Yes, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently affects balance and motor skills, leading to challenges with coordination, stability, and gait due to issues with sensory processing, muscle tone (hypotonia), and the brain's integration of movement information, often resulting in clumsiness or an unsteady walk. These motor difficulties, including poorer static (still) and dynamic (moving) balance, are common and can persist from childhood into adulthood, impacting daily activities and participation in sports.
Common signs of autism in adults include:
Children with ASD have altered gait patterns to healthy controls, widened base of support, and reduced range of motion. Several studies refer to cerebellar and basal ganglia involvement as the patterns described suggest alterations in those areas of the brain.
Corinna Laurie, Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist at National Autistic Society, shares some strategies for developing motor skills. autistic children often have difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning.
find it hard to communicate and interact with other people. find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable. get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events.
Around 90% of autism cases are attributed to genetic factors, meaning autism is highly heritable, with many different genes contributing, rather than a single cause, often interacting with environmental influences during early brain development, though specific environmental factors don't cause it but can increase risk. Twin studies show strong genetic links, with concordance rates between 60-90% in identical twins, and research points to complex interactions of many genes and prenatal/perinatal factors.
Social anxiety – or extreme fear of new people, crowds and social situations – is especially common among people with autism. In addition, many people with autism have difficulty controlling anxiety once something triggers it.
Children with autism not only have limited social and communicative skills but also have motor abnormalities, such as poor timing and coordination of balance.
The "6-second rule" for autism is a communication strategy where a speaker pauses for about six seconds after asking a question or giving information, giving the autistic person extra time to process it without feeling rushed, which helps reduce anxiety and allows for a more thoughtful response, reducing frustration for both parties. Instead of repeating or rephrasing, which can be confusing, you wait, and if needed, repeat the exact same words after the pause.
The top signs of autism (ASD) center on challenges with social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive behaviors or intense interests, including difficulty with back-and-forth conversation and social cues, avoiding eye contact, repetitive movements (like hand-flapping), strict routines, and intense focus on specific topics, though signs vary greatly and can appear differently in children and adults. Early signs in toddlers might be delayed speech or little interest in other kids, while adults often struggle with small talk or sensory sensitivities.
Autism Speaks Walk is the world's largest fundraising event to enhance the lives of people with autism today and accelerate a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow. The Autism Speaks Walk brings together people with autism and the parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, relatives and providers who support them.
Symptoms may include:
Kyphosis (a curved spine), collapsed chest, dropped shoulders and even scoliosis are observed in many of our patients. These myriad of postural issues may result from reduced strength, decreased biomechanical stability, or from a sensory impairment, such as apraxia.
Top 10 Calming Strategies for Autism
Physical Symptoms:
You can also build confidence through the 80/20 rule. Enable individuals to succeed by starting with tasks or lessons they already grasp, then move on to new or more difficult material for the last 20 percent. If you start with the difficult material, they will feel defeated, Dr.
Chinning is a form of repetitive self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) that you may notice in children or adults with autism. It involves pressing, rubbing, or holding the chin against objects, surfaces, or even hands to gain sensory input or comfort.
In general, people who have an active lifestyle are much more emotionally resilient and focused. There also seems to be some evidence that physical exercise helps people with depression and ADHD, which are commonly co-occurring conditions with autism.
The most noticeable gait differences among autistic people are: toe-walking, walking on the balls of the feet. in-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned inwards. out-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned out.
People with dyspraxia may have trouble expressing themselves verbally due to challenges with motor planning and coordination involved in speaking. In contrast, people with autism may have difficulty understanding language or using language effectively in social situations.
It is important for you to know that Brain Balance does not clinically diagnose medical conditions such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disorders or Processing Disorders (such as Sensory Processing Disorder).
Conditions That Can Be Mistaken for Autism. These include: Speech delays, hearing problems, or other developmental delays: Developmental delays are when your child doesn't do things doctors expect kids their age to be able to do. These can include language, speech, or hearing problems.
Symptoms of High-Functioning Autism
Difficulty with Social Interaction: Individuals with high-functioning autism may struggle to understand social norms, make eye contact, initiate or maintain conversations, and interpret nonverbal cues such as facial expressions or body language.
Sensory experiences are some of the easiest ways to worsen autism symptoms. Sensory overload and hypersensitivity can make autism worse due to sensory sensitivities. Lights can be too bright, and noises can be too loud. Taste, smell, and touch can also lead to a sensory experience that makes autism symptoms worse.