Aspergers and motor skills

Post Reply New Topic

I think the theory that people with AS usually have motor skill problems can confuse diagnosis. I'm sure the relationship comes from the fact that it's quite common for people with AS to also have dyspraxia, to varying degrees, but it's definitely not a prerequisite. My daughter is currently being assessed and has no motor problems (neither fine nor gross). In fact, she's always been way ahead of her peers in developing those skills. But, my motor skills aren't great (I'm clumsy and have poor balance) and it's probably the main reason why I don't drive, along with the sensory issues.

My handwriting has always been poor and I bump into doorframes, people, sometimes trip over my own feet or need to step in odd directions to maintain balance, but, I can play competitive baseball and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (though I'm not much good at BJJ). Figure that out, eh?

I didn't catch if you meant fine motor skills, gross motor skills or motor skills in general.

I have trouble with both but gross motor is more noticeable, I think.

To summarize as otherwise this would be a book:

If you throw something at me I will not catch it, in fact I will duck instinctively and get upset if you keep throwing things at me. I don't care if you're five and that's how you play frisbee, I will still duck and doge to try and keep from being hit. This is partly because I am bad at catching and always have been (also not good at throwing) and more due to getting hit working on playgrounds.

I was in adaptive P.E. some regular P.E., took karate a few summers with my brother and somehow made yellow belt(I suspect it was awarded for participation more than skill). I can't kick as well as most people I know (often miss the ball when I try) and my balance is lousy so can't ride a bike (I do have a three wheeled bike somewhere but I don't use it much. It's an old hand me down a little wobbly).

In adaptive P.E. (before the first teacher left and again after he was back again much later) I did exercises for balance and motor skills and in between I took keyboard classes (at school and at home) so that helped a little. I still stumble a bit in going the finger exercise where you tap a finger of one hand each in turn to that same hand's thumb in order - pinky to thumb, ring finger to thumb, middle to thumb, index to thumb, then reverse, index to thumb, middle to thumb, ring to thumb, pinky to thumb.) but I can typing without 'hunting and pecking' though I'm not as good with using the 'right' finger for the number keys but I think as long as I hit the right key it shouldn't matter as much which finger I'm using - besides my hands are small so using the other hand instead of trying to stretch more than I can without moving my hand off the keys should be allowed.

Back to gross motor skills:

I like running but I don't do it 'right'. As a kid I'd just take off running across the grass for fun then run back. The park got a roller skate thing so can't do that the way I used to and I'm not supposed to run anyway because it aggravates my asthma.

In conclusion:

I hate sports. I hated them as a child, and my experiences with them haven't improved any since childhood it just gets worse. The closest I get to sports anymore is playing wii sports or swimming when we go to the lake once a year(and I still dog paddle even though I took swim lessons and have gotten over not being able to put my head under water. Doesn't mean I like getting my face wet and while swimming under water could be fun and easier if I opened my eyes - lake water is dirty and pool water is not eye friendly plus my vision is bad anyway even with thick glasses on, so keeping my eyes closed plus I'm not that good at holding my breath without pinching my nose with my fingers so I don't swim under water much to start with).

I don't know about my motor skills. For sure i haven't great issues (I can skate and ski) even if i don't like sports much, but some people have make me noticed that i run strangely. I don't know how.
But at the age of 8 once i risked to fall from stairs and i was able to keep balance when triyng to not fall. It seemed i was running down on stairs
About fine motor skills, i have ambidexterity, but i absolutely need to switch hands in drawing, or i end to draw horribly if i use only one hand (to school i used only one hand and my drawings were awful, now i use both and i draw like an average person)
Write with hands has always been painful to me.

I'm not well coordinated & I have horrible fine motor-skills but I have Essential Tremors & the cause major problems with fine motor-skills. Some also say their motor-skills in general aren't as good as normal people. I think essential tremors is more of a factor for my poor motor-skills than being an Aspie is

My top-of-the-head-theory on the Social Deficit/Motor Skill Deficit connection:


1. You cannot mimic what you don't see

Social skills: If an Aspie lacks theory of mind and does not notice or understand facial expressions, small talk or body language, then the Aspie is not receiving this valuable social information and cannot learn from it and put it into practice socially.

Relation to Motor skills: If an Aspie does not notice, process or understand body language and other's movements, then the Aspie cannot learn from it and put it into practice physically.



2. Focus on details/miss the big picture

Social skills: An Aspie may be inclined to focus on details and miss the big picture of a social interaction

Relation to Motor skills: An Aspie may focus on detailed aspects of a movement, and miss the big picture of a complex motor skill like throwing a ball


3. Active mental processing/adaptive rules

Social skills: An Aspie may be internally focused, requiring conscious effort to force an external interaction by applying a series of rules, resulting in a social interaction that is ill-timed, mechanical and awkward

Relation to motor skills: An Aspies may be internally focused, requiring conscious effort to force a physical movement by applying a series of rules, resulting in a physical movement that is ill-timed, mechanical and awkward


4. Functional behavior

Social skills: an Aspie may communicate for the functional purpose of sharing information (often about a special interest); the manner of communication (i.e. social etiquette) as interpreted by others is of minimal importance

Relation to motor skills: an Aspie may move for a functional purpose and the manner of movement (e..g, coordination or skill) as interpreted by others is of minimal importance

Example: An Aspie and NT may perform the same function such as sharing information or throwing a ball. The NT, however, may be more concerned with how this function was performed.

My motor skills suck.

I suspect it has to do with the hemispheres of my brain not communicating effectively. For example, I can only type with one hand. I can type about 30 words per minute, but I can only do it with my right hand. I can't get my left side and my right side to work together. People say my typing looks really funny. Also, it's been noted that I look like I'm limping on my left side. My left foot tends to "drag" for no apparent reason.

Furthermore, I'll "tilt" and loose my balance when I'm walking on a flat surface. I bump into things. If I drop something, such as my car keys, it can take me several attempts before I'm able to to grab it and pick it up (I'll keep dropping the object or I'll "miss" it when I go to grab it). I can't imitate people physically, no matter what. Aerobics and martial arts instructors have had to physically position my limbs into the correct positions because I couldn't perform the movements.

Nevertheless, I enjoy many forms of physical activity. I'm a distance runner, I lift weights, and I play rugby. However, I suck at everything and my clumsiness is one of my least favorite attributes.

My fine motor skills are alright, but my gross motor skills seem odd to others (or so they've told me). People who have known me for a long time say I used to run weird, walk like a robot during childhood (but have since come a long way towards looking more normal in terms of gait). I ended up taking PE all four years in high school since it was the only class where my hyperactivity wasn't seen as strange or distracting. PE also allowed me to release enough energy so that my concentration was better the rest of the school day.

When I was growing up, my fine motor skills were not great. I couldn't cut in a straight line with scissors. I could barely ride a bike or roller skate or ice skate. Also my handwriting was really bad if I used a pen or a regular pencil. A mechanical pencil was the only thing that helped my handwriting become neater. To this day I still can't roller or ice skate without falling multiple times.

I’m an artist and have to paint on the floor due to poor fine motor skills. I can’t hold a brush steady on a normal canvas that is on an easel. I’m constatly dropping things,spilling things. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve dropped my phone in the last two weeks.

My motor skills are pretty decent. I used to play football (soccer) and could do loads of tricks. Can also catch and throw very well. I can juggle too!

I don't know about Asperger's but I have classic autism and my online friend on here does too and he has severe dyspraxia (deficits in motor skills). Anyway, I have motor skills issues also, and am going to get evaluated for dyspraxia myself soon. He said they are intertwined, so I would imagine Asperger's and dyspraxia are intertwined also.