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GreenDragon42
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07 Feb 2025, 7:08 pm

Does anyone else struggle with tying knots? I wasn't able to tie my shoes until 3rd grade, and its still the only knot I know how to really do. Tying neckties is out of the question for me, so I have to get someone else to do it for me. And don't even bother asking me about rope!

I know people with ASD often have motor skill issues, so I just wanted to see how many others struggle with knot tying and learn how you cope with it.



King Kat 1
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07 Feb 2025, 7:16 pm

It took me a long time to learn to tie shoes and even now at 44, I'm still not great at it but I make it work somehow.


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renaeden
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07 Feb 2025, 10:28 pm

My sister taught me how to tie my shoelaces when I was in Year 4 (age 9). Before that I had Velcro. Now I tie them in in an awkward but functional way. Always a double bow.



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08 Feb 2025, 1:03 am

I remember struggling to learn how it was done, but I can't remember how old I was at the time. I still dislike tying knots. I tend to feel it's a job for people with 3 hands and that it can't really be done easily with 2. The lace or the string always slips a bit and messes the job up. It works well enough I suppose, but I'm a perfectionist at heart.



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08 Feb 2025, 6:37 am

I must have been 11 or 12 when an uncle of mine finally succeeded in showing me an easy way to tie my shoelaces.

I had to wear a necktie during my first few years of working. My Mom or stepdad used to assist me in tying the knots.

Fortunately I haven't needed to wear one in the past 30 years or so, and less formal clothes has been the norm. Otherwise I would still be battling!

My other difficulty was trying to drive a manual vehicle. I had to settle for driving automatics as I couldn't get the gearshift coordination right.

Lastly, I battle to cut things accurately or to wrap gifts, tie ribbons etc.



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08 Feb 2025, 6:40 am

Oh yes and my shoelaces still regularly come undone especially sport/running shoes but I use special no-tie laces that are rather pricy but work extremely well.



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09 Feb 2025, 11:38 pm

I learned to tie my shoes when I started 5th grade because the school I started goimg to had a strict dress code that required loafers(it was a Catholic school) & my parents spent the whole summer before teaching me to tie my shoes. Before that I wore shoes with velcro & I wear velcro shoes as an adult. It takes me longer to tie shoes than most people & the knots are probably not as good. I only know how to make one other type of knot which is very basic & isn't that good either but I can just double tie to make it more secure. I've always had extremely bad handwriting as well & I have the pencil grip of a left-handed person despite being right-handed. My ways of dealing with these problems are by trying to avoid em. Most stores won't sell velcro shoes for adults but I can buy them online & I can avoid writing by doing things online or having my girlfriend write paperwork out. I have a tremor disorder that acts up when things with fine motor-skills or when anxious, stressed, or tired so that's probably some of my problem.


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lostonearth35
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10 Feb 2025, 12:21 pm

I didn't learn to tie laces until I was 9 or 10 but I can tie them very well now. I think the problem was that whenever someone showed me how to tie shoelaces I was unable to see it from their perspective and would end up confused.



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10 Feb 2025, 1:51 pm

I struggled with tying my shoelaces until I was 9 or 10. I tried using 'hacks' like the bunny ears method but still failed consistently. Then one day it clicked and I never really struggled again.


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10 Feb 2025, 4:06 pm

My father was a scout leader and a sailor...
Like I could have got away with being unable to tie knots.



notboston
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10 Feb 2025, 5:13 pm

This website was probably the most help for me: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

This particular knot I find really easy to tie and the diagrams and such are much easier to learn than sitting through a lecture.

For neckties I usually do a Pratt knot because you can have it stay tied after slipping it off your neck.



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10 Feb 2025, 6:21 pm

I forgot to mention that about the only time I've had to wear ties was when my high-school required it & I always wore clip-ons. It might be tacky but I didn't give a f#ck. I hated the feeling of having my shirt tight around my neck(might be sensory issues &/or PTSD) so I would never chose to a wear a necktie even if I could tie it myself or if someone would do it for me.


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