Stimming (definition): noun
repetitive actions or movements displayed by neurodivergent people and people with developmental disorders when they are over/ under-stimulated emotionally, or by sensory input from their environment.

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Stimming is a universal aspect of human behaviour, but for neurodivergent people, it serves a purpose. We stim when we experience the world as too loud, too bright, too fast, and too tight. However, it is often these behaviours, and the people doing them who are seen as being 'too much' or 'not enough'. Neurodivergent artist Susanna Dye has been researching stimming in order to integrate her experiences of neurodivergence within her artistic practice. As such, she has been collaborating with photographer Manon Ouimet to share the sensory dialogues of stimming with others, shifting from a position of stigma to one of curiosity and acceptance.

READ | Susanna Dye’s text on Stimming as a Neurodivergent Performance Practice on the SDS blog.