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Repetitive movement or behavior

Caution: Sleuth is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain inaccurate information.

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Repetitive movement or behavior is a common topic in parents’ descriptions of one condition: Autism.

For kids diagnosed with Autism, Repetitive movement or behavior is one of seven symptoms related to Repetitive Behavior and Social Avoidance according to Sleuth parents. All of the symptoms of Repetitive Behavior and Social Avoidance among kids with Autism are:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Dislike for crowds
  3. Finger, hand, or arm flapping
  4. Limited (or lack of) social skills
  5. Not making eye contact
  6. Not responding to communication
  7. Sensitivity to texture, touch, or physical sensations

Other symptoms or behaviors to look for with Repetitive movement or behavior

When parents mention Repetitive movement or behavior they also mention these other symptoms:

SymptomFrequencyNumber of mentions
Delayed speech or language developmentOften5 mentions
Anxiety in social situationsOften3 mentions
Limited (or lack of) social skillsOften3 mentions
Non-verbal (not able to use words)Often3 mentions
Shyness or social anxietyOften3 mentions
Not talkingOften2 mentions
Rocking body back and forthOften2 mentions
Anti-social behaviorSometimes1 mention
Difficulty learningSometimes1 mention
HyperactivitySometimes1 mention

Characteristics of Repetitive movement or behavior

Repetitive movement or behavior starts at the following ages...

How to read this chart

How common is Repetitive movement or behavior?

Across kids of all ages represented on Sleuth, 36.81% of parents surveyed by Sleuth say their kids have Repetitive movement or behavior.

Percentage of kids with Repetitive movement or behavior by year of age

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This is based on a survey of 948 children on Sleuth. The plot shows the percentage of parents who rated their child’s Repetitive movement or behavior “Moderate”, “Severe”, or “Very Severe” among kids in different age groups.

Frequency

OutcomePercent of ChildrenTotal Mentions
Continuously

7%

70 mentions
Hourly

0%

0 mentions
Daily

21%

201 mentions
Weekly

15%

144 mentions
Monthly

6%

59 mentions
Annually

3%

31 mentions
A Few / Several Times

8%

76 mentions
Once

2%

15 mentions
Never

37%

346 mentions

Severity

SeverityPercent of ChildrenTotal Mentions
Very Severe

8%

80 mentions
Severe

9%

82 mentions
Moderate

20%

187 mentions
Mild

15%

141 mentions
Not at All

48%

458 mentions

Care of Repetitive movement or behavior

Parents mention the following approaches to caring for Repetitive movement or behavior

TreatmentRatingDiscussion
1Occupational Therapy
Very Positive
4.5 of 5
Read 0 comments
2Speech Therapy
Positive
4.4 of 5
Read 0 comments

Less common approaches...

TreatmentRatingDiscussion
1Medication (general)
Very Positive
5 of 5
Read 0 comments
2Physical Therapy
Very Positive
4.5 of 5
Read 0 comments
3Applied behavior analysis (ABA)
Positive
4.2 of 5
Read 0 comments
4Therapy / Counseling
Positive
4 of 5
Read 2 comments

Discussion of Repetitive movement or behavior

What was your approach to Repetitive movement or behavior? What were the results?

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