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goldfish21
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01 Jun 2015, 11:59 pm

Of course we can be.

I'm no professional athlete, but at 6'2 ~200lbs & ~13%bf I'm in pretty good shape. I do about 2500 pushups/month, run, do a bit of very basic yoga stretching, just started kiteboarding again for the season last Friday & Sunday, and am doing the Tough Mudder again in Whistler in a few weeks.

A good friend of mine on the spectrum plays soccer, hikes, runs - like marathons, does yoga etc.

Also, since plenty of us are drawn to water there are quite a few excellent swimmers among us.

AS does not mean you can't be athletic. That's absurd. In many ways it can make us BETTER athletes, IMO, since we're pretty good with things like routine, discipline, and one-track-minded dedication.


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ASPartOfMe
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02 Jun 2015, 10:03 pm

Autism Without Fear: Will 'The Player's Tribune' Introduce the First 'Out' Spectrum Pro Athlete? by GRASP founder Micheal John Carley

Dislike the Aspie supremacy nonsense in the article and I do believe a severe autistic can become a pro athlete. Despite this Carley raises valid points and it is on topic.


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MLG4Ever
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02 Jun 2015, 10:28 pm

Yes because I have won lots of gold medals when I was with Special Olympics :wink:



darkphantomx1
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02 Jun 2015, 10:32 pm

It's true that the majority of aspies are not sporty or athletic. I am one of the few that is an exception to that rule. I'm definitely not a top notch athlete or anything but i'm definitely into sports and I love playing them and I love being active.

I am in the special olympics and tbh, it's kind of unfair that i'm in it. I'm easily the smartest there because technically I don't have an intellectual disability and i'm so much more coordinated then everyone else there. I really only compete because it gives me some competition in tennis and there's this one other kid who's decent and I play against him. Apparently i'm one of the best in state in Tennis and I could easily go to the USA games in 3 years and maybe even the World Games in 4 years but that's assuming i'm still doing all of this. I keep the fact that i'm in the special olympics a secret because I don't want others to know and get the wrong ideas about me.

I know many aspies and all of them except for 5 including me are into sports. And all of the black aspies I know are into sports. So maybe black people with Aspergers are more likely to be into sports.

A lot of people with Aspergers are either overweight, or very skinny as well.



TealOtter
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09 Jun 2015, 12:55 pm

When I was in high school I did water polo and really enjoyed it. I think one thing thats difficult just specifically about doing sports is being part of a team. I hated how catty my teammates would get so I left at the end of my junior year even though I would have been in varsity the next year. Just was so sick of the drama.



avsahaki
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10 Jun 2015, 10:45 pm

Of course they can be athletic only if one has a desire to be. I have always been an athletic throughout my life. I play tennis and I go mountain biking a lot and I do judo. I am extremely fit. I have had a desire to be athletic, because of my father. Again I am telling that any aspie can be athletic only if there is any desire.



Laurelynn
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11 Jun 2015, 3:27 am

It's less likely for an autistic person to be good athletic (because of low muscle tone and poor coordination) but it's definitely possible. My dad's autistic and he won a 250km marathon through the Simpson Desert. :D



TheAvenger161173
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11 Jun 2015, 3:45 am

Waiting to be tested. With that being said i never used to be good at Sports at school. Dyslexia,executive function issues,social anxiety,inability to perform under pressure or if being observed etc. With being bullied at school ive spent the last 20 odd years training in several sports/combat sports that i have become proficient in. I was very skinny at school,but with research ive managed to gain alot of muscle naturally. Issues preventing me from becoming any good have been over ridden with OCD repetition,focus,research,sheer will and determination and the ability to understand a system in combat sports and what makes it effective. From reading i would say its generally less likely for an Aspie to be or become "athletic" but there are many exceptions.



NobodyKnows
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11 Jun 2015, 6:06 pm

I did my first 100k bike ride when I was 7, and my first 100 mile ride when I was 8 - both on a kids' mountain bike with knobby tires. I did have trouble building bulk, but my muscle tone has always been fine.



BrainPower101
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12 Jun 2015, 2:01 pm

I'm a very athletic guy, even my gym teacher said so.

I'm also a very mean I don't give an f type of person. I have some NT traits as well, so don't know if they help but I can be a little of both nerdy and aggressive atheletic person.

There's a hypothesis made years ago, the standard 3 body types (Ectomorph skinny) (Mesomorph atheletic) and (Endormorph the round fat type of person); some people don't necessarily believe in this and there are more to it than just 3 because of hybrid genes and such.

It could also be it runs in my family that contributes to it. My older brother is a body builder himself.



starfox
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12 Jun 2015, 2:09 pm

I think sure if you want to be and work at it. Natural body type does play a part though too.


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BeggingTurtle
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12 Jun 2015, 7:58 pm

a_dork wrote:
Low muscle tone is strongly correlated with autism, and while it allows flexibility, it can also come with poor coordination.

I am hypermobile, good at martial arts, and cotortionism to a certain degree.


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BrainPower101
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12 Jun 2015, 10:39 pm

The only sport I like is soccer, I'm a huge enthusiast of FIFA World Cup as well. I'm not a buffed up guy or anything but working out and tattoos are something I like. Currently out of shape, but hope to change that.



nomoretears
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13 Jun 2015, 8:16 pm

Op, you sound pretty athletic to me. :)

I think being an aspie in so e situations can help. After all, if you are not dating or socializing, you can lractice practice practice. While others are at the bar in the club , you are at the bar in the gym.



ASPartOfMe
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21 Jul 2015, 9:13 pm


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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


Girl_Kitten
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21 Jul 2015, 9:36 pm

Yeah, absolutely. Aspies can play basketball. Dogs can play basketball, too- I've seen it. I'd bet that the sucesses of an average individual of each group at high-intensity team sports is about equal, though, lol!