Do people with Aspergers typically have problems balancing?

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Mummy_of_Peanut
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20 Dec 2011, 9:08 am

My balance is dire. I've been ice-skating for 22 years and I still can't go backwards, without feeling like I'm going to fall flat on my face.


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OJani
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20 Dec 2011, 11:06 am

Onyxaxe wrote:
Riding bikes, playing sports etc, etc. Is this hard for a lot of people? The last psychologist I spoke to (an interview for ssa) stated I had numerous traits of Aspergers. I don't have an official diagnosis and don't know when I will as I have no money for it. I'm trying to find out as much as I can about it though since I agree with him after reading about it. Personally I have the most problems under family stresses, work related issues and basic socializing. I lose control of my limbs at times. I can recall my mother and I arguing once and I flat out fell to the floor crying and weeping. I was down for a good 20 mins. At the same time though I've been a skateboarder for 13 yrs. and could skate for 8 hrs. at a time (yes it is an obsession) and I never had a hard time riding a bike even though I've got a few injuries. I'd say the falls I've had are acceptable for the unlimited hrs. of sports I played. I've never really had a hard time keeping a job til now and was wondering if riding a bike would cancel out the disability if most people with Aspergers can't do it. Thanks for reading this long post :)

Practice can help to gain a better sense of balance, I think. My obsession is cycling among sports (cross country, touring, road), and I'm somewhat clumsy in comparison with others. Balance is only one factor, I have also poor sense of motion, body posture, learning difficulty, and generally slow reaction times (not to mention fear :) ).

(Btw, I have PDD-NOS, another type of ASD, according to my diagnosis. I believe there are autistics dx'd with other ASDs too, like Classic Autism. I wouldn't exclude them either.)



DreamSofa
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20 Dec 2011, 11:26 am

Interesting. The psychologist who interviewed my father (in order to get an idea of my developmental history) asked him if I had had trouble learning to tie my shoelaces (yes) and ride a bike (yes). When I was growing up my mother used to sarcastically call me Grace because I was so clumsy.



howzat
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20 Dec 2011, 3:48 pm

My balance is reasonable good and my sport is cricket and i can play it to a decent standard could do better though.



Tuttle
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20 Dec 2011, 3:54 pm

This is one I'm actually okay with people asking about Asperger's in particular rather than ASDs, not because its necessarily Asperger's specific, but because Asperger wrote about watching how clumsy his patients were.

Asperger's is associated with being clumsy, balance is part of that. SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) is also highly related to the autistic spectrum and poor balance can be associated with SPD.



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20 Dec 2011, 3:55 pm

I had to have training wheels on my bike for years before I was balanced enough to ride without them. I can catch a ball (such as a football) but I trip over myself as I'm catching it. Standing on one foot is a nightmare. I end up jumping around on that one foot. So yes, I have problems balancing. As for balancing issues being typical of having Asperger's, I can only speak for myself.



dianthus
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20 Dec 2011, 4:04 pm

I have a terrible sense of balance. I got a bike when I was 7 and it took me until I was 10 to learn how to balance on it.



felinesaresuperior
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20 Dec 2011, 4:20 pm

i tried riding a bicycle age 12 or 14, i don't remember. twelve i think. i just couldnt and i kept falling and the bicycle fell on my ankle and it hurt and i gave up. my handwriting was awful as a kid and the teachers told me to 'write nicely' but didnt tell me how to do it. i didn't know how to write well. they told me to write slowly, so i did and my handwriting was still horrible. and one day the teacher was so mad because she told me so many times to write nicely and i didn't, so she took my notebook and went to show the principal, and she had to go outside to get to his office and it was raining real bad and there was mud outside and she left the class alone for long minutes. or maybe she showed it to my mother, because she was a teacher in my school. no one said anything to me about it, or maybe i don't remember.
i had problems brushing my teeth age seven or six, because i just couldn't figure out how to do it.
i'm glad to say i can brush my teeth and write normally now, still can't ride a bike. i've learned kickboxing and i was great, i learned typing and was the fastest, still can't ride a bike. in kickboxing i was the last one to learn and the instructors were frustrated, but once i learned i was the best.



dunya
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20 Dec 2011, 5:05 pm

I have poor balance. I used to fall over all the time as a child.
Even now I can be standing, having a conversation and lose my balance and have to lean on a wall or table or something.



lilbuddah
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20 Dec 2011, 7:18 pm

I generally have great balance, people with AS are supposedly clumsy but I've always been pretty agile. I have awful flat feet, walking around would be a clumsy and awkward process. I get around by putting all of my weight on the balls of my feet and my toes, works well enough for me since I can hardly walk "normally".



scmnz
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20 Dec 2011, 7:28 pm

I am possibly one of the most clumsy people i know, i never mastered riding a bike, and im 16... i simply panicked every time i tried thinking i would fall over. :oops: I always feel rather dumb about that, as a large number of people seem to think bike riding is very easy.



Setrain
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20 Dec 2011, 7:38 pm

I sort of still have a problem tying my shoes sometimes. I can do it but it's really annoyingly hard. I drop things all the time. I don't fall down that often, but I have to use my arms for balance a lot. Sometimes strong emotion can make me fall down especially if I'm breathing hard.

I think this sort of thing is common. I see an Occupational Therapist for this sort of thing and they say the see it a lot with people on the spectrum.



invisiblespectrum
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20 Dec 2011, 7:47 pm

I have rather poor balance and coordination.

On the other hand, I have wondered if my poor balance is somehow related to my apparent immunity from seasickness.



cleo
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20 Dec 2011, 7:58 pm

How curious! I have great balance too. When in high school I did gymnastics and the balance beam was my favorite.

So I could also "walk on a narrow piece of wood a meter off the floor". :D

Was also good at skiing for many years.

Signed,

Not Clumsy



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20 Dec 2011, 8:19 pm

Legendarily clumsy. Didn't have a problem riding a bike, but it has to be a very good day before I'll get on a stepladder and change a light bulb. Still can't catch a ball. "Beautiful" (not my description) handwriting. Took a long time to learn to tie my shoes, but now a champion at knit and crochet. Asperger's.


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byakuugan
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21 Dec 2011, 11:42 am

It would be easier if I could drag and drop the atoms of my body like icons instead of having to manipulate them with my mind