Can an HFA be as graceful/dexterous as an NT?

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I was at an autism support meeting and one definite difference that I noticed between me and the other aspies in the room is that my movements were far more graceful/refined/precise. I don't know if this is because there was no aspie in the room who had, say, as high as a nonverbal IQ as I did, so I'm wondering if it's possible for someone who's HFA/Aspie to be nearly as physically graceful as an NT while having "ToM-esque" language processing impairments and an Aspie-esque language style?

"perfect practice equals perfect play" - grade 10 teacher said it like every day.

I agree, but -

Clay marzo is probably going to be the tony hawk of surfing,

Mozart was suspected aspergers,

and many athletes have AS children,


Wait..... does this study pertain to autism, or autism spectrum disorder? :s

I believe that, as with anything Aspie, one can "overcome" (bleh, I hate that word) issues with practice. When I was 14, my mother sent me to the Sear's Charm School because I was such a clutz. I grew 6 inches during my 13th year and could not get used to my giant body. I learned a lot of balance tricks that helped me get through high school and later took up tai chi to help better control my stress levels. The effect the tai chi practice has had on my gracefulness has been more than satisfactory and I often overhear comments about my poise - and my height. I'm a friggin parade when I dare to go out in public... I have nice hair, too. It's all mostly genetic and a little embarrassing when people gush.

I've always been very athletic. I was bigger than other kids and liked to win. Smart, I figured out how. I think it just depends on one's individual focus.

Most star quarterbacks use autism successfully, and many musicians

I know nothing of autism with gymnasts and ballet dancers..... prolly more NT maybe

Being physically clumsy doesn't mean at all that they have a lower IQ than you at all...

However, to answer your question. If someone starts obsessively training his or herself when young enough, it is possible (but not guaranteed) for them to get up to not being noticeably clumsy. Beyond that point, various manners of training someone to be aware of their body can help at least.

My boyfriend is undiagnosed but everyone who's even heard me describe him has asked if he's also on the spectrum. He remembers actively training himself to be less clumsy. At this point he doesn't look particularly clumsy to anyone that I know of.

(Personally, I've participated in activities that help with aspects of it, and none of those have made any difference in my ability to spill drinks in manners that impress people because they didn't think it was possible)

I'm still confused by the physical clumsiness aspect of an AS diagnosis. I've heard hearing and balance have a direct correlation with one another, and aspie's are typically hyper sensitive to sound. It seems to me like people with AS should be better at maintaining their balance than NTs. This does seem like the case for me. I have a really good reaction time, and my balance is unmatched by my NT friends. I think the balance thing could be due to the fact that I try to take a scientific approach to it. I do, however get clumsy when I really get hooked on thinking about something and I don't pay attention to what I'm doing.

If Clay Marzo on a surf board isn't grace full then I have no idea what is

I think high paced non team sports is what aspie's can excel in,

bad example :basketball

good example: badminton

I think...

I googled 'famous gymnasts autism' then 'aspergers'

and got nothing

I think NT's have gracefulness...

I have more fine motor problems than gross motor problems. Also IQ is in no way related to gracefulness. I think it all just depends on the individual, everyone is affected differently.

I have a real hard time tying knots... real hard time

I am so GD awkward, but I am a master of the computer keyboard :shades: