I have received a number of requests for printable copies of this poem. Here it is – as a jpeg – which should be easy to print if you so choose.
Image description: White background framed in blue. There is a poem beside a stick figure drawing of a happy looking person flapping their arms. Text reads: “Ode to the Stim. H stims… I stim too… bounce and wiggle, twist a lock, hold tight to that ‘calming rock’, fiddle and fold, squint and spin, squeeze, and then begin again, shoes too big so toes can move, wiggly legs that find their groove, Tom Sawyer pockets with fidgets galore, quiet hands are such a bore. Leah Kelley – July 27, 2013. Thirty Days of Autism. To stim is to breathe… Honour the stim… “
Again, I could write more about this… but I still think this visual pretty much sums it up for me right now. Additionally, there are already some amazing posts that say what I would like to say or consider… so I am linking them up here:
Socially Inappropriate by Musings of an Aspie
A Cognitive Defense of Stimming (or Why “Quiet Hands” Makes Math Harder) by Musings of an Aspie
Things my autistic kids love: Public transit by Small But Kinda Mighty
Way-To-Stim Wednesday: Video Series by Anabelle Listic
Stimming by Outrunning the Storm
Quiet Hands by Julia Bascom
The Dark Side of the Stim: Self-injury and Distructive Habits by Kirsten Lindsmith
Enjoy!!
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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.
©Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism (2013)
Thirty Days of Autism 
Love this! Thank you for sharing !
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Hello Leah,
This is Kari from ACT. Do you mind if we print this poem and put it up in our family resource centre? It’s great!
Best regards,
Kari
http://www.actcommunity.ca
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Yes… by all means. I am honoured by your request, Kari!
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Lovely.
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Thank you, Colin ❀
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I love the visual! It really shows what it feels like sometimes.
I was commenting on another blog earlier today and we had this idea that so much of stimming is still so unknown and unfamiliar. So I’ve decided to create a survey to see if we can make a “checklist” of stims both big and small. Would it be ok if I post a link here? It would be so awesome if both autistic and non-autistic people can share all the ways in which they stim!
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Yes – please! I think that is an interesting idea!
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Thanks! 😀
http://autisticook.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/twirling-my-brains-out/
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Tapping on the steering wheel waiting for the lights to change…
Singing in the shower and enjoying the way your voice bounces off the walls…
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Love that so much, Jack is always trying to explain the need, but this gets the urgency through beautifully. Thank you so much, we will share with all at the Johannesburg Hospital School for Autism.
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Oh, how wonderful! ❀ Thank you!
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just love your poem, you got it right.
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Thank you, April 🙂
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Reblogged this on Spectrum Perspectives and commented:
Unless the person who is stimming is endangering themselves or others with the stim, there is no reason to try to stop them.
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Reblogged this on Walkin' on the edge and commented:
Respect the stim! (It’s not like we NT’s don’t stim, we just don’t recognize it when WE do it.)
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