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Autistic stereotypes - movement and balance - "ministry of funny walks"!

Phased

I have come across a statement that one of the least considered and therefore addressed correlates with autism is problems with moving in a co-ordinated fashion, issues with balance and perhaps clumsiness.

This stereotype is somewhat played out in the media representation of the character of Astrid in the original version of the eponymous TV series.  The character walks with a somewhat "toe walking" fashion on their right leg...

I can personally remember that my movement skills as a young child didn't seem to quite match up with my peers - in very early gym classes for example.

As I've got older I have spent a lot of time thinking about and working on how to balance and move in a more effective way - I wonder therefore if this "special interest" has come about as a consequence of a perceived need to.

I am at an age when I want to give back and share more about this special interest and am contemplating whether aiming to share it specifically with adult autistic people would be a good and rewarding way to spend my energy and time.

In short, I wonder please if you good people reading this might like to discuss your autistic experiences on the topic of movement, balance, clumsiness and difficulty walking etc.?

Maybe some of you reading this are on the contrary especially gifted in this area and it is after all a stereotype that is made of autistic people?

Best Wishes

Parents

  • I think I walked at the usual age and wasn't particularly clumsy although I do frequently walk into things now, I guess I did then too, but nobody noticed. I used to hate stairs and found them difficult but I thought that was because I was brought up in a bungalow and wasn't used to them?

    I don't think it was really apparent how bad my balance and ablity to do physical stuff was until I was at secondary school, I can't throw and was considered to dangerous to throw a javelin after nearly hitting someone with my first attempt. Shot put wasn't any better either I dropped it in front of my toes after putting a lot of effort into throwing it. I couldn't do gym, I was always hurting myself and couldn't do rope climbing or any other sort of climbing for that matter, I'd get vertigo after about three or four rungs. I was terrible at running and jumping I couldn't catch or hit a ball properly either, I still can't, I try throwing sticks for Fearn and sometimes that goes so wrong she just stands there and looks at me with a 'how can you be so crap' look.

    I still can't ride a bycycle, I have tried, but I just can't get the balance and movement right. I can't dance either, I'm really really bad at it, partly because I don't understand times and counts and stuff and partly because I usually try and start on the wrong foot. I've even taken a couple of dance classes and they didn't go well, I remember the teacher looking at me with a really confused look on her face. She asked me how I could be apparently doing all the right things but was unable to put them together, like being able to shimmy really well, get my boobs going in opposite directions and my bum going too, just none of it was in time to the music.

    I have an astigmatism I didn't find out about until I was in my forties and I wonder if tht could be why I have so many problems catching things, but it dosen't account for throwing or falling over.

    I was diagnosed with dyspraxia which often goes with ND. I got better when I took up yoga, I learned to have much more control of my body and muscle isolations seem quite natural to me.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I forgot about dancing, I meant to mention that. Despite my other skills I haven't got any idea what to do for dancing. 

    I could probably do something that has clear rules. But general nightclub type thing, or even at weddings or events, I hide out of sight, or in one extreme case made an excuse and literally ran away when asked to dance.

  • in reply to Stuart333

    I don't understand how to dance either. I avoid it at all costs. I've tried watching others to see how they do it but I can't make my body move like that. I just end up like an awkward swaying wooden board.

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