GLOSSARY · Sensory & Neurodivergent Play
Stimming
Repetitive movement or sound — rocking, tapping, humming, fidgeting — used to self-regulate, focus, or process. A normal tool, not a problem to fix.
Detailed definition
Stimming is short for “self-stimulatory behavior” — the tapping, rocking, humming, or fidgeting some people do to help regulate focus, energy, or sensory input. It shows up across a lot of neurodivergent experiences and it’s not something that needs correcting; for a lot of people it’s what makes sitting still and paying attention possible at all.
Tabletop games happen to be full of built-in outlets for it. Shuffling a deck, sorting tokens, rolling a handful of dice for a dice pool — a lot of games hand you something to do with your hands as a normal part of play, which is one more reason this hobby tends to fit a neurodivergent table well.
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Questions about how this applies to your situation? Ask us directly and we will give you a straight answer.