Purposeless? Says Who? A Scoping Review of Potential Functions of Stimming in Autistic Adults

Background: While the Autistic community widely perceives stimming—or repetitive behaviors—as serving a self-regulatory function, it is unclear whether the academic literature aligns with this perspective. Academic sources have sometimes framed stimming negatively (e.g., as purposeless or in need of suppression), though empirical support for this remains unclear. Clarifying the potential functions of stimming has practical implications for Autistic people, including for clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of the published literature on stimming in Autistic adults between 2013 and 2024 to identify potential functions of stimming and examine how it has been conceptualized in the literature to date, using search terms such as “stimming” and “repetitive behaviors.” A comprehensive search yielded nine studies which met eligibility criteria and were retained for data charting. Results: The nine retained studies, predominantly from the United Kingdom, variously utilized quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs. The studies highlighted the self-regulatory or positive role of stimming for Autistic adults. However, only two studies explicitly set out to investigate the function of stimming, highlighting a significant gap in the current understanding. We identified limitations such as variability in the key terms used to refer to stimming ( n = 13) within the academic literature on Autistic adults to date. Conclusions: Currently, the academic literature on stimming in Autistic adults provides emerging evidence for the functions of this behavior from the perspective of Autistic people. To strengthen our understanding of stimming, future studies should establish a precise, widely accepted conceptualization, including clarifying the relationship between stimming, higher-order repetitive behaviors, and sensory-seeking behaviors (e.g., whether these constructs are truly distinct or share common functions). A clearer understanding of the potential functions of stimming may inform more appropriate and neuroaffirming supports, including recognizing and accommodating stimming as a meaningful self-regulatory and communicative behavior, rather than trying to extinguish or suppress stimming in the absence of harm.