I can’t sleep unless I rub my feet together. Probably weird to hear, right? I thought so, too. It felt like some odd quirk I got in the habit of doing and couldn’t break. When I would crawl into my parents’ bed in the middle of the night after a nightmare, I would immediately wake them up the minute I started rubbing my feet together under the covers. Sometimes I’d even rub my feet against the sheets, if they were the right kind of fabric. I’d always heard of restless leg syndrome (another thing I experience!), but I didn’t feel like that was an apt label in this case. I wasn’t feeling restless as much as I was craving a sensory satisfaction that would help ease my mind into sleep mode. Upon more reading and interacting with others on the spectrum, I learned that this is a common stimming technique, especially to soothe oneself before bed. It’s commonly known in the community as “cricket feet”. This kind of stimming is part of my nighttime routine. Every day I learn new ways in which my ASD affects the way I interact and process with my environment. I’ve come to love my cricket feet. It’s not just some sort of compulsory habit I’ve developed, it’s a way my brain has learned to self-regulate before bed, and I’m thankful that my ASD allows me avenues (like stimming!) to do so.
~Anonymous Writer
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