts in my hand after having just withdrawn them. I remember going back and forth about our decision.” Two of Amanda’s three children have Asperger Syndrome, and with K12 her family has found a model that works for them!

Stacey describes the efforts she went through to determine what was “wrong” with her son Nathan, who struggled from the first day he entered preschool. After meeting with school officials and multiple doctors, Stacey learned that Nathan is autistic. Four schools later, Stacey learned that Nathan is gifted, and thriving in South Carolina Virtual Charter School.

Related Articles

Join our community

Sign up to participate in America’s premier community focused on helping students
reach their full potential.