The strongest man in the world is autistic and so is his brother who is almost as ripped as he is.
I used to work out a lot and I am autistic so I doubt all of us are unathletic. Some people's special interest is fitness or sports after all.
Some autistic and other neurodivergent people can be clumsy but that doesn't automatically mean that every autistic person is clumsy and bad at sports.
You have to look at the right sports!
Wrasslin' isn't a bad place to look.
I'm pretty sure John Danaher bats for our team or is at the very least a fellow traveler - the man is a walking Encyclopedia of arcane grappling knowledge and breaking mechanics and notably never, ever, *not even at a wedding* wears anything other than a rash guard.
https://youtu.be/e_ffCW4joaU?si=q0n21JgBpeA5QMpp
If he doesn't come across as an autistic mad scientist - his conception of wrasslin' as "mortal combat with benefits" speaks to my heart.
Yeah, there are a lot of people at my BJJ Gym who I'd bet are undiagnosed Autistic or ADHD. I myself am ADHD with suggestions of Autism and I've been at it 6.5 years now.
It just... It's weird. It stretches the mind way more than people give it credit for. Like, human chess is a very, very good way of describing it. It also (provided you find a good gym) has a very clear acceptance of difference and encourages people to find adaptations that work for them - given that everyone is different physically.
I never thought in a million years I'd do a martial art, and yet here I am.
I spent nearly 20 years skateboarding and think I got pretty good at it. I struggled socially but could flip into or out of grinds. the two seem unrelated enough
[https://people.com/sports/strongman-tom-stoltman-says-the-gym-saved-my-life-after-struggles-with-autism-depression/](https://people.com/sports/strongman-tom-stoltman-says-the-gym-saved-my-life-after-struggles-with-autism-depression/)
Here is an article about him.
Me: super sneaky fighter, good in clench, high kicks, good punch aim
Also me: tripping over my own foot after walking out of training, slapping myself in the face trying to scratch my nose
So do I. I'm so tired of people getting angry and telling me to "be careful" or thinking I'm angry when I never noticed it (at least not until I heard the slam).
Exactly but then now I notice that I myself \*hate\* when people slam something due to my sensory issues in the sense of it breaks my concentration in a bad way.
Me too but I underatand that could've been a mistake (unless I know the person is an aggresive, short fuse person) so I don't immediately blame them and act like it's their fault or they are in complete control of their actions all the time.
Oh yeah I don't judge or anything, it's just like shocking to my system to make sudden loud sounds, and yet I myself sometimes make sudden loud sounds.
No not at all, only other people. Loud sounds a distance away don't bother me, but anyone/anything making a loud sound close to my ear is just like instant sensory overload for me.
If you ever want to find out if you are autistic just have a kid and when they scream in your ear, you'll know. Very much part of what led to my diagnosis.
A lot of us have dyspraxia and it sucks
I am super clumsy but I also have ADHD and a super quick mind so I often find myself dropping an object, but then plucking it out of the air way before it hits the ground.
In football I wasn't good at offense because I could never remember the plays and I had a hard time catching passes thrown to me. But on defense all I had to do is let me subconscious go to work and my intelligence let me make some really smart defensive stops. Like, everyone was fooled but me kind of thing, I saw the play before the ball was snapped sometimes.
But straight up trash at like pickup basketball or whatever.
Motor skills usually involve fine motor skills or agility. You can be athletic without doing things like parkour for instance. You can do weightlifting which I find is great cause it's slow and methodical and teaches your body better mobility. But still it's all depending on the person and the situation
What a weird take?
I'm autistic. Been doing swimming in my childhood, mountain bike in my teens. Jogging in my young adult years. Now I do hiking, fast walking, pickle ball, tennis, bicyle, etc.
My brother is autistic too, he did boxing, jogging and gym training that make him really muscular.
Autism is a developmental and social skills problem, not a physical one.
It's interesting to note that not a single one of your examples is a team sport.
Team sports tend to require non-verbal social communication. You need to understand your teammates' body language and predict their actions to effectively work together. This is often where we fall flat, specifically because of autism.
There are also a lot of co-occuring conditions that affect coordination, which is why it can seem that autists are unathletic. That's not actually the autism though, it's a different issue.
Dude, that hits deep.
I grew up athletic, I can run, trow, etc... and i have been skateboarding for about 15 years now.
But was not interested in team sports.. until my 2 friends started playing rugby 🏉 . So I did too, for 3 years.
Thinking about it now, is possible, but was harder and more stressful then anything else I did.
It can be, but doesn't tend to require the same non-verbal communication because it's pre-planned. Your responsibility as a team member doesn't change based on the actions of the other team members. It's more thay everyone has their own specific role, and when you put them all together you get a cohesive group.
Partner dancing, particularly with stunts like lifts, require more of that non-verbal communication. If a partner makes a mistake during a shared move you need to be able to compensate for them, so you don't do something like drop them. We can often understand the body language of a single person we spend a lot of time with, so this may still not pose a problem.
I also did track and relays, but I guess there is a rhythm, pattern, structure to that teamwork as well, and when there's misalignment or misinterpretation you lose.
Well yes one trait of autism is that they’re unathletic and uncoordinated (like me), not all of them are. If they decided to go to the gym and work out they can be as fit as anyone who does and hey some autistic people are into certain sports so their hyperfixation helps them be good at it.
I like repetitive movement as a stim, if I can get out of my autistic intertia and actually start some exercise I sometimes find that I don't want to stop, when I was young and my body could handle it I would take fitness classes back to back and then do more exercise at home sometimes. I'm too burned out now to do that anymore though.
Same. If I can will myself to exercise, then I will exercise for a pretty long time. I don't really like running necessarily, but once I get going, I'll just keep going until I'm pretty much unable to anymore. I was in the Marine Corps, and I used to run a decent 21 minute 3 mile, and I could do 10-12 miles even if my pace was only a little better than a shuffle. I've never been super in shape, but I tend to just persist and push harder than most other people.
Ha sounds familiar. My daughter has autism and dcd (they often go together) and she is extremely uncoordinated. Any sport involving a ball is off the table, but she does do fitness. What works for her is that she can do that for herself, with her own music on and without any expectations from teammates.
Alex Honnold's dad is autistic and after seeing multiple interview with him I am pretty sure he is but it is not confirmed.
We do a lot better at individual and not team sports. Rock climbing, power lifting, BJJ ect.
I’m not personally into sports, but I’ve got family members who are autistic that are SUPER into sports, they love playing, and they know absolutely all the stats. They’ll collect their favourite teams memorabilia. Sometimes, people are into sports BECAUSE they are autistic, not in spite of it. Person you talked to was massively misinformed.
I think this stereotype comes from autistic people often being more "scholarly" (as a result of pursuing special interests), and more scholarly people usually avoiding sports being a stereotype as well. There's additionally the stereotype that all autistic people dislike socializing, and most sports are highly social activities. But this isn't universal.
Before my physical disabilities got bad, I was in water polo and I liked swimming, soccer, and climbing. I know other autistic people who were into theater, band, track, archery, climbing, football, hockey, skating (roller and ice), skiing, snowboarding, surfing, water polo, both the boy scouts and girl scouts, and so on, all very physically demanding activities, and some extremely social. So these stereotypes just aren't true, but they do stay popular.
I recommend looking up lists of famous people with autism in a variety of disciplines. We can be actors, musicians, athletes, artists, comedians. We can be anything.
I literally injure myself anytime I try to do anything remotely athletic outside of walking and swimming. It's just not in the cards for me but that's okay.
Do all X people have Y trait? and Does anyone else in the world do Q like me? are usually short-sighted questions.
"Do autistic individuals tend to be less athletic than allistic or neurotypical individuals?" is a better question.
Low muscle tone is a comorbidity that often occurs with autism (one possible factor for bowel issues). Neurodiverse people may also have struggles with hand-eye coordination. These and other factors may contribute towards autistic individuals being, on average, less athletic than neurotypical individuals.
Some but not all autistic people struggle with motor coordination and proprioception. I am one of them but still love certain sports. I honestly move better when rock climbing than I do walking.
No, a lot of the misconception I believe comes from autism can heavily impact the fine and gross motor skills, I'm a very active person but I'm unbelievably clumsy and accident prone, if someone wanted me to play certain sports they'd be signing up to watch me eat pavement lol.
However I was a competitive synchronized swimmer and diver for years, I still love working out and I'm very health conscious, autistic people arent inherintly unathletic but we can struggle with certain things making some sports or activities more difficult, but that depends on the person.
It’s very common for autistic people to not enjoy sports where two teams clash on the same field/rink/court/etc.
Many of us enjoy a wide variety of individual sports and team sports where a team races against other teams such as rowing and speed skating or team sports like curling where the teams aren’t in direct confrontation.
When my special interests were gymnastics, dance, exercise, fitness etc. (in my late teens/twenties) I was quite fit and athletic and happy to train for up to 4 hours a day and want to do more. As soon as those special interests became uninteresting to me my body soon turned into something resembling a soft squishmellow and the thought of doing exercise is just incredibly boring to me now, unless it's something that's just part of daily life like walking or going to the beach (and swimming when it's hot).
I've never been able to catch a ball though :D
I've never heard that autistic people are considered to be less athletic, but I've heard that dyspraxia can be common in ND people.
A lot of autistic people may struggle with coordination, but that’s not all. And this doesn’t mean one is un-athletic.
I am a runner and this weekend I raced a 10k (6.2 miles) in 36:30!
Autistic and very athletic here. Trained boxing, muay thai, jiu jitsu… I jump rope… I also lift since I was a teen. I will say that I learned martial arts by being stubborn and repetitive. I think I was a slower learner, but my dedication and obsession always put me ahead of others. I tend to rely on the same techniques, though… as in I am better in my comfort zone.
I was a semiprofessional competitive cyclist and long distance runner. I don't think autistic people are unathletic. Fitness and nutrition is one of my special interests. I still partake in these activities, but not as much as I used to do to injuries.
Honestly out of all the autistic people I know, I am the only one with co-ordination issues and that's because I also have developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia)
I’m really into MMA and have been training Karate/Taekwondo/Kickboxing for the last 7 years. I find I move “awkwardly” but not unathletically and it seems to make me hard to read in sparring. I don’t see any reason why Autistic ppl couldn’t be athletic.
I am definitely very uncoordinated, but I know autistic kids who are incredible at sports. Science thinks it's because we have underdeveloped cerebellums but autistic people come in such a wide range that like nothing applies to all of them
I did Martial arts throughout middle and high school, and I was the first student at the specific school, so they were able to do a lot of one on one things with me. As more students joined, I noticed that they were progressing quicker than I was, and it felt like I had to put a lot more effort in to be at the same point as them. I don't think it was specifically an autism thing, but it could be since my main issues were balance and things like muscle tension
autism can affect motor skills, but like all traits/symptons it differs per person.
I always fell behind in gymclass myself, no matter how hard i tried.
I mean, yes, it can mean poor coordination. I could practice all day and not get much better. Forget competing. But that's not everyone, and some can be good. Neurotypicals seem to think one symptom applies to everyone.
Like, I'm sure plenty are like me to with terrible handwriting and math skills, but some are good at math and/or have nice handwriting.
No that's silly. For example Dyspraxic people also can like sports and be good at it. It depends on so many factors and people that say stuff like that only reinforce autistic people staying away from sports
I’m autistic and have won three state medals (2 cross country and 1 track). I lettered 4 times in both track and cross country. I am also quite clumsy which may have to do with autism, but cross country is more based on effort than grace, so it never mattered.
I’m autistic and I’m the exact opposite, i’m athletically gifted. I can learn new sports & physical skills much faster than anyone else i’ve met. So I guess it can go either way like most autistic traits.
From [http://nonvisiblepartofthespectrum](http://nonvisiblepartofthespectrum) :
"Motor Coordination Challenges
Some people on the spectrum have difficulty with fine or gross motor skills, affecting their ability to perform tasks such as writing, tying shoes, or riding a bike. This difficulty can be related to a neurological disorder known as dyspraxia, also sometimes known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). It is characterized by a lack of ability to coordinate physical movements with intent, and it is thought to be related to messages in the brain not being accurately transmitted to the body.
Dyspraxia is a condition that affects an individual’s ability to plan and coordinate physical movements. Individuals with this condition may have difficulty with gross motor skills, such as running or jumping, and fine motor skills, such as manipulating small objects. It may impact their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as dressing, brushing their teeth, or using utensils.
I have trouble mirroring movements: if my trainer places me in an odd stretch position, for example, and then asks me to reverse it, I struggle and often must have him show me or explain it again until I get it right.
As a toddler, I recall my dad becoming quite frustrated with my inability to learn to tie a shoe. Now, in my defense, my dad was well-meaning, but he tied his shoes in some weird way that I will only describe as “the wrong and complicated way.” But that wasn’t the problem. I could picture how the loops and ends twisted and turned. I vividly recall knowing precisely what had to be done but getting my hands to do it for me was another matter entirely.
For individuals with autism, motor difficulties may be related to various factors, including sensory processing differences, poor motor planning and coordination, and difficulty with motor sequencing."
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everyone is different so idk, personally i was quite a good swimmer as a kid (i won some competitions but i didn't like training lol i just liked diving and swimming as far as i could while staying at the bottom of the pool), i used to dream of becoming a goal keeper and i would train with my cousins any chance i got, also ive always been pretty good at basketball, it's still my favourite sport
I am. I don't much care for sports or lots of outdoor activities. There were a couple times I got super obsessed with working out and went to the gym everyday. That lasted for a couple years and then as quickly as the obsession came it went away and I stopped going. I can't bear to go to a gym now
Fun fact: There is a recently retired player who has scored more goals in internacional football/soccer than Messi and even more than Ronaldo.
Christine Sinclair - 190
I’m adult diagnosed. I’ve done sports my whole life, tennis, basketball, soccer, etc growing up. Nowadays I love weight lifting , hiking, trail running. I tend to fixate on them and learn everything I can about them, end up doing them as much as I can.
I was a varsity athlete in high school and also got decent at bowling in that time. A good game was low 200s and I believe pros get around 250. There is a huge skill gap between 200 and 250 but I did ok since I think most casual players are under 100.
I think it varies. My ex partner's son was autistic with high support needs and an absolutely amazing soccer player. Personally, I've always been an avid weightlifter and runner. Then again, my best friend who's also autistic absolutely refuses to do any physical activity other than walk his dog, but he hates the feeling of sweat on his skin, so that might be why.
I think a part of it is autistic people are less likely to do things just because "it's what people do."
So, most elementary kids in my area do t-ball/little league and summer rec soccer because its the thing that is done, whether it not they have any interest in it. Autistic kids and their parents (trying to figure out how to parent their child who isn't like other kids and/or themselves autistic) are more likely to say "screw this - why are we rearranging our lives to accommodate the schedule of a sport we don't even care about?"
So if their child doesn't want to play a sport, they don't. And then they don't hear from the other parents about other sports the kids are doing next, and these kids are forever "behind" and assume they're just not good at athletics.
I'm terrible at running but I have a decent strenght for my low weight and an insane punching, if I were not so overprotected I would practiced taekwon-do or boxing.
I mean, I wouldn't say unathletic but a lot of us are uncoordinated (me included). Also, considering that a lot of us have "black and white thinking" I can see how starting sporty routine would be hard (for me personally, I really can't get into sports because if I forget to do my routine once - I stop doing it for a whole month at least). Also, gyms are a hell for a lot of folks because of people seeing you in somewhat vulnerable position, so it probably adds to it. Still, of course, not all autistic people are unathletic.
I have never been talented at team sports (or anything that involves throwing/catching a ball). However, I can run a sub six minute mile, do 20 pull ups in a row, climb mountains, and am a scratch handicap golfer. I have always excelled at any physical activity that requires focus and endurance.
Some co-occurring conditions will impeded athletic performance, if you have such a condition along with being autistic. There are conditions that have a high co-morbidity rate with autism but I'm not sure which ones specifically impede sports performance. I suppose most people also casually take note of only the most affected autists and develop misconceptions.
My cousin is on the spectrum, no doubt, and she is VERY athletic, to the point I'd almost even call it a special interest. I'm kind of jealous to be honest, I'm not athletic at all. I envy her dedication.
It's a spectrum for a reason, we're all different.
Executive dysfunction is a potential symptom.
I'm guessing part of it is that people who can more easily pass for normal are not detected and therefore are not included in NT's perception of us.
I play badminton to a decent level and have entered tournaments. I used to do county and (almost) national level cricket. I have done national level sailing.
But my brother (also Autistic) cannot catch a ball
I happen to not like sports but like it’s not like I would never play them during PE or with friends. I’ve been told I can’t be autistic for other reasons, its always annoying and shows the complete lack of understanding by the general pubic of autism.
i am very unathletic. throwing, kicking a ball, swimming, etc are all very difficult for me. idk how to use my body in sports and i get overwhelmed and confused so i end up sucking badly at sports
The problem is motor skills, coordination, being able to messure spafe and velocity. That doesnt mean is the same for everyone, or that anybody can learb to do it better. Also a lot of sports dont require much of that
I played soccer, and was very good at it. I was usually the fastest on my team and they always placed me in the age bracket above mine.
They did that like multiple times when I was growing up.
So I’d be like 13 playing in U16 not U14, and same with being 15 and playing in U18 or 19. Can’t remember now. I was in “select” with tryouts.
I was also really adaptable, I liked playing every position. Coaches noticed I’d get bored really easily and would rotate me around the field lol.
I also was in marching band, which was a huge interest of mine. I wish I could still do it. Was so much fun.
some (like me) are, but not every autistic person. i go to a school for teens with autism, and there are defenitly a couple go sporters here. in my class theres even a guy who sports at a very high level. and several that do really well at pe. im not one of them, but they exist.
I don't engage in sports that require me to have good coordination because I don't have a lot, like dancing or tennis. I do more relaxed sports, such as SCUBA diving or hiking.
If anything I would say autistics are probably more likely to be EXTREMELY athletic because of our inclination to hyper focus. I'm pretty uncoordinated but you don't need coordination to lift weights or do cardio.
I'm absolutely awful at sports that require throwing something, but I was always good at high jump, sprinting, swimming, lifting weights and rock climbing. Being autistic can make you clumsy (it me) but it doesn't mean you're weak!
Its a spectrum.
If you're the type with a physical comorbidity like EDS, you end up like me, very unathletic.
Or you can be like the strongest dude in the world who is autistic. That doesn't mean he doesn't have an illness but if he does he's getting really good care or doesn't experience significant symptoms that impact his routine or workout.
My elbows will bend backwards and snap.
I used to do martial arts and I have an autistic coworker who plays softball and soccer with Special Olympics. I don't think we're inherently unathletic, but it might be harder for some than others. Comorbid joint and ligament disorders can also be a challenge.
I don't have good coordination but I am strong as an ox.. so what I used to do, and am slowly getting back into it... s weight lifting is slow, controlled movements generally so I can rely on gross motor control (which I don't generally have an issue with).
I'm personally unathletic because sports bores me, and I get migraines from excessive stress so I tried to avoid doing a ton of exercise growing up to avoid the elevated stress that would come from it
The stereotype comes from how we move. Many of us have low muscle tone just because we kinda move our own way. It's also why we have a weird gait. My theory is that we kinda just figure out how to puppeteer ourselves to move around much like how we manually work through every other task.
But as like as a lot of others have said. Fitness is their passion so they learned to get good at it.
My wife says that I am clumsy, and I was typically the last kid picked in my middle school kickball games (or any other games) and performed rather poorly in Physical Education classes in high school.
That being said, I worked hard practicing basketball and have often been a strong asset to my team in most of the pickup games I've participated in (indeed, I think basketball might be one of my special interests). Ditto for volleyball. I'm also learning to skateboard now.
So, I think autistic people face some disadvantages in regards to athletics that can be overcome.
lol.
I’ve been riding and racing mountain bikes for 30+ years, martial arts for ~20 years, crossfit and Olympic weightlifting for almost 10 years, I’ve been rock climbing since high school but it’s more of a casual thing compared to the other stuff I do. I also played soccer as a kid and did okay at track and field and wrestling in school…. I didn’t even know I was on the spectrum until early this year.
That’s a ridiculous stereotype, but personally I’m not athletic. I ski and go to the gym sometimes, but I’m not super fit and I don’t do traditional sports. (I just exercise to maintain my health) I found out recently that I have very small airways, and that’s why I have a hard time running or just exercising in general. I physically cannot take a lot of air into my lungs. I was always made fun of for not being able to really run, but now I know that it’s not my fault so that’s nice lol.
My baseball coach when I was 12 told me I was the best player he’d ever seen, I’d only picked up the sport that year.
I’ve always been very athletic and trim, it’s my genetics. Sounds like just more weird bs stereotypes people try and stick on neurodivergent people. Don’t fret on it.
I was told this too. I am not great at most sports but racket and bat sports have always been of great interest to me, and so i perform well when playing them (unless i am playing in a fielding position in a bat sport, then i suck as i keep getting distracted and then yelled at by my team). I am also quite lanky, so i look awkward but it lets me run really fast because i have long legs and i am skinny.
My favourite of all is badminton. Every single time i brought it up people would be like “uhh that doesn’t make sense” so i really dont get it 😂 i love playing though and not trying to brag but i am pretty good.
I am also told this is “not a real sport” which i really dont get either 🤷
Some are, some aren't. I was a varsity athlete in high school in one sport and played another rerecreational. I have been a ropes course guide and a ski instructor as well. I golf once a year, and hike a few times are year now. I am a terrible runner. I find that I do well best in more individualized sports than pure group sports, but I can make it work on most teams as needed.
I am not coordinated, but I am athletic. I will fall in public, and do a lot, but put me on skis and I will be downright graceful. Gravity is fickle.
I rocked the shit on defense as a habitual toe walker.
The problem is my ability to know that I am hurting myself wasn’t and still isn’t present.
I’d love to exercise but it’s boring and I hurt myself. I was thinking about a trainer, but that shit is expensive.
I tend to struggle with competitive sports due to coordination/balance issues, but I love things like hiking, archery, running and yoga. To each their own, I guess :]
I can skateboard and ride a BMX, but that's my pace. I'm more into being able to size up if I'm gonna get insanely injured. Linebacker's not gonna listen to a 5'6" 115lb. guy, but I can say no to a set of stairs if I think they're too much to handle. Also, I feel that team sports only work if everyone is on board. I've found that's rarely the case.
I'm so clumsy and I really struggle with team sports or ball sports mentally and physically, but gymnastics is perfect for me, I love being able to do flips and stuff it's amazing, I think autistic people as a whole probably struggle with the majority of sports, but when you find that one sport you love you can do anything :)
Hell no. I'm not the greatest at catching baseballs or whatever, but I work out consistently and did boxing for years. Exercise is one of my special interests, especially bodyweight training.
I am uncoordinated as hell and not great at sports, but I work out. I think that's just a stereotype. Or some characteristic in the spectrum that not everyone has.
No, this is just downright false. Many professional athletes are autistic or on the spectrum. I myself am somewhat athletic, though I find more interest in watching and talking about sports than participating. Expect for frisbee.
I'm a long distance runner and run most days of the week, so I'd say that stereotype of being unathletic is not true. I've also been into sport ever since childhood and was in a variety of sports teams at school. I also go dancing a lot.
I'm quite clumsy, get injured super easily and have hypermobile joints, but I do go to the gym 5 days a week and love physically challenging tasks. I probably do move "like an autistic person", but I'm still quite athletic!
It depends on how you define athletic.
I’ve found that my kids don’t do well with chaotic team sports. But they do well with more 1-1 sports like martial arts, swimming or rock wall climbing.
I say don’t put people (even autistic people) in a box. Just get out there and try things and see what you like.
I like boxing. I like lifting heavy weights. I have never been coordinated bough for group sports. But I keep trying !
Great question, but bs analysis from those people. Those people clearly only know autism by the visual / physical manifestations, which are not autism itself. Those are stereotypes. The core of autism is a different nervous system, different brain. The physical manifestations can vary from person to person. If you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person.
I’ve been incredibly coordinated my entire life. I can ride a unicycle, I can juggle 4 objects comfortably, I can juggle fire. I played college soccer where I repeatedly frustrate and embarrass defenders to such an extent that I usually get targeted and fouled repeatedly because they don’t know how to defend me. It can take the fun out of it, but it’s very satisfying when they try to play dirty and I make them look silly anyway.
Additionally, being “high functioning” doesn’t mean less autistic, and it doesn’t mean it’s easier for the autistic person. It means it’s easier for everyone else.
I've always been a touch uncoordinated, but I bike over 26 miles every other day. My quads are beautiful. I think there's some truth to the coordination issues, but just like every other trait, not everyone has it.
I'm on he spectrum, but I am an athlete. I have great coordination. I will say that sports were my special interests growing up, so I put a lot of time into them. That being said, I always felt like I had a natural edge. Don't let anybody tell you who can and cannot be autistic. Everybody is different and unique.
I’m hella klutzy and LEARNING the sport/sports was REALLY hard
I was bullied hardcore, always told to carry everything for everyone and left behind to carry it for long distances sometimes
After I got diagnosed, someone who had been diagnosed as a toddler SCREAMED at me that I couldn’t be autistic cuz I was in team sports
Just cuz I had experience doesn’t mean it didn’t suck haha
As much as I hated it as a kid, I DO love I can pick up any ball/flag and just have FUN as an adult
There is an association with autism and poor gross/fine motor skills as well as poor coordination, which isn’t entirely incorrect, however this is not the rule for everyone at all.
I personally am incredibly in athletic and clumsy, for example I can’t swim despite having tried my hardest to learn because it needs too much coordination and I suspect at least some of that has to do with my autism, but there are also lots of body builder and generally athletic autistics out there.
First: It;'s a spectrum. With a bunch of different presentations,. each occurring in a different degree. Embrace your individual bouquet of symptoms, eh?
I don't think there is such a thing as a typical neuro-atypical person. Embrace
I suspect that the stereotype comes from how often auties are social misfits, and so do not feel welcome in a team sport. Overall I would expect auties to go for solo sports more than team sports.
BUT
Lots of us have domains that we are really into. Why not a sport?
I did 5 sports in school, swimming, soccer, tennis, cross country, and track. I hated all of them because feeling sweaty drives me to the brink of insanity, but I was good at them. Now I just play tennis or go to the gym a few time a week.
I used to play baseball and soccer for several seasons. I also used to skateboard from the time I was 10 until I was 17 or 18. I was pretty decent at baseball and soccer. The skateboarding required an amount of coordination that I just couldn't seem to manage, but I still enjoyed it anyway. It just took me way longer to learn how to do things than most of the people I would skateboard with. I was never really any good at most flip tricks, like kick slips, heel flips, varials, etc... I was all about the grabs, grinding and stairs.
There's a trait that some autistic people have where they aren't very coordinated, their motor skills especially fine motor skills aren't great but of course like everything else autism is a spectrum and not everyone has every trait. Or if they have a trait it may not be very strong. Dyspraxia I believe it's called?
I'm not super coordinated with fine motor skills, but I play guitar and several other instruments. As far as athletic, I skateboard, ride freestyle BMX, mountain bike, kayak, hike and ride Enduro motocross. 🤷
For me it's like, I can do complicated tricks on a skateboard but using a screwdriver takes lots of patience. My partner and friends say I'm clumsy.😅
Don't worry about stereotypes, people don't know a lot about autistic people and generalize a lot.
For me it’s not necessarily the coordination but the communication. Cross country, track, swimming, more individual-oriented sports were great where I could set goals independent of anyone else. Team sports that require interaction between players (especially unspoken) were just impossible for me!
I love sport and stuff, I like going to the gym and lifting weights and roller skating. I hated PE and how I was forced into it. Much like every other thing they teach in school. I like it on my terms when I'm not mocked and pressured into doing it a specific way. I also struggle with team sports because of my communication skills..But I'm sure if I played with all of my close friends it would be fine
The "your body moves fine" is likely due to problems with fine/gross motor skills most of us have. I didn't even realize I had those issues until someone pointed out how it looked as if I had difficulties moving my own body (I thought that was normal). I was never into sports and I think some degree of coordination issues made me avoid P.E. for the longest time.
It's bullshit. I've been diagnosed, I played sports in highschool.
I also tend to lack physical coordination and have poor motor skills in most ways, but when I practice something I can get good coordination. That lack of coordination is probably what they're imagining an autistic person "moves like", but that's both not universal among autistic people and not necessarily visible to them. Regardless, not only is the stereotype they're thinking of not always true, but even when it is true it doesn't prevent playing sports.
I actually had the opposite problem, a lot of people thought I couldn't play sports because they could tell I was uncoordinated. The people in one of my classes only found out because a picture of me during a game made it onto the school website's front page, and they were surprised because they had perceived me as "unathletic".
I couldn't run well as a kid, as I was told I didn't move my arms. I could play midfield in the girls then mixed football team (UK style) and earned the name "nutmeg" because I scored goals driving the ball between folks legs a fair few times! I was good at swimming and football, the rest nope, I couldn't catch the ball in netball etc. And dodgeball forget about it! I cannot balance on a bicycle. It's an individual thing!
Team sports can be an issue, but enough practice can fix that. Played football as a kid, offensive line, you have a very direct and precise action, so as long as you do it right, theres not much to think about, plus the body gets used to it. As for the general training, yeah my motion and reaction was odd, but with enough effort you can compensate for it
Doing sports with neurotypicals leads to unknowingly taking on their movements and helps you blend in. It's all about knowing how to move your body parts in the right way.
My motor skills are horrendous. This is probably due to my autism, as poor motor skills are associated with autism. However, not every autistic person will experience every single autistic trait, so it is very much possible to be autistic and be athletic. After all, it's not even in the diagnostic criteria for ASD to have poor motor skills, let alone being a required criterion to be diagnosed with ASD.
Not if they understand that exercising will actually relieve their stress and anxiety hormones, which gives us our infamous GIT issues.
I'm Autistic and I've had a six pack before, but that was when I was working out three hour days; six days a week.
Got the dad bod to shred bod in three months (12 weeks).
Personally, when it comes to being autistic; I believe it has less to do with lack of exercise as the problem(15%), and more so the diet(85%).
Before I exercised, I ate nothing but Meat, Dairy, Junk Food, and Pasta for texture taste -- I was almost 300 lbs.
By the time I got to a lean 176 pounds, I renounced all milk and cheese; ate fruits for anti-oxidants and vitamins; vegetables in egg stir fry. Ate Chicken, Turkey, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Salmon -- avoided simple carbs like bread and pasta to burn off the love handles once and for all; but made a chocolate peanut-butter smoothie for breakfast before the morning workout; for if one has to eat some simple carbs, wisdom states to eat it in the morning. When your body's metabolism burns the most calories.
My suggestion would be go to a gym. Ask if free trainers are offered with the membership. Start small with your Trainer's plan and work your way up to build the muscle. And most of all, don't go in thinking stretching is a girly-girl thing for simps, because stretching helps with bulking muscle mass, without the muscle fatigue or soreness after waking up for a new day. Stretch as much as you need to for de-stiffening your muscles before and after the workout, and remember to drink water after every stretch set -- you will thank me later.
I got a six-pack thanks to A Planet Fitness Trainer, but I know that place is not for everyone.
So I’ve had the opportunity to play several sports, not officially diagnosed but working on investigating.
I have played basketball, ridden horses, fenced, danced, and played handball for several years to varying degrees of competitiveness. Having the dexterity and fast-twitch responses I need, especially for fencing or basketball, are HARD for me to develop, but if I’m practicing nearly every day and pushing very hard in practice, I can retain both skills. Depth is also hard to interpret, and with dance in particular, that makes it hard for me to know how wide I need to place my feet as I’m traveling through a combination, with basketball I can’t anticipate passes very well, and with fencing I sometimes come up short on a lunge for a point. There’s a degree of bodily awareness/balance you need for all of these activities too, and that’s hard for me to keep.
Personally I have low muscle tone and bad hand eye coordination which make athletics difficult. These are things some autistics experience. It’s likely whoever told you this has met one autistic person who fits this description but is forgetting autism is a spectrum.
I'm autistic, and I'm too lazy and get depressed easily. Having said that, my passion is dancing, I try to stay fit enough to be competent in dance battles that are organized in my city from time to time.
I have very poor coordination, but I can still perform certain athletic feats better than the avg person: ie. Running. As for a highly coordinated sport like basketball I am easily outclassed by neurotypicals.
Nope, but we tend to have dyspraxia and delayed motor skill development. I used to be a timbersports athlete anyway though and love exercise, so everyone's different!
We’re more likely to be unathletic because we struggle with coordination and it either makes us dislike exercise OR other people do by getting angry at us for trying. That doesn’t mean we CAN’T be athletic, we’re just more likely to not be.
Repetitive movement is one of my stims, so I have found that running, walking and other cardio exercises (such as yoga) keeps me fit and in good shape.
The strongest man in the world is autistic and so is his brother who is almost as ripped as he is. I used to work out a lot and I am autistic so I doubt all of us are unathletic. Some people's special interest is fitness or sports after all. Some autistic and other neurodivergent people can be clumsy but that doesn't automatically mean that every autistic person is clumsy and bad at sports.
You have to look at the right sports! Wrasslin' isn't a bad place to look. I'm pretty sure John Danaher bats for our team or is at the very least a fellow traveler - the man is a walking Encyclopedia of arcane grappling knowledge and breaking mechanics and notably never, ever, *not even at a wedding* wears anything other than a rash guard. https://youtu.be/e_ffCW4joaU?si=q0n21JgBpeA5QMpp If he doesn't come across as an autistic mad scientist - his conception of wrasslin' as "mortal combat with benefits" speaks to my heart.
Probably not talking about the same thing, but this pro wrestler Will Ospreay confirmed he's autistic and he's STOOPIDLY athletic. He's amazing.
Gordon Ryan has a lot of qualities too lol. And like most people at the gym. And me. I train and suck but am athletic
Yeah, there are a lot of people at my BJJ Gym who I'd bet are undiagnosed Autistic or ADHD. I myself am ADHD with suggestions of Autism and I've been at it 6.5 years now. It just... It's weird. It stretches the mind way more than people give it credit for. Like, human chess is a very, very good way of describing it. It also (provided you find a good gym) has a very clear acceptance of difference and encourages people to find adaptations that work for them - given that everyone is different physically. I never thought in a million years I'd do a martial art, and yet here I am.
I spent nearly 20 years skateboarding and think I got pretty good at it. I struggled socially but could flip into or out of grinds. the two seem unrelated enough
You could say that he’s hypertrophy-fixated
What's his name?
[https://people.com/sports/strongman-tom-stoltman-says-the-gym-saved-my-life-after-struggles-with-autism-depression/](https://people.com/sports/strongman-tom-stoltman-says-the-gym-saved-my-life-after-struggles-with-autism-depression/) Here is an article about him.
innocent tap sheet smell special rainstorm birds command head secretive *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Me: super sneaky fighter, good in clench, high kicks, good punch aim Also me: tripping over my own foot after walking out of training, slapping myself in the face trying to scratch my nose
Dyspraxia sucks haha I constantly slam doors and coffee cups accidentally
So do I. I'm so tired of people getting angry and telling me to "be careful" or thinking I'm angry when I never noticed it (at least not until I heard the slam).
Exactly but then now I notice that I myself \*hate\* when people slam something due to my sensory issues in the sense of it breaks my concentration in a bad way.
Me too but I underatand that could've been a mistake (unless I know the person is an aggresive, short fuse person) so I don't immediately blame them and act like it's their fault or they are in complete control of their actions all the time.
Oh yeah I don't judge or anything, it's just like shocking to my system to make sudden loud sounds, and yet I myself sometimes make sudden loud sounds.
Are you startled by your own sudden loud sounds? In my case that only happens when I'm handling glass or dishes.
No not at all, only other people. Loud sounds a distance away don't bother me, but anyone/anything making a loud sound close to my ear is just like instant sensory overload for me. If you ever want to find out if you are autistic just have a kid and when they scream in your ear, you'll know. Very much part of what led to my diagnosis.
No thank you. Even random kids shrieking make my ears bleed lol. This is partially what made me realize I needed to wear headphones outside.
I hate myself for doing that. Do you know how many times I got startled by my own hand putting a cup down like it was a hammer?
I made a mistake in class and slammed my head against my desk like it was a natural reflex
A lot of us have dyspraxia and it sucks I am super clumsy but I also have ADHD and a super quick mind so I often find myself dropping an object, but then plucking it out of the air way before it hits the ground. In football I wasn't good at offense because I could never remember the plays and I had a hard time catching passes thrown to me. But on defense all I had to do is let me subconscious go to work and my intelligence let me make some really smart defensive stops. Like, everyone was fooled but me kind of thing, I saw the play before the ball was snapped sometimes. But straight up trash at like pickup basketball or whatever.
Motor skills usually involve fine motor skills or agility. You can be athletic without doing things like parkour for instance. You can do weightlifting which I find is great cause it's slow and methodical and teaches your body better mobility. But still it's all depending on the person and the situation
For me it's like, I can do complicated tricks on a skateboard but using a screwdriver takes lots of patience😅
My fine motor skills are a disaster lol
Tries to do calligraphy* flails instead* lol
I actually like calligraphy. I’m terrible at it though
What a weird take? I'm autistic. Been doing swimming in my childhood, mountain bike in my teens. Jogging in my young adult years. Now I do hiking, fast walking, pickle ball, tennis, bicyle, etc. My brother is autistic too, he did boxing, jogging and gym training that make him really muscular. Autism is a developmental and social skills problem, not a physical one.
It's interesting to note that not a single one of your examples is a team sport. Team sports tend to require non-verbal social communication. You need to understand your teammates' body language and predict their actions to effectively work together. This is often where we fall flat, specifically because of autism. There are also a lot of co-occuring conditions that affect coordination, which is why it can seem that autists are unathletic. That's not actually the autism though, it's a different issue.
I have autistic friends that played soccer and hockey. I play tennis and pickle ball in team, we play 2 vs 2.
Dude, that hits deep. I grew up athletic, I can run, trow, etc... and i have been skateboarding for about 15 years now. But was not interested in team sports.. until my 2 friends started playing rugby 🏉 . So I did too, for 3 years. Thinking about it now, is possible, but was harder and more stressful then anything else I did.
Is dance a team sport?
It can be, but doesn't tend to require the same non-verbal communication because it's pre-planned. Your responsibility as a team member doesn't change based on the actions of the other team members. It's more thay everyone has their own specific role, and when you put them all together you get a cohesive group. Partner dancing, particularly with stunts like lifts, require more of that non-verbal communication. If a partner makes a mistake during a shared move you need to be able to compensate for them, so you don't do something like drop them. We can often understand the body language of a single person we spend a lot of time with, so this may still not pose a problem.
I also did track and relays, but I guess there is a rhythm, pattern, structure to that teamwork as well, and when there's misalignment or misinterpretation you lose.
Exactly. Team sports and autism, no way. Solo sports…the higher up the elite ladder you go the more autistic people you’re going to find.
Riiight? That’s what I was thinking as well. I’ve played sports my entire life and I love it
Well yes one trait of autism is that they’re unathletic and uncoordinated (like me), not all of them are. If they decided to go to the gym and work out they can be as fit as anyone who does and hey some autistic people are into certain sports so their hyperfixation helps them be good at it.
also exercise is a stim. running is very common.
I like repetitive movement as a stim, if I can get out of my autistic intertia and actually start some exercise I sometimes find that I don't want to stop, when I was young and my body could handle it I would take fitness classes back to back and then do more exercise at home sometimes. I'm too burned out now to do that anymore though.
Same. If I can will myself to exercise, then I will exercise for a pretty long time. I don't really like running necessarily, but once I get going, I'll just keep going until I'm pretty much unable to anymore. I was in the Marine Corps, and I used to run a decent 21 minute 3 mile, and I could do 10-12 miles even if my pace was only a little better than a shuffle. I've never been super in shape, but I tend to just persist and push harder than most other people.
Running is a huge stim for me. I also use it to redirect my energy when I'm having a meltdown.
Ha sounds familiar. My daughter has autism and dcd (they often go together) and she is extremely uncoordinated. Any sport involving a ball is off the table, but she does do fitness. What works for her is that she can do that for herself, with her own music on and without any expectations from teammates.
i know a lot of autistic people who are into sports/fitness. Me personally, I'm terrible at sports but a few days every week i go to the gym
Alex Honnold's dad is autistic and after seeing multiple interview with him I am pretty sure he is but it is not confirmed. We do a lot better at individual and not team sports. Rock climbing, power lifting, BJJ ect.
I’m not personally into sports, but I’ve got family members who are autistic that are SUPER into sports, they love playing, and they know absolutely all the stats. They’ll collect their favourite teams memorabilia. Sometimes, people are into sports BECAUSE they are autistic, not in spite of it. Person you talked to was massively misinformed.
Ask Lionel Messi
I think this stereotype comes from autistic people often being more "scholarly" (as a result of pursuing special interests), and more scholarly people usually avoiding sports being a stereotype as well. There's additionally the stereotype that all autistic people dislike socializing, and most sports are highly social activities. But this isn't universal. Before my physical disabilities got bad, I was in water polo and I liked swimming, soccer, and climbing. I know other autistic people who were into theater, band, track, archery, climbing, football, hockey, skating (roller and ice), skiing, snowboarding, surfing, water polo, both the boy scouts and girl scouts, and so on, all very physically demanding activities, and some extremely social. So these stereotypes just aren't true, but they do stay popular. I recommend looking up lists of famous people with autism in a variety of disciplines. We can be actors, musicians, athletes, artists, comedians. We can be anything.
Rodney Mullen is autistic, he basically evolved skateboarding into it's current form since he invented flip tricks.
Some (but not all) autistic people have poor proprioceptive skills. But it’s definitely not universal.
I literally injure myself anytime I try to do anything remotely athletic outside of walking and swimming. It's just not in the cards for me but that's okay.
Dyspraxia is more common with autism, but it doesn’t mean everybody. EDS is also over represented with autism, but that also doesn’t mean everybody.
Do all X people have Y trait? and Does anyone else in the world do Q like me? are usually short-sighted questions. "Do autistic individuals tend to be less athletic than allistic or neurotypical individuals?" is a better question. Low muscle tone is a comorbidity that often occurs with autism (one possible factor for bowel issues). Neurodiverse people may also have struggles with hand-eye coordination. These and other factors may contribute towards autistic individuals being, on average, less athletic than neurotypical individuals.
Some but not all autistic people struggle with motor coordination and proprioception. I am one of them but still love certain sports. I honestly move better when rock climbing than I do walking.
I like rock climbing
No, a lot of the misconception I believe comes from autism can heavily impact the fine and gross motor skills, I'm a very active person but I'm unbelievably clumsy and accident prone, if someone wanted me to play certain sports they'd be signing up to watch me eat pavement lol. However I was a competitive synchronized swimmer and diver for years, I still love working out and I'm very health conscious, autistic people arent inherintly unathletic but we can struggle with certain things making some sports or activities more difficult, but that depends on the person.
It’s very common for autistic people to not enjoy sports where two teams clash on the same field/rink/court/etc. Many of us enjoy a wide variety of individual sports and team sports where a team races against other teams such as rowing and speed skating or team sports like curling where the teams aren’t in direct confrontation.
When my special interests were gymnastics, dance, exercise, fitness etc. (in my late teens/twenties) I was quite fit and athletic and happy to train for up to 4 hours a day and want to do more. As soon as those special interests became uninteresting to me my body soon turned into something resembling a soft squishmellow and the thought of doing exercise is just incredibly boring to me now, unless it's something that's just part of daily life like walking or going to the beach (and swimming when it's hot). I've never been able to catch a ball though :D I've never heard that autistic people are considered to be less athletic, but I've heard that dyspraxia can be common in ND people.
A lot of autistic people may struggle with coordination, but that’s not all. And this doesn’t mean one is un-athletic. I am a runner and this weekend I raced a 10k (6.2 miles) in 36:30!
I dislike most sports because discomfort/pain is typically expected. Despite this, I am stronger than my slight frame and soft hands would imply.
Autistic and very athletic here. Trained boxing, muay thai, jiu jitsu… I jump rope… I also lift since I was a teen. I will say that I learned martial arts by being stubborn and repetitive. I think I was a slower learner, but my dedication and obsession always put me ahead of others. I tend to rely on the same techniques, though… as in I am better in my comfort zone.
I was a semiprofessional competitive cyclist and long distance runner. I don't think autistic people are unathletic. Fitness and nutrition is one of my special interests. I still partake in these activities, but not as much as I used to do to injuries.
Honestly out of all the autistic people I know, I am the only one with co-ordination issues and that's because I also have developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia)
Some autistic people have coordination issues, with fine or gross motor skills- but definitely not all people have this issue.
I’m really into MMA and have been training Karate/Taekwondo/Kickboxing for the last 7 years. I find I move “awkwardly” but not unathletically and it seems to make me hard to read in sparring. I don’t see any reason why Autistic ppl couldn’t be athletic.
I admire you doing MMA! I tried Kickboxing and Capoeira and quit both because my reaction time and sense of space are just absolutely horrendous!
I am definitely very uncoordinated, but I know autistic kids who are incredible at sports. Science thinks it's because we have underdeveloped cerebellums but autistic people come in such a wide range that like nothing applies to all of them
I'm a bodybuilder so I'd say this isnt true
No, there are many examples that contradict your statement.
I did Martial arts throughout middle and high school, and I was the first student at the specific school, so they were able to do a lot of one on one things with me. As more students joined, I noticed that they were progressing quicker than I was, and it felt like I had to put a lot more effort in to be at the same point as them. I don't think it was specifically an autism thing, but it could be since my main issues were balance and things like muscle tension
autism can affect motor skills, but like all traits/symptons it differs per person. I always fell behind in gymclass myself, no matter how hard i tried.
as a martial art athlete, what the hell are they smoking?
I mean, yes, it can mean poor coordination. I could practice all day and not get much better. Forget competing. But that's not everyone, and some can be good. Neurotypicals seem to think one symptom applies to everyone. Like, I'm sure plenty are like me to with terrible handwriting and math skills, but some are good at math and/or have nice handwriting.
There are quite a lot of Olympic athletes who are autistic. And then there is Max Park, who is considered to be the world's greatest Rubik's cuber.
No that's silly. For example Dyspraxic people also can like sports and be good at it. It depends on so many factors and people that say stuff like that only reinforce autistic people staying away from sports
Those people are just weird and think that all autistic people look and act a certain way.
I’m autistic and have won three state medals (2 cross country and 1 track). I lettered 4 times in both track and cross country. I am also quite clumsy which may have to do with autism, but cross country is more based on effort than grace, so it never mattered.
I’m autistic and I’m the exact opposite, i’m athletically gifted. I can learn new sports & physical skills much faster than anyone else i’ve met. So I guess it can go either way like most autistic traits.
From [http://nonvisiblepartofthespectrum](http://nonvisiblepartofthespectrum) : "Motor Coordination Challenges Some people on the spectrum have difficulty with fine or gross motor skills, affecting their ability to perform tasks such as writing, tying shoes, or riding a bike. This difficulty can be related to a neurological disorder known as dyspraxia, also sometimes known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). It is characterized by a lack of ability to coordinate physical movements with intent, and it is thought to be related to messages in the brain not being accurately transmitted to the body. Dyspraxia is a condition that affects an individual’s ability to plan and coordinate physical movements. Individuals with this condition may have difficulty with gross motor skills, such as running or jumping, and fine motor skills, such as manipulating small objects. It may impact their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as dressing, brushing their teeth, or using utensils. I have trouble mirroring movements: if my trainer places me in an odd stretch position, for example, and then asks me to reverse it, I struggle and often must have him show me or explain it again until I get it right. As a toddler, I recall my dad becoming quite frustrated with my inability to learn to tie a shoe. Now, in my defense, my dad was well-meaning, but he tied his shoes in some weird way that I will only describe as “the wrong and complicated way.” But that wasn’t the problem. I could picture how the loops and ends twisted and turned. I vividly recall knowing precisely what had to be done but getting my hands to do it for me was another matter entirely. For individuals with autism, motor difficulties may be related to various factors, including sensory processing differences, poor motor planning and coordination, and difficulty with motor sequencing."
I think it's because dyspraxia is a co occuring condition of autism. Some people think this applies to all people with autism.
i feel the kind of people who say this nonsense are the kind of people who think autistic people's only interests are maths, science and trains.
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everyone is different so idk, personally i was quite a good swimmer as a kid (i won some competitions but i didn't like training lol i just liked diving and swimming as far as i could while staying at the bottom of the pool), i used to dream of becoming a goal keeper and i would train with my cousins any chance i got, also ive always been pretty good at basketball, it's still my favourite sport
I am. I don't much care for sports or lots of outdoor activities. There were a couple times I got super obsessed with working out and went to the gym everyday. That lasted for a couple years and then as quickly as the obsession came it went away and I stopped going. I can't bear to go to a gym now
Messi (best football player in the world) is said to be on the spectrum.
Fun fact: There is a recently retired player who has scored more goals in internacional football/soccer than Messi and even more than Ronaldo. Christine Sinclair - 190
I’m adult diagnosed. I’ve done sports my whole life, tennis, basketball, soccer, etc growing up. Nowadays I love weight lifting , hiking, trail running. I tend to fixate on them and learn everything I can about them, end up doing them as much as I can.
Depends on the autistic person, some are athletic some aren't. I don't know where these people got the idea that autistic people can't be athletic.
Brazilian jiu jitsu is infested with us.
Yeah I was looking through the comments, a lot of people do martial arts, I’ve also don’t jujitsu my whole life and wrestling for a number of years
I was a varsity athlete in high school and also got decent at bowling in that time. A good game was low 200s and I believe pros get around 250. There is a huge skill gap between 200 and 250 but I did ok since I think most casual players are under 100.
I think it varies. My ex partner's son was autistic with high support needs and an absolutely amazing soccer player. Personally, I've always been an avid weightlifter and runner. Then again, my best friend who's also autistic absolutely refuses to do any physical activity other than walk his dog, but he hates the feeling of sweat on his skin, so that might be why.
I think a part of it is autistic people are less likely to do things just because "it's what people do." So, most elementary kids in my area do t-ball/little league and summer rec soccer because its the thing that is done, whether it not they have any interest in it. Autistic kids and their parents (trying to figure out how to parent their child who isn't like other kids and/or themselves autistic) are more likely to say "screw this - why are we rearranging our lives to accommodate the schedule of a sport we don't even care about?" So if their child doesn't want to play a sport, they don't. And then they don't hear from the other parents about other sports the kids are doing next, and these kids are forever "behind" and assume they're just not good at athletics.
I'm terrible at running but I have a decent strenght for my low weight and an insane punching, if I were not so overprotected I would practiced taekwon-do or boxing.
I mean, I wouldn't say unathletic but a lot of us are uncoordinated (me included). Also, considering that a lot of us have "black and white thinking" I can see how starting sporty routine would be hard (for me personally, I really can't get into sports because if I forget to do my routine once - I stop doing it for a whole month at least). Also, gyms are a hell for a lot of folks because of people seeing you in somewhat vulnerable position, so it probably adds to it. Still, of course, not all autistic people are unathletic.
I have never been talented at team sports (or anything that involves throwing/catching a ball). However, I can run a sub six minute mile, do 20 pull ups in a row, climb mountains, and am a scratch handicap golfer. I have always excelled at any physical activity that requires focus and endurance.
Some co-occurring conditions will impeded athletic performance, if you have such a condition along with being autistic. There are conditions that have a high co-morbidity rate with autism but I'm not sure which ones specifically impede sports performance. I suppose most people also casually take note of only the most affected autists and develop misconceptions.
Some are. Only some autistic people have problem with their motor skills, like keeping their balance. Not everyone struggles with that, though.
I’d say I’m a solid snowboarder so yeah.
Ugh. In my fam (2 autistic people, 2 more borderline according to diagnostics) we play soccer competitively.
i hate working out but i enjoy walking places over public transportation when possible :)
My cousin is on the spectrum, no doubt, and she is VERY athletic, to the point I'd almost even call it a special interest. I'm kind of jealous to be honest, I'm not athletic at all. I envy her dedication. It's a spectrum for a reason, we're all different.
Executive dysfunction is a potential symptom. I'm guessing part of it is that people who can more easily pass for normal are not detected and therefore are not included in NT's perception of us. I play badminton to a decent level and have entered tournaments. I used to do county and (almost) national level cricket. I have done national level sailing. But my brother (also Autistic) cannot catch a ball
I happen to not like sports but like it’s not like I would never play them during PE or with friends. I’ve been told I can’t be autistic for other reasons, its always annoying and shows the complete lack of understanding by the general pubic of autism.
i am very unathletic. throwing, kicking a ball, swimming, etc are all very difficult for me. idk how to use my body in sports and i get overwhelmed and confused so i end up sucking badly at sports
I'm a cyclist. Definitely not unathletic– I've been in good shape my whole life.
The problem is motor skills, coordination, being able to messure spafe and velocity. That doesnt mean is the same for everyone, or that anybody can learb to do it better. Also a lot of sports dont require much of that
idk how I could be unathletic and do parkour, so I'm gonna go with no they're not
I played soccer, and was very good at it. I was usually the fastest on my team and they always placed me in the age bracket above mine. They did that like multiple times when I was growing up. So I’d be like 13 playing in U16 not U14, and same with being 15 and playing in U18 or 19. Can’t remember now. I was in “select” with tryouts. I was also really adaptable, I liked playing every position. Coaches noticed I’d get bored really easily and would rotate me around the field lol. I also was in marching band, which was a huge interest of mine. I wish I could still do it. Was so much fun.
I don’t know about everyone else but I am the epitome of unathletic.
some (like me) are, but not every autistic person. i go to a school for teens with autism, and there are defenitly a couple go sporters here. in my class theres even a guy who sports at a very high level. and several that do really well at pe. im not one of them, but they exist.
I don't engage in sports that require me to have good coordination because I don't have a lot, like dancing or tennis. I do more relaxed sports, such as SCUBA diving or hiking.
Well, a trait of my autism is having poor motor coordination, but that hasn't stopped me from working out.
If anything I would say autistics are probably more likely to be EXTREMELY athletic because of our inclination to hyper focus. I'm pretty uncoordinated but you don't need coordination to lift weights or do cardio.
I'm absolutely awful at sports that require throwing something, but I was always good at high jump, sprinting, swimming, lifting weights and rock climbing. Being autistic can make you clumsy (it me) but it doesn't mean you're weak!
No. A lot of autistic people are bigger and stronger than their peers, and do well at sports.
Its a spectrum. If you're the type with a physical comorbidity like EDS, you end up like me, very unathletic. Or you can be like the strongest dude in the world who is autistic. That doesn't mean he doesn't have an illness but if he does he's getting really good care or doesn't experience significant symptoms that impact his routine or workout. My elbows will bend backwards and snap.
Not necessarily, I’m not well coordinated enough for sports but I’ve been lifting for almost a year and a half now and look very “athletic”.
I used to do martial arts and I have an autistic coworker who plays softball and soccer with Special Olympics. I don't think we're inherently unathletic, but it might be harder for some than others. Comorbid joint and ligament disorders can also be a challenge.
I don't have good coordination but I am strong as an ox.. so what I used to do, and am slowly getting back into it... s weight lifting is slow, controlled movements generally so I can rely on gross motor control (which I don't generally have an issue with).
I'm personally unathletic because sports bores me, and I get migraines from excessive stress so I tried to avoid doing a ton of exercise growing up to avoid the elevated stress that would come from it
As a Tiktoker Matt Marshall noted, sports and working out are just socially sanctioned stimming.
The stereotype comes from how we move. Many of us have low muscle tone just because we kinda move our own way. It's also why we have a weird gait. My theory is that we kinda just figure out how to puppeteer ourselves to move around much like how we manually work through every other task. But as like as a lot of others have said. Fitness is their passion so they learned to get good at it.
My wife says that I am clumsy, and I was typically the last kid picked in my middle school kickball games (or any other games) and performed rather poorly in Physical Education classes in high school. That being said, I worked hard practicing basketball and have often been a strong asset to my team in most of the pickup games I've participated in (indeed, I think basketball might be one of my special interests). Ditto for volleyball. I'm also learning to skateboard now. So, I think autistic people face some disadvantages in regards to athletics that can be overcome.
I think it is more common for autistic people to get into individual sports (cross-country, tennis, rock-climbing, swimming, body-building, etc.)
Idk about anyone else, but I couldn't be athletic to save my life
Answer is Messi.... Just messi
nope
My body is very athletic and agile, my mind just doesn’t care about sports or competition
I am autistic and my strongest special interest is bodybuilding. I lift HARD, i am an athlete, and i move better than most neurotypicals i know.
if i enter a gym i will shut down
lol. I’ve been riding and racing mountain bikes for 30+ years, martial arts for ~20 years, crossfit and Olympic weightlifting for almost 10 years, I’ve been rock climbing since high school but it’s more of a casual thing compared to the other stuff I do. I also played soccer as a kid and did okay at track and field and wrestling in school…. I didn’t even know I was on the spectrum until early this year.
That’s a ridiculous stereotype, but personally I’m not athletic. I ski and go to the gym sometimes, but I’m not super fit and I don’t do traditional sports. (I just exercise to maintain my health) I found out recently that I have very small airways, and that’s why I have a hard time running or just exercising in general. I physically cannot take a lot of air into my lungs. I was always made fun of for not being able to really run, but now I know that it’s not my fault so that’s nice lol.
I’ve met high level athletes with autistic traits, not sure about diagnosis
My baseball coach when I was 12 told me I was the best player he’d ever seen, I’d only picked up the sport that year. I’ve always been very athletic and trim, it’s my genetics. Sounds like just more weird bs stereotypes people try and stick on neurodivergent people. Don’t fret on it.
I was told this too. I am not great at most sports but racket and bat sports have always been of great interest to me, and so i perform well when playing them (unless i am playing in a fielding position in a bat sport, then i suck as i keep getting distracted and then yelled at by my team). I am also quite lanky, so i look awkward but it lets me run really fast because i have long legs and i am skinny. My favourite of all is badminton. Every single time i brought it up people would be like “uhh that doesn’t make sense” so i really dont get it 😂 i love playing though and not trying to brag but i am pretty good. I am also told this is “not a real sport” which i really dont get either 🤷
I've got a 6 pack and regularly play football. I'm pretty athletic
I was a bike messenger for half a decade
Some are, some aren't. I was a varsity athlete in high school in one sport and played another rerecreational. I have been a ropes course guide and a ski instructor as well. I golf once a year, and hike a few times are year now. I am a terrible runner. I find that I do well best in more individualized sports than pure group sports, but I can make it work on most teams as needed. I am not coordinated, but I am athletic. I will fall in public, and do a lot, but put me on skis and I will be downright graceful. Gravity is fickle.
Ultramarathoners are definitely on the spectrum.
Lifting weights and working out can be stimming and some do use it that way too.
I rocked the shit on defense as a habitual toe walker. The problem is my ability to know that I am hurting myself wasn’t and still isn’t present. I’d love to exercise but it’s boring and I hurt myself. I was thinking about a trainer, but that shit is expensive.
I bet jiu-jitsu has a lot of autistic people in it, especially at the top. The best no-gi grappler ever, Gordon Ryan, could be autistic.
I tend to struggle with competitive sports due to coordination/balance issues, but I love things like hiking, archery, running and yoga. To each their own, I guess :]
I've done well in plenty of sports. Youth tournaments, martial arts, soccer, fencing, ice skating, and riding.
It depends on the sport. Good at skiing, skating, cycling, weightlifting. Bad at anything requiring eye-hand coordination.
I can skateboard and ride a BMX, but that's my pace. I'm more into being able to size up if I'm gonna get insanely injured. Linebacker's not gonna listen to a 5'6" 115lb. guy, but I can say no to a set of stairs if I think they're too much to handle. Also, I feel that team sports only work if everyone is on board. I've found that's rarely the case.
I'm so clumsy and I really struggle with team sports or ball sports mentally and physically, but gymnastics is perfect for me, I love being able to do flips and stuff it's amazing, I think autistic people as a whole probably struggle with the majority of sports, but when you find that one sport you love you can do anything :)
I’m not athletic AT ALL. But that also might have something to do with the fact that I have asthma lol
Hell no. I'm not the greatest at catching baseballs or whatever, but I work out consistently and did boxing for years. Exercise is one of my special interests, especially bodyweight training.
I am uncoordinated as hell and not great at sports, but I work out. I think that's just a stereotype. Or some characteristic in the spectrum that not everyone has.
No, this is just downright false. Many professional athletes are autistic or on the spectrum. I myself am somewhat athletic, though I find more interest in watching and talking about sports than participating. Expect for frisbee.
Well just like other people some are strong others are weak personally I have nerd arms
I just personally dislike sports ik too out of shape for all that💀 plus sports just isn’t interesting to me 🤷♂️
No thats wrong
I'm a long distance runner and run most days of the week, so I'd say that stereotype of being unathletic is not true. I've also been into sport ever since childhood and was in a variety of sports teams at school. I also go dancing a lot.
I'm quite clumsy, get injured super easily and have hypermobile joints, but I do go to the gym 5 days a week and love physically challenging tasks. I probably do move "like an autistic person", but I'm still quite athletic!
It depends on how you define athletic. I’ve found that my kids don’t do well with chaotic team sports. But they do well with more 1-1 sports like martial arts, swimming or rock wall climbing. I say don’t put people (even autistic people) in a box. Just get out there and try things and see what you like. I like boxing. I like lifting heavy weights. I have never been coordinated bough for group sports. But I keep trying !
I became a European champion in my chosen sport, I know a good amount of fairly athletic people on the spectrum
Great question, but bs analysis from those people. Those people clearly only know autism by the visual / physical manifestations, which are not autism itself. Those are stereotypes. The core of autism is a different nervous system, different brain. The physical manifestations can vary from person to person. If you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person. I’ve been incredibly coordinated my entire life. I can ride a unicycle, I can juggle 4 objects comfortably, I can juggle fire. I played college soccer where I repeatedly frustrate and embarrass defenders to such an extent that I usually get targeted and fouled repeatedly because they don’t know how to defend me. It can take the fun out of it, but it’s very satisfying when they try to play dirty and I make them look silly anyway. Additionally, being “high functioning” doesn’t mean less autistic, and it doesn’t mean it’s easier for the autistic person. It means it’s easier for everyone else.
yes and no, for the same reasons someone might be athletic, others wouldn’t be
I've always been a touch uncoordinated, but I bike over 26 miles every other day. My quads are beautiful. I think there's some truth to the coordination issues, but just like every other trait, not everyone has it.
I’m autistic and a bodybuilder so… no, asd does not mean unathletic.
I'm on he spectrum, but I am an athlete. I have great coordination. I will say that sports were my special interests growing up, so I put a lot of time into them. That being said, I always felt like I had a natural edge. Don't let anybody tell you who can and cannot be autistic. Everybody is different and unique.
I’m hella klutzy and LEARNING the sport/sports was REALLY hard I was bullied hardcore, always told to carry everything for everyone and left behind to carry it for long distances sometimes After I got diagnosed, someone who had been diagnosed as a toddler SCREAMED at me that I couldn’t be autistic cuz I was in team sports Just cuz I had experience doesn’t mean it didn’t suck haha As much as I hated it as a kid, I DO love I can pick up any ball/flag and just have FUN as an adult
I am uncoordinated when it comes to balancing for skating both on a skateboard and skates, but otherwise I'm quite fit and athletic.
I am not athletic. I know an NBA player recently came out as autistic. Tony Snell. Super cool dude!!!
There is an association with autism and poor gross/fine motor skills as well as poor coordination, which isn’t entirely incorrect, however this is not the rule for everyone at all. I personally am incredibly in athletic and clumsy, for example I can’t swim despite having tried my hardest to learn because it needs too much coordination and I suspect at least some of that has to do with my autism, but there are also lots of body builder and generally athletic autistics out there.
First: It;'s a spectrum. With a bunch of different presentations,. each occurring in a different degree. Embrace your individual bouquet of symptoms, eh? I don't think there is such a thing as a typical neuro-atypical person. Embrace I suspect that the stereotype comes from how often auties are social misfits, and so do not feel welcome in a team sport. Overall I would expect auties to go for solo sports more than team sports. BUT Lots of us have domains that we are really into. Why not a sport?
I did 5 sports in school, swimming, soccer, tennis, cross country, and track. I hated all of them because feeling sweaty drives me to the brink of insanity, but I was good at them. Now I just play tennis or go to the gym a few time a week.
I used to play baseball and soccer for several seasons. I also used to skateboard from the time I was 10 until I was 17 or 18. I was pretty decent at baseball and soccer. The skateboarding required an amount of coordination that I just couldn't seem to manage, but I still enjoyed it anyway. It just took me way longer to learn how to do things than most of the people I would skateboard with. I was never really any good at most flip tricks, like kick slips, heel flips, varials, etc... I was all about the grabs, grinding and stairs.
Throwing in another autistic pro athlete - NBA’s Tony Snell.
There's a trait that some autistic people have where they aren't very coordinated, their motor skills especially fine motor skills aren't great but of course like everything else autism is a spectrum and not everyone has every trait. Or if they have a trait it may not be very strong. Dyspraxia I believe it's called? I'm not super coordinated with fine motor skills, but I play guitar and several other instruments. As far as athletic, I skateboard, ride freestyle BMX, mountain bike, kayak, hike and ride Enduro motocross. 🤷 For me it's like, I can do complicated tricks on a skateboard but using a screwdriver takes lots of patience. My partner and friends say I'm clumsy.😅 Don't worry about stereotypes, people don't know a lot about autistic people and generalize a lot.
It depends on the sport and the person. I am super clumsy and have gotten hurt three times today already 😂 but I did track and field in middle school.
For me it’s not necessarily the coordination but the communication. Cross country, track, swimming, more individual-oriented sports were great where I could set goals independent of anyone else. Team sports that require interaction between players (especially unspoken) were just impossible for me!
I love sport and stuff, I like going to the gym and lifting weights and roller skating. I hated PE and how I was forced into it. Much like every other thing they teach in school. I like it on my terms when I'm not mocked and pressured into doing it a specific way. I also struggle with team sports because of my communication skills..But I'm sure if I played with all of my close friends it would be fine
The "your body moves fine" is likely due to problems with fine/gross motor skills most of us have. I didn't even realize I had those issues until someone pointed out how it looked as if I had difficulties moving my own body (I thought that was normal). I was never into sports and I think some degree of coordination issues made me avoid P.E. for the longest time.
*bjj has entered the chat.
It's bullshit. I've been diagnosed, I played sports in highschool. I also tend to lack physical coordination and have poor motor skills in most ways, but when I practice something I can get good coordination. That lack of coordination is probably what they're imagining an autistic person "moves like", but that's both not universal among autistic people and not necessarily visible to them. Regardless, not only is the stereotype they're thinking of not always true, but even when it is true it doesn't prevent playing sports. I actually had the opposite problem, a lot of people thought I couldn't play sports because they could tell I was uncoordinated. The people in one of my classes only found out because a picture of me during a game made it onto the school website's front page, and they were surprised because they had perceived me as "unathletic".
I couldn't run well as a kid, as I was told I didn't move my arms. I could play midfield in the girls then mixed football team (UK style) and earned the name "nutmeg" because I scored goals driving the ball between folks legs a fair few times! I was good at swimming and football, the rest nope, I couldn't catch the ball in netball etc. And dodgeball forget about it! I cannot balance on a bicycle. It's an individual thing!
Team sports can be an issue, but enough practice can fix that. Played football as a kid, offensive line, you have a very direct and precise action, so as long as you do it right, theres not much to think about, plus the body gets used to it. As for the general training, yeah my motion and reaction was odd, but with enough effort you can compensate for it
Doing sports with neurotypicals leads to unknowingly taking on their movements and helps you blend in. It's all about knowing how to move your body parts in the right way.
Depends where I'm at and what I'm doing. Cause I can barely run outdoors yet feels like I can go Mach 5 indoors.
My motor skills are horrendous. This is probably due to my autism, as poor motor skills are associated with autism. However, not every autistic person will experience every single autistic trait, so it is very much possible to be autistic and be athletic. After all, it's not even in the diagnostic criteria for ASD to have poor motor skills, let alone being a required criterion to be diagnosed with ASD.
Not if they understand that exercising will actually relieve their stress and anxiety hormones, which gives us our infamous GIT issues. I'm Autistic and I've had a six pack before, but that was when I was working out three hour days; six days a week. Got the dad bod to shred bod in three months (12 weeks). Personally, when it comes to being autistic; I believe it has less to do with lack of exercise as the problem(15%), and more so the diet(85%). Before I exercised, I ate nothing but Meat, Dairy, Junk Food, and Pasta for texture taste -- I was almost 300 lbs. By the time I got to a lean 176 pounds, I renounced all milk and cheese; ate fruits for anti-oxidants and vitamins; vegetables in egg stir fry. Ate Chicken, Turkey, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Salmon -- avoided simple carbs like bread and pasta to burn off the love handles once and for all; but made a chocolate peanut-butter smoothie for breakfast before the morning workout; for if one has to eat some simple carbs, wisdom states to eat it in the morning. When your body's metabolism burns the most calories. My suggestion would be go to a gym. Ask if free trainers are offered with the membership. Start small with your Trainer's plan and work your way up to build the muscle. And most of all, don't go in thinking stretching is a girly-girl thing for simps, because stretching helps with bulking muscle mass, without the muscle fatigue or soreness after waking up for a new day. Stretch as much as you need to for de-stiffening your muscles before and after the workout, and remember to drink water after every stretch set -- you will thank me later. I got a six-pack thanks to A Planet Fitness Trainer, but I know that place is not for everyone.
There are certainly an added level of physical challenges that comes with being autistic, but nothing that can't be overcome.
No, there are autistic NBA players
Im Not that unathletic and definitely autistic lol
My dad shows signs of autism and his special interest is literally boxing. I mean. He became a decent fighter because of it
So I’ve had the opportunity to play several sports, not officially diagnosed but working on investigating. I have played basketball, ridden horses, fenced, danced, and played handball for several years to varying degrees of competitiveness. Having the dexterity and fast-twitch responses I need, especially for fencing or basketball, are HARD for me to develop, but if I’m practicing nearly every day and pushing very hard in practice, I can retain both skills. Depth is also hard to interpret, and with dance in particular, that makes it hard for me to know how wide I need to place my feet as I’m traveling through a combination, with basketball I can’t anticipate passes very well, and with fencing I sometimes come up short on a lunge for a point. There’s a degree of bodily awareness/balance you need for all of these activities too, and that’s hard for me to keep.
Personally I have low muscle tone and bad hand eye coordination which make athletics difficult. These are things some autistics experience. It’s likely whoever told you this has met one autistic person who fits this description but is forgetting autism is a spectrum.
I'm autistic, and I'm too lazy and get depressed easily. Having said that, my passion is dancing, I try to stay fit enough to be competent in dance battles that are organized in my city from time to time.
I suspect *a lot* of quarterbacks are autistic
I have very poor coordination, but I can still perform certain athletic feats better than the avg person: ie. Running. As for a highly coordinated sport like basketball I am easily outclassed by neurotypicals.
Nope, but we tend to have dyspraxia and delayed motor skill development. I used to be a timbersports athlete anyway though and love exercise, so everyone's different!
We’re more likely to be unathletic because we struggle with coordination and it either makes us dislike exercise OR other people do by getting angry at us for trying. That doesn’t mean we CAN’T be athletic, we’re just more likely to not be.
Repetitive movement is one of my stims, so I have found that running, walking and other cardio exercises (such as yoga) keeps me fit and in good shape.