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Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

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Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#61

Post by yieldcrv »

cardanome wrote: post #31
bluefirebrand wrote: post #17

I suspect that there are signs of autism or other neurodivergences encoded in a lot of our body language, and we're really only starting to qualify what those behaviors are But we also should be careful not to over-diagnose neurodivergence based on outward behavior. Not everyone who fidgets is ADHD

In fact people with ADHD have also their peculiar walks: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H1YsnuaYY-g > based on outward behavior Yes, neurodivergence can only be diagnosed based on how you work on the inside. It is not possible to diagnose based on outside behavior as people can show symptoms very differently and can mask their symptoms. And no, you obviously can not diagnose people based on how they walk. If anything…

kind of like coughing

sure, people with the common cold do it

but so do people with at least 100 other ailments

Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#63

Post by wizzwizz4 »

munificent wrote: post #58
Telemakhos wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People should be careful with basing psychological stereotypes on gait, as there's already an extensive legacy framework of stereotypes based on gait—are these new stereotypes meaningfully different medical observations grounded in facts, or are they just more stereotypes? Literature on Native Americans, for example, often claims that they walk on the balls of the feet in distinction to "the Anglo," who walks on his…

My understanding is that forefoot striking is common in any culture where going barefoot is typical. It doesn't feel good to slam your bare heel onto the ground all the time. It's only tolerable if you're wearing shoes. We should really consider heel striking to be the unusual non-default behavior here, the same as how prevalence of chairs means many Westerners have shortened Achilles tendons and lost the ability to…

Doubt that's going to happen. "Normal" is whatever the educators believe: just like RP is the One True English, whatever WEIRD neurotypical men do is the One True Behaviour. We've been making this mistake for hundreds of years.

Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#64

Post by consumer451 »

snickerdoodle12 wrote: post #57

Can't wait for AI-powered cameras that will let the government know you're neurodivergent.

No need for AI. The future is now!

> RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/08/nx-s1-5391310/kennedy-autism-...

Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43810561 (254 points, 357 comments, 80 days ago)

Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#65

Post by boogieknite »

our school had a top female sprinter in washington state who walked "in-toe" and i knew at least one other track athlete who looked up to her and intentionally changed gait to walk in-toe in order to be more like the star sprinter

when im walking by people facing my direction (past a row of seats at the airport, into a movie theater, etc) i become self aware and try to walk as relaxed and invisibly as possible. probably only makes things worse. i think lots of people, autistic or not, are sensitive and adjust their gait unnaturally all the time. however toe-walking certainly seems difficult and i cant think of a reason id do it intentionally

Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#66

Post by redeux »

Telemakhos wrote: post #19
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #3

- 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. I thought that toe walking was called out two decades ago when I was in university - I remember it being mentioned in a psych class. Otherwise, that kind of includes everyone who doesn't walk with feet straight, doesn't it?

People should be careful with basing psychological stereotypes on gait, as there's already an extensive legacy framework of stereotypes based on gait—are these new stereotypes meaningfully different medical observations grounded in facts, or are they just more stereotypes? Literature on Native Americans, for example, often claims that they walk on the balls of the feet in distinction to "the Anglo," who walks on his…

You’re mistaking forefoot striking with toe walking. Having known someone that toe walks, it literally means they walk around on the balls of their feet, not just land on them first when they take a step. If you stand up, raise yourself on the the balls on your feet and then walk around without your heel ever touching the ground, that’s toe walking.

Incidentally(?) the only person I’ve ever seen do this was clearly neurodivergent.

Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk

#67

Post by oasisbob »

boogieknite wrote: post #65

our school had a top female sprinter in washington state who walked "in-toe" and i knew at least one other track athlete who looked up to her and intentionally changed gait to walk in-toe in order to be more like the star sprinter when im walking by people facing my direction (past a row of seats at the airport, into a movie theater, etc) i become self aware and try to walk as relaxed and invisibly as possible. proba…

That sounds like something a runner who knows that they have a tendency to heel-strike would do.
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