Often children and even adults for that matter who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) exhibit excessive hand flapping when overly excited or depressed. But, there are a few other disorders that also compel the sufferer to develop the symptom of hand flapping. So does that mean, the patient is also suffering from other disorders related to the brain? Let us see if hand flapping is only a symptom of autism.
Hand Flapping: Even working adults who have a normal intelligence and carry on with their day-to-day routines may also tend to flap hands when excessively happy or sad. It is tough to determine when this symptom would actually develop in people. Also, the thing to notice is that this may even be normal human behavior and not a symptom of a disorder in some cases.
People who also suffer from Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) can also probably develop hand flapping and this has something to do with anxiety alone. Children who suffer from ADD may even suffer from this problem until their teens and even in adulthood.
Causes of Hand Flapping: One of the prime causes of hand flapping could be medication. Medication that is often prescribed for mental seizures could lead to hand flapping. In some cases, even huffing paint and glue could also lead to it.
- Hand flapping is a stimulatory behavior that a person develops in order to motivate oneself. People develop this habit to motivate their physical body levels. For instance, when the person experiences a kind of boredom, he/she is compelled to excite his/her body by flapping hands.
- But, to be honest, this kind of self-motivation is common among the most normal people. For instance, when we begin to panic or feel anxious about something, we talk to ourselves to calm ourselves down. In the same way, some people tap their foot while working or smoking. These behaviors are considered to be normal and not even remotely connected to the existence of a disorder.
- Tapping feet and talking to oneself are considered to be normal in most cases while flapping hands is considered not to be a normal behavioral symptom ironically.
So is hand flapping just a sign of autism? The answer to this question has to be a may be or a may not be. It is just not the existence of autism that causes hand flapping in many people Hand flapping is often accompanied by various other symptoms in autism. Children who suffer from mental retardation may also develop this behavior. Or sometimes, it can be just be a human instinct.
