Why do individuals with autism engage in self-stimulatory behaviors?
Self-stimulatory behaviors can involve any or all of the senses and appear to achieve some outcome that is highly valued by the person with autism. Precisely what this value is however, and exactly how it is achieved, has not yet been definitively determined. There are a number of theories that attempt to explain the nature of self-stimulatory behavior in autism. One theory suggests that it may be an “under arousal” issue in which for some unknown neurological reason, the person is seeking sensory stimulation and engages in stereotypic behaviors as a means of arousing the nervous system. Another theory proposes an “over arousal” explanation in which the person with autism, overwhelmed by the environment, engages in stereotypic behavior to block out external stimulation in an attempt to calm the nervous system. Still another theory suggests that engaging in self-stimulatory behaviors may produce a release of beta endorphins in the brain that produce a highly pleasurable experience that
