I dunno, this seems kind of junk sciency. There's all kinds of reasons to walk all kinds of ways. Walking on toes, or pointing your feet have almost never been a notable feature of people I know who are clearly on the spectrum. Conversely, the people I know who do have notable gaits all come from something else and none of them (as far as I know) have autism.
Anecdata: My paternal side has some kind of innate preference for walking on your toes. I prefer it, my father's mother was well known to have done it, I have a couple cousins like that. While I can't speak for other family, I did go through a massive battery of aptitude and psych tests when I was young as part of the agonizing initiation into the curse of childhood giftedness. No autism.
I've become very concerned in the last few years how our society produces diagnoses that turn into self-inhibiting labels that restrict personal development. Developing ones-self, as much as you are able, is an ancient and treasured tradition. Modernity seems to be leading us to the reverse and to shackle ourselves with the weight of imposed limitations.
I knew of a young toe walker who turned out to have tendon problems and got surgery to have it fixed. For a while her parents thought she wanted to do ballet.
> that turn into self-inhibiting labels that restrict personal development
Say more. Why do you see these labels as inhibitory rather than liberatory?
I have a complicated relationship with the label given a lack of a formal diagnosis and many years of accusations of ASD, and I haven't identified any positive side of a diagnosis and will likely never pursue one. But this doesn't mean the label hasn't helped me connect with others in my life with ASD, some very hand-wavy, and some non-verbal adults who must have live assisted. Do i actually have it? Does it even matter either way?
I think labels are fine but making it the most significant part of your identity is where it can be self-inhibiting. If you feel engaged in life and not limited, you are doing just fine.
If you actually have autism, it's already one of the most significant parts of your identity, at least when it comes to the contrast with neurotypical people. Having the label just makes it easier to figure that out.
A lot of people are really desperate to be in groups. Humans do this naturally.
A lot of labels put people in boxes or limiting groups. This changes how they think about themselves. Instead of discovering new things people will reject/ignore new things that don't reinforce their labels/boxes.
The one constant in life is change. Putting yourself in self-imposed labels/boxes stifles ones ability to properly interpret change. Their viewpoints change to fit their labels.
Nobody is saying labels are bad. But letting labels define you? Thats often the issue.
Social media has made this problem much, much worse.
I think a great example is teenagers who are looking for their clique. We all look back on ourselves and laugh at how desperate we were to fit in and the silly things we did/wore/etc. Adults do the same thing but with much more severe consequences and the reflection often never happens.
I agree. Idk if the science is junk but the article certainly reads that way.
As kids we always walked on our toes due to material arts + wanting to be ninjas. It also helps if you want to avoid stepping on things outside like pine needles and other prickly boys. To this day I still prefer being on my toes. I have nieces who are on the spectrum and they stomp around...
If I was a teen again, in all that awkward glory, I'd imagine labeling myself to "fit in" better after reading this.
But to be fair, my generation literally cut themselves for attention/help/fitting in so perhaps a little labeling isn't all that bad.
China and Israel use gait surveillance tech because it uniquely identifies people. No amount of face paint, costumes, or slouching can evade this form of detection, but surely the Ministry of Silly Walks can try.
I don't think this says anything about (insert any neurodivergence-ism). Not enough evidence to make this claim.
Anecdata: My paternal side has some kind of innate preference for walking on your toes. I prefer it, my father's mother was well known to have done it, I have a couple cousins like that. While I can't speak for other family, I did go through a massive battery of aptitude and psych tests when I was young as part of the agonizing initiation into the curse of childhood giftedness. No autism.
I've become very concerned in the last few years how our society produces diagnoses that turn into self-inhibiting labels that restrict personal development. Developing ones-self, as much as you are able, is an ancient and treasured tradition. Modernity seems to be leading us to the reverse and to shackle ourselves with the weight of imposed limitations.