Does it seem like autistic people are more likely to not....

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Does it seem like autistic people are more likely to not like physical labor? Why do you think so?

Two common causes; dyspraxia (motor learning disorder that seems to be common in autism) and specific health conditions (may range from constant health issues from psychiatric issues that made many of us seem sickly to something systemic like Ehlers Danlos syndrome)

Might be the other way around; those with said conditions tend to be qualified for autism diagnosis and among others -- said conditions may mimic said conditions behaviors.



Personally, I'm more active than an average person.

But I still have unresolved health problems that makes it more difficult. I think it gets more difficult as I age and it's annoying the heck out of me.

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In my stereotype, this is that NT is cliquey and loves team sports; autism is the opposite. I heard that the evaluation criteria for autism seem to be related to movement disorders, but I don’t know more scientific knowledge.

depends on the individual. I did hard physical labor all my life, 50+ years.... was a runner and still a walker/hiker, each of us is going to be different in the amount of energy we are willing to expend and in what ways we choose to expend it. I don't think this trait can be assigned as part of autism.

I think there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that a lot of autistic people don't like hard labor. Personally, I am quite the opposite. Since early childhood I love hard physical work like chopping wood or digging trenches. For exercise I like hitting a punching bag or lifting weights. When I work out I like to push myself to the limit. A lot of autistic people seem to be hyper sensitive to pain while I have a higher than average tolerance to pain and exhaustion.

I don't think I dislike it any more than most people do. It both attracts me and repels me.

I would avoid it at all costs. Working in a cafe shop, ruined my back and I cannot lift weight or do anything like that. Let other people do it..

I even hate doing daily housekeeping stuff, I find it most mundane, and consumes so much energy. I have to,though.

But I assume that people on the spectrum avoid manual labour for many reasons. We are more sensitive to pain due to wrong body posture. Secondly, we want,need and pursue the intellectual challenge.

Like others said, some have motor issues.

I had to see neurologist to rule out a bunch of things around the time I was first assessed for autism. I had some balance and coordination issues or something.

But I find that I like some physical labor, especially if it is repetitive and a structured task. I did not mind harvesting potatoes, hoeing at weeds, planting seeds, mulching, etc. I liked the mostly straightforward tasks on the university farm whether it was 95 F or 50 F. It was sensory hell sometimes with the sweat, bugs, dirt, etc but the tasks cleared my mind a lot. No thoughts, just plants and dirt

I have the same feeling when I am clearing up the yard, cleaning the pool, raking leaves etc. It can bother me a lot sensory wise sometimes but I like having a clear task and working on it as much as I can before I tire out. But I have an aspergers dad and aspergers uncle that both went into the military so maybe they passed down that mindset of working on physical tasks or something.

These are the things I do not like about physical labor:

1) Being expected to do all of it when there are plenty of other people doing nothing.

2) Being told what to do without being told how to do it, and then getting in trouble for doing it wrong.

3) Being micro-managed every step of the way by someone literally looking over my shoulder (and doing little else).

4) Seeing someone else get the credit for my work.

This is why I made the effort to earn a STEM degree, instead of remaining a manual laborer for the rest of my life.

I like to do physical labour but my poor fine motor skills mean I can't do a lot of things physically.

Fine motor skills can be taught, and practiced. Even if I'll never really master them I still can do a good enough job at work and at home.

I think it takes a great deal of effort for someone with limited motor control to do physical labour which is discouraging to some. But I find learning these skills to be worthwhile.

The great thing about society is that we have the option to study and have a desk job or work on other skills to earn a living.