the physical signs of aspergers

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I never physically fit-in with my peers as a kid I was always considerably taller than the other girls, as an adult I am quite tall (5'10") I'm very broad built in the shoulders, and stronger than average (my physio told me this, she said to me that I was stronger than half the men that come to the clinic)

I don't think I walk weird, but I've been self-concious of my gait since I was about 8, my parents used to tell me off for walking with my shoulders slumped over, so I don't know, I do feel that my movements are more awkward than other people though, I'm certainly not the graceful sort!

I do have a very broad forehead, I don't think I have a particularly large head, I also have quite large eyes, which means I seem to be 10 times more liable to get dust and other crud in them!

I don’t have any gait or posture issues, I’m actually quite athletic. I do have a finger fluttering thing when I’m nervous. And my facial expressions are stone even when I’m in a good mood. I really cant smile and when I try it looks so unnatural. I have an extremely difficult time with eye contact it freaks me out…….I do sit kind of effeminately and I do rock a little when I’m by my self…

I do have a big head, never could get hats to fit me. A high forehead, but otherwise a good looking face.

My arms and legs are short in proportion to my long body. Not very athletic, but that can't be helped. My wrists and knees are very bony, but not weak.

I do tend to sink rather than swim.

I think the assymetric smile is a giveaway for an Aspie. I don't know I'm doing it, but it's noticeable in photos of me.

I think this is a very interesting topic. I wonder if there is someone out there doing research on this, or if there is some sort of compiled list of possible physical traits out there. Obviously they're not as definitiva as, say, Down Syndrome's traits, but I don't know if therer may be things in common.

Hi Guys,
I hope you don't mind my butting in- as my diagnosis is ADHD not strictly autism spectrum. The reason for my curiosity is in fact tied to Melillo's overarching theory of "Functional Disconnection".

According to this theory- we are in fact different aspects of the same problem.

Now reading the above thread re spotting typical Aspie postures and gaits and so forth- this rung a bell with me- as the 22 year old next door to us has Asperger's syndrome.

I recognised him in the comments that other posters made here. Interestingly as an ADDer I have had plenty of problems with posture and gait, and with subtle inco-ordination.

At age 48 I finally identified the cause of these problems as being a subluxed atlas ( Atlas on skull subluxation) and had it treated at a single sitting by a method called Atlas Profilax. This killed off a good number of my ADHD symptoms as well as relieving my neck and back pain- but I still found all sorts of things very stressful- triggering racing heart and unpredictable episodes of cognitive fog. (now manifesting as fatigue rather than ADHD).

Quite recently I met a chiropractor who is an enthusiast of Melillo's work and he convinced me that he knew enough to be interesting. The point is that he has in a few weeks taught me a series of simple exercises that can more or less turn off most of my residual symptoms at will. The treatment was easy, cheap and straightforwards.

The critical points are that atlas subluxation is very common- common enough to be a causative factor in both ADHD and autism, that atlas subluxation causes a sort of autonomic hypersensitivity - which is a common issue in both ADHD and autism.

In many ways I find this quite galling- as despite having ADHD I am a medical practitioner. Rubbishing chiropractors and their ideas is a favorite sport of my profession, and a way of securing our place at the top of the food chain as the "go to guys" for health problems. I have been just as guilty of this combination of power worship and closed shop protection as most of my colleagues, and now I find they were right.

What I can say that being desperate enough to look beyond the conventional has had a dramatic result in improving my health, and that I have been somewhat ashamed to realise that people like Melillo who advance these theories are not just "greedy quacks" as people like to claim, but are intelligent observers doing their best to understand problems that the medical profession has not been able to help in any meaningful way.

I have read that people with AS commonly have issues related to posture and gait, but have never seen anything that went in to exact details.

Personally I have slight scoliosis, am tall and thin, and my head does appear disproportionately large in comparison to my body. I try to avoid our being photographed together. < joke. People have mentioned my gait to me, but the most constructive criticism I have recieved regarding this is that it would not look as bad as it does, if my feet were not so big.

Nothing. It's completely invisible. I could hide it forever.

there are some, but most are easily hidden.

the most visible signs are indeed posture and gait, but there are other differences, mainly in the skull.

i recently read "Morphological Features in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Matched Case–Control Study" which confirmed that there are indeed physical differences between ASD and NT people, it's available for free online, somewhere.

i myself have a rigid gait indeed, and if i'm getting stressed, my posture changes to a more natural feeling one; shoulders slouched forward, back arched forward, head protruding as well (so the entire spine in a continues curve instead of the 'normal' S-shape), combined with the stereotypical toe-walking.

i also have a more angled skull then most others, it isn't round per se, but appears to consist of straight plates with hard angles between them, and thicker parts on 'crucial' areas; for example, i have a more defined brow-bridge, some thicker bone lines over my temples, and a lumb where my neck connects to the base of the skull.

So if an NT had a stiff posture, they would be mistaken for an Aspie?

possibly, if someone would take only posture, but there is more then only that.
there is far more to the posture then just being 'stiff', although it is hard to explain trough text.

I don't think you can just look at someone and tell they have AS from a distance unless the stims come out or other stereotypical habits.

Some people try so hard to make all those who have AS into ugly, poor hygiene, geeky looking with pocket protectors.

So when people peg based on that analysis, I won't be spotted from a distance. When someone gets to know me however, that changes but for the most part people are really ignorant when it comes to autism still and don't guess. In alot of people's minds, the autism spectrum really equates to down syndrome.

Anyone who has aspiedar can pick me up easily. No matter how hard I try, I always stand out as extremely awkward.

But people who don't have aspiedar would simply think of me as shy and aloof.

I don't know if I look like I have AS. I know now that I make ridiculous faces from seeing a video of myself...
Here's the video - http://irc-galleria.net/user/luci/video/125627055
For most of it I'm singing so it's the beginning and the very end that are more relevant I guess.
If anyone's interested, what do you think?