shoelaces

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I'm not a parent. But I'm 18 and I still can't tie my shoelaces.

http://youtu.be/vVPKP3Tu7xE Here's a video that talks about a number of no-tie lacing systems and how to install them in tie shoes; it may take someone who can tie shoes to install them, but after that, you never have to tie the shoes again!

FalsettoTesla, I had the same experience learning to ride a bike at the age of 32. I finally did learn (I wanted to show my son that it could be done, even with difficulty) but I'm not a confident rider.

My eldest son is 15 and can now just about tie his laces. My younger son 11, also still finds it hard. We did velcro as long as possible, but once they needed to progress to 'proper' shoes we went for skater-type shoes which are worn loose and can be slipped on and off, requiring only a new tighten-up every few days.

It's definitely a practice thing.

Don't get too worried, just keep practicing with him. I didn't learn how to properly tie my shoelaces until I was 15 or 16. I was just really good at disguising the issue. My fine motor skills are awful. Practice, practice and more practice is all that I can suggest. Get him one of those stress balls for him to squeeze, it helps strengthen hand muscles. I wish my parents practiced more with me. I actually taught myself from looking at a How To thing on the Internet because it was visual I was able to because I'm a very visual person.

I didn't learn how to tie them until last year, and I'm 26. I still have a problem with not getting them tight enough so they come untied. So I get my dad to check them to see if they're tight enough.

My autistic 4-year-old just jams his feet into his shoes, and all the ones he has are velcro.

Myself, I remember learning to do it at around 7 or so but it took me a couple of years before I could really do it well.

I have a 16 year old who can tie his shoelaces, but it's VERY slow. As someone else mentioned here -- the solution is to get shoes that you can loosely tie the shoelaces, and then just slip into the shoes. Problem solved.

We've practiced tieing shoelaces when we are relaxed on the couch, watching television. I think that it takes practice over and over and over again... like a lot of things.

I was wondering the same thing, my daughter cant tie her shoes, tell the time or use a knife and fork properly, shes 4 and a half and will be going to school full time in September. I think I could do those things before school but Im not sure. I remember having a little wooden shoe with laces on to practice with, and a toy clock with movable hands. We used to play with them as toys and learnt that way. My daughter has no interest in learning these things and cant seem to grasp eating with cutlery, she always uses her hands despite being able to do it when she was 2!

I have googled "what a 4 year old should be able to do" and there are sites that list simple things kids should be able to do at that age, however there is usually much discussion below it from bragging parents going on about how their kid can do all of those things and more! It really varies what NT kids can do so Im sure if varies even more with ASDs!

I'm still very awkward and uncoordinated with cutlery. It takes me forever to cut meat and I can't do it without moving the whole plate. I usually escape to the kitchen first where nobody can see me and cut my meat then sit back down if I'm having a family dinner.