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Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
81–90 of 273 posts
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#82Honest question: What does this really bring to the table as a diagnostic tool for autism? By the time that you're evaluating gait, you're evaluating a lot of other things, too, since autism usually starts appearing during childhood. Obvious things, like trouble socializing, learning, and processing stimuli. I'm not a doctor or involved in any sort of diagnosis, treatment, or curing of diseases or conditions, but giv…
I would call this study a limited data-point, rather than a conclusion.
Personally I'm more concerned with the definition of autism itself, which is so incredibly broad that it actually defies most generalisations. For any given symptom or characteristic there may be an autistic cohort in a vastly different part of the spectrum to whom it patently does not apply.
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#83Also, don't forget straight-toeing: walking with one or more feet pointing straight ahead. Yep, any of those three toe pointing directions mean you could have autism.
Another trait that seems to occur in both people with ADHD but also ASD is toe walking, aka walking with the heel lifted in the air.
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#84Also, don't forget straight-toeing: walking with one or more feet pointing straight ahead. Yep, any of those three toe pointing directions mean you could have autism.
Another trait that seems to occur in both people with ADHD but also ASD is toe walking, aka walking with the heel lifted in the air.
Wait, is that why I do that?
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#85I 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.
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#86This is pseudoscience at best. Multiple factors feed into a person's gait, from hereditary factors to physical differences in structure and growth patterns. It's going to be very difficult to eliminate all confounding variables, some of which include diet and local water quality. Best to completely disregard such "studies".
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#87Honest question: What does this really bring to the table as a diagnostic tool for autism? By the time that you're evaluating gait, you're evaluating a lot of other things, too, since autism usually starts appearing during childhood. Obvious things, like trouble socializing, learning, and processing stimuli. I'm not a doctor or involved in any sort of diagnosis, treatment, or curing of diseases or conditions, but giv…
I would call this study a limited data-point, rather than a conclusion. Personally I'm more concerned with the definition of autism itself, which is so incredibly broad that it actually defies most generalisations. For any given symptom or characteristic there may be an autistic cohort in a vastly different part of the spectrum to whom it patently does not apply.
It's because the definition of autism isn't a collection of traits or symptoms; it's essentially defined by how other people experience you as opposed to how you experience the world, and there happens to be a lot of comorbidities, so to speak
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#88I 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 prefere…
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.
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#89Can't wait for AI-powered cameras that will let the government know you're neurodivergent.
Just put a different number of differently shaped rocks in your shoes each day.
(Credit to Doctorow's Little Brother)
Re: Signs of autism could be encoded in the way you walk
#90Virtually everything about you is encoded in virtually everything you do. With enough intelligence and enough data, it's probably possible to determine with a high degree of accuracy what kind of mint you prefer (spearmint, peppermint, that other one) based on hearing you talk for 30s. In a world with AI systems that can be trained in an unsupervised way against basically all the data we can collect, the amount of in…
I'm pretty sure you're right. There are a vast number of correlations waiting to be discovered. Were just waiting on sufficient data.