Do Dyslexics Stim? (Most People Get This Wrong)

Do dyslexics stim?

It’s a question that often gets dismissed—but the answer reveals something much deeper about dyslexia, neurodiversity, and how the brain regulates itself.

In this episode, we unpack the truth: dyslexia is not just a learning difference—it is a neurodiverse profile. And like many neurodivergent individuals, dyslexics engage in forms of stimming, often without even realizing it.

You’ll learn:

• What stimming actually is and why it matters 
• The different types of stimming (tactile, visual, auditory, movement, oral, and cognitive) 
• Why many dyslexics say “I don’t stim”—but actually do 
• How masking hides self-regulation behaviors 
• The connection between stimming, anxiety, and focus 
• Why these behaviors are not flaws—but intelligent adaptations 

From fidgeting and rereading to shifting your weight or chewing your cheek, many everyday behaviors are actually forms of self-regulation.

This episode invites you to rethink what you thought you knew about dyslexia—and to see yourself with more clarity, compassion, and understanding.

✨ You’re not broken. You’re wired differently—and intentionally.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Unmasking Dyslexia. I'm Carlene, your host, and with each episode, we challenge the story that surrounds dyslexia. We will explore the strengths, the struggles, and the science behind the dyslexic experience so that you can better understand yourself or someone you love. Dyslexics don't stim, or do we? Stimming is a coping mechanism for sensory overload. A lot of times it's linked to anxiety, but it's also used for individuals to improve focus and allow for self-regulation. I remember Googling this online, and what was amazing was to see that in Reddit, um, individuals had said, definitely dyslexics don't stim, because it's just a learning difference. If you've been following my podcast, then you're well aware that dyslexia is actually a neurodiverse profiling. We are neurodivergents. So we do STEM and I always think it's interesting because when you first come across some information, you might be like, I don't STEM. I definitely don't do that. I function to the highest ability around everyone I know. No one would ever know that I'm dyslexic and I don't stem. I don't need to do self-regulation. And I want you to sit with the information I'm going to share next. Because a lot of times when we sit with it and we become truly honest with ourselves, we realize that we do have these characteristics. We just thought they were just part of who we were, and we just thought we were normal. And while I use that word normal, I want us to realize that we are normal for ourselves, each and one, every one of us. But that we do have these characteristics, which takes us out of what someone would say is normal. But I want to follow up with that is that everybody stims to some degree. All right. So there's different types of stimming, and they are tactile, visual, auditory, vestibular, or proprioceptive, which means movement, oral factory or olfactory, and cognitive. These are the different ways, kind of the the categories that dyslexic stim. So for tactile or touch, we'll fidget, we'll rub, we'll stroke, maybe our arms, our fingers, our legs, we'll use pressure. So weighted um blankets, we need to use that in order for self-regulation. We might hug ourselves. You might find that you um actually embrace yourself, you give yourself a self-hug in times of anxiety or when you need to calm down and skin picking. So this could be anything from scratching your skin to picking scabs to actually causing wounds. Visual stemming, it's focusing on movement, it's light manipulation and visual patterns. And within my um dyslexia informed programs that are available on my website, I get into these a little bit and just share about how you can actually defocus your eyes to actually create visual stimming. Auditory. So that's repetitive noises and humming and repeating words. Vestibular, proprio receptive, remember that movement. So rocking, pacing, spinning, jumping. You got to realize that rocking doesn't need to be something so dramatic. It could just be shifting your weight from one foot to the next. And guess what? You're rocking, and if you're doing it in times of overload or anxiety, then you are stimming. Olfactory or oral. And that's chewing and biting an oral sensory. So I know um an individual that they actually chew the inside of their cheek as a form of stimming. And they for years never saw this as stimming. They thought it was nothing, that they weren't doing anything wrong. There was nothing weird about it. But you got to look around. I don't know too many people who actually eat the inside of their cheek. Uh, cognitive tasks. So that's doodling and rereading. Just think about it. With us dyslexics, how many times do you reread something? And a lot of times it could be for comfort, right? Just to settle your nerves. You got to realize anything you do that settles your nerves, reduces your anxiety, and brings you back into a state of balance is a form of stimming. So dyslexics do stim. We stim more than realize because we're not just a learning difference, we're not just a learning disability. We are a neurodiverse profile. And we are way more complicated, complicated, and complex than society realizes. There is nothing wrong with us. We are normal for us. We are normal for dyslexics. And I don't want to be like anybody else, actually. I like being unique. And I think it's time we embrace our dyslexic uniqueness and we start to really stand strong in who we are, whether that is us masking us, stimming, or our strengths, or even our challenges. It's really looking at who we are as a whole individual and realizing that we are designed perfectly to experience the world as we do. If this episode resonated with you, know that you are not alone and make sure to share it with someone else who might need it. Through my work at All That I Am, I offer courses and coaching to help you reconnect with your strengths, your meaning, and your sense of mattering. There are links to what I offer in the show notes. And don't forget to follow the podcast so you don't miss what's coming next.