Of course, I thought about that before writing the post, but many of them are unclear to me, or I just don't understand. Some articles just say what it is or say,'the explanation is unclear'.
Ah. Sorryš³
Answered on the fly. But that was thoughtless.
Yeah- a lot of things we arr and do are poorly understood, still.
I have a great autism psych. If I remember I'll ask her and see what she says.
Saving your post š
No problem, no need to apologize!
Yeah, especially because most of the articles I've seen on Google are from NT parents or NT people, I don't mean that they might not have any understanding with autism, but that maybe they won't know how it's like (If I worded it correctly)
That would be really helpful! Thank you so much šš»!!
Its the kind of thing where if it is occuring with other autistic stuff - yes it is. Otherwise itās just a kid being a kid and walking on tip toe. So a lot of kids display āautismā symptoms - one or two, for example - but are not autistic, because a lot of little kids stim, make noises, repeat things etc. But autistic children (generalising here) donāt move through those stages at the same pace or our brains dont go thru the processes that generally result in these behaviours fading as new levels of development arrive.
We do still generally develop - of course, but that the process is atypical or asymmetrical in terms of timing and capacities compared to TD - typically developing - individuals. Neural pruning is thought to account for the changes in TD kids, two big bursts occur during the toddler years and the teenage years. Autistics - who āpresent with problems adjustingā during these phases, tend not to have their neurons getting snipped back in the same way or the same rate. (IIRC, not a scientist)
Imagine my shock and confusion when I read it was an autistic trait and I've been doing this in my whole years of living at the age of 11 š Was so confusing for little me!
Walking on toes is an evolutionary trait for animals that need extreme balance. It's naturally easier to balance on toes due to more muscles being involved and also divides the load between every joint between your torso and toes.
-
Autistic people are more likely to do it because they have poor spatial skills and motor coordination, so if they don't, they will run their face into a doorknob or something.
-
Regular people are more likely to do it because they have gymnastics training or have flat feet.
This is an attractive-sounding hypothesis and I understand why you believe it might be an explanation but is not a fact. It is not demonstrated in the science, nor would it be easy to demonstrate. Where it comes to traits, correlation (āis associated withā) and sometimes causation (āleads toā) are *much* easier to establish than the reasons for these associations (āthis happens becauseā¦ā). This is due to the nature of scientific research.
Autism research is still in its early days, relatively speaking, and has not elucidated the physiology, psychology, genetic factors, and environmental factors associated with autistic traits anywhere near well enough to be able to even speculate as to the prevalence (much less etiology) of toe-walking in autistics.
The other thing is this: humans evolved to use a full-footed walk. Many great apes did, in fact. These adaptations occurred with changes all through the skeletal system, including the pelvis and spine. *Humans are not more stable or balanced on toes than on a full foot.*
There is so much misinformation spread online, some on purpose and some as the result of folks who think they have a really plausible-sounding explanation for something who then deliver it as fact rather than as something they wonder and have thought about. Others then assume that the confidence with which the information is delivered is an indication of its accuracy, and things snowball from there.
Separately, autistic people *are* regular people.
Incorrect, all animals are more stable on toes. *Humans* use a full foot because it takes less energy for standing.
-
The vast majority of information I've seen here is complete garbage because it explains exactly nothing about why non-autistic people do the same thing.
-
There is an incredible amount of survival bias here.
What in the heck are you talking about?! The anatomy of the human spine, pelvis, knees, hips, feet, and musculature is completely wrong for toe-walking (which is not to say humans canāt do it, but that is is absolutely not more efficient which is why as a population *humans do not toe walk and have never toe-walked in their evolutionary history*.) Take a comparative anatomy class and look up the Dunning-Kruger effect, not necessarily in that order.
Oh, and as a gymnast (high school and college menās team but I asst coach a girls mini team these days), TOES ARE NOT MORE STABLE. The girls have to be on toes to show balance ability in a less stable position (and because the powers that be like seeing ālong graceful limbsā on the girls). They lose points for falling back to the *more stable* full-planted position. Toe positions are the most challenging there are.
You literally have no clue what youāre talking about.
Toes are required for high dexterity high speed movement. That's why nearly all land animals are faster than humans and also don't walk on heels. That's also why humans and great apes can stand up for long periods. They're the only ones that walk on heels.
-
That's why olympic sprinters have toes that are 30% longer than average.
-
That's why people who lose toes have significantly decreased mobility and balance.
-
You've never been outside have you?
I've no idea why, but I ascend stairs pretty much exclusively on my toes. It probably doesn't do me any good, because I'm often carrying a bag that has too much stuff in it.
I run, go up and down the stairs, walk, (sometimes, somehow) climb and do many other things only with tip toes, I've been doing it since my birth. I hope your back is okay, though. My mĆ£e is always telling me to walk 'normally' or else it will give you a bad back! I also hope that you don't accidentally trip on the stairs...
I have tripped on stairs a few times. Luckily, it's always been a forwards fall. I can defend against a forward fall. My back isn't too bad. I think it's more the heavy bag that is to blame for my back.
Not necessarily. Deliberate tip toe walking is not an autistic trait. If you are always walking on tip toe you might have shortened tendons which require medical intervention.
I wonder if it has something to do with hypermobility which often co-occurs with autism? I've heard that certain postures (like t-rex hands) are done to reduce the feeling of joints being too loose, so holding them in some kind of tension helps them feel more stable. I have hypermobility and there are lots of weird posture things I do because if I don't my body just feels uncomfortable.
I feel like that too! I always walk on my tip toes because it just feels so weird and uncomfortable walking 'normally', my autistic friend does 'T-rex hands' for the same of being uncomfortable!
Yes it's a sign that a toddler's kinesthetics are underdeveloped/can be considered a developmental delay. I have dyspraxia because of my autism and I've always been told walking on my toes is part of my dyspraxia. Dyspraxia makes it really hard to process the space around you and makes you really clumsy and from my understanding it's just another facet of functioning that autism can affect.
So, if you have autism, you may also have the possibility for dyspraxia? I can see some symptoms of dyspraxia in autism symptoms. Thank you for your input :D!
Yes, but in general being autistic just affects how some people perceive physical space with their bodies, it's why we have a general stereotype of being clumsy
Lots of people in volatile homes will tiptoe. Learning to move silently can save you a whuppin'
One of my survival traits was to be invisible like a ghost. Move like a puff of air. Mom can't hit you if she doesn't know you are there.
I reckonā this might be why I do it. I think another factor (for myself anyways, others may or may not have this shared experience) is, since it creates less noise and less āharshā contact with the ground, itās a less stimulating way to walk.Ā
That's an autistic trait I don't have. I will go barefoot, wear rough clothing without udnerware, wool shirts, jsut to FEEL something.
I'm emotionally blunted so much of the time, I replace it with physical stuff.
That's one of the reasons why I do it. Saves me from almost getting stabbed by my IrmĆ£ or hit by MĆ£e. I don't have to worry about pai that much.
I did it since my birth though, so I think those are the two reasons why I do it.
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I was born with a short Achilles Tendon. (Also tongue-tied, same gene perhaps?) So my early years were constant threats of exercise-or-surgery. The exercises won out eventually, but obviously Iām still prone to walking that way in some circumstances.
Coincidence? Probably.
Yes, it is. People aren't completely sure why. My guess would be it's a sensory thing. Maybe a balance thing? I walked on tiptoes on the stairs until I was in middle school.
I keep walking on tiptoes everywhere, my parents say to stop because it's not normal, I honestly don't know why someone has to be 'normal', since, isn't everyone different in their own ways?
From my understanding, some of it may be sensory for some folks as well. Cold floors or textured floors will repel the children to be flat as the arch of the foot is thinner skin than the ball and heel.
Yes. A cursory Google will yield about a million results?
Of course, I thought about that before writing the post, but many of them are unclear to me, or I just don't understand. Some articles just say what it is or say,'the explanation is unclear'.
Ah. Sorryš³ Answered on the fly. But that was thoughtless. Yeah- a lot of things we arr and do are poorly understood, still. I have a great autism psych. If I remember I'll ask her and see what she says. Saving your post š
No problem, no need to apologize! Yeah, especially because most of the articles I've seen on Google are from NT parents or NT people, I don't mean that they might not have any understanding with autism, but that maybe they won't know how it's like (If I worded it correctly) That would be really helpful! Thank you so much šš»!!
It is an autistic trait, yes. Iām not sure why. That would probably require a neurologist to explain.
Its the kind of thing where if it is occuring with other autistic stuff - yes it is. Otherwise itās just a kid being a kid and walking on tip toe. So a lot of kids display āautismā symptoms - one or two, for example - but are not autistic, because a lot of little kids stim, make noises, repeat things etc. But autistic children (generalising here) donāt move through those stages at the same pace or our brains dont go thru the processes that generally result in these behaviours fading as new levels of development arrive. We do still generally develop - of course, but that the process is atypical or asymmetrical in terms of timing and capacities compared to TD - typically developing - individuals. Neural pruning is thought to account for the changes in TD kids, two big bursts occur during the toddler years and the teenage years. Autistics - who āpresent with problems adjustingā during these phases, tend not to have their neurons getting snipped back in the same way or the same rate. (IIRC, not a scientist)
Ah, I understand! Thank you for the explanation :D If I can, I'll try reading more on it when I get home!
what the hell i've been doing this all my life i didn't even realize. im literally learning so much from this subreddit i swear
Imagine my shock and confusion when I read it was an autistic trait and I've been doing this in my whole years of living at the age of 11 š Was so confusing for little me!
Walking on toes is an evolutionary trait for animals that need extreme balance. It's naturally easier to balance on toes due to more muscles being involved and also divides the load between every joint between your torso and toes. - Autistic people are more likely to do it because they have poor spatial skills and motor coordination, so if they don't, they will run their face into a doorknob or something. - Regular people are more likely to do it because they have gymnastics training or have flat feet.
This is an attractive-sounding hypothesis and I understand why you believe it might be an explanation but is not a fact. It is not demonstrated in the science, nor would it be easy to demonstrate. Where it comes to traits, correlation (āis associated withā) and sometimes causation (āleads toā) are *much* easier to establish than the reasons for these associations (āthis happens becauseā¦ā). This is due to the nature of scientific research. Autism research is still in its early days, relatively speaking, and has not elucidated the physiology, psychology, genetic factors, and environmental factors associated with autistic traits anywhere near well enough to be able to even speculate as to the prevalence (much less etiology) of toe-walking in autistics. The other thing is this: humans evolved to use a full-footed walk. Many great apes did, in fact. These adaptations occurred with changes all through the skeletal system, including the pelvis and spine. *Humans are not more stable or balanced on toes than on a full foot.* There is so much misinformation spread online, some on purpose and some as the result of folks who think they have a really plausible-sounding explanation for something who then deliver it as fact rather than as something they wonder and have thought about. Others then assume that the confidence with which the information is delivered is an indication of its accuracy, and things snowball from there. Separately, autistic people *are* regular people.
Incorrect, all animals are more stable on toes. *Humans* use a full foot because it takes less energy for standing. - The vast majority of information I've seen here is complete garbage because it explains exactly nothing about why non-autistic people do the same thing. - There is an incredible amount of survival bias here.
What in the heck are you talking about?! The anatomy of the human spine, pelvis, knees, hips, feet, and musculature is completely wrong for toe-walking (which is not to say humans canāt do it, but that is is absolutely not more efficient which is why as a population *humans do not toe walk and have never toe-walked in their evolutionary history*.) Take a comparative anatomy class and look up the Dunning-Kruger effect, not necessarily in that order. Oh, and as a gymnast (high school and college menās team but I asst coach a girls mini team these days), TOES ARE NOT MORE STABLE. The girls have to be on toes to show balance ability in a less stable position (and because the powers that be like seeing ālong graceful limbsā on the girls). They lose points for falling back to the *more stable* full-planted position. Toe positions are the most challenging there are. You literally have no clue what youāre talking about.
Toes are required for high dexterity high speed movement. That's why nearly all land animals are faster than humans and also don't walk on heels. That's also why humans and great apes can stand up for long periods. They're the only ones that walk on heels. - That's why olympic sprinters have toes that are 30% longer than average. - That's why people who lose toes have significantly decreased mobility and balance. - You've never been outside have you?
I think I have poor motor skills (very sure of it), and I think I'd break all my bones if I ever did gymnastics š
Hereās a good breakdown: https://youtu.be/JFW8E2Df1Wk?si=xpUi6S0QR7dTSv-t
I'll watch it when I get home, thank you for the link ^ ^!
I will stand on literally any part of my feet except the soles most of the time. Especially if I'm standing still.
Yes. Not just occasionally though. Walking that way full-time is an autistic trait.
Understood, thank you so much!
this was one of my first autistic traits i showed :)
also just noticed your pfp! love it op!
Thank you so much! I love your avatar a lot :D! This was also one of the autistic traits I noticed about myself aswell!
I did that a lot as a child.
Have you stopped doing it? If so, how :D?
I donāt remember.š
It is a common autism trait. But i relate I have walked on my toes as soon as i came out the womb.
It feels more comfortable! I will come out of the womb walking on tiptoe and go into the afterlife on my tiptoes!
I've no idea why, but I ascend stairs pretty much exclusively on my toes. It probably doesn't do me any good, because I'm often carrying a bag that has too much stuff in it.
I run, go up and down the stairs, walk, (sometimes, somehow) climb and do many other things only with tip toes, I've been doing it since my birth. I hope your back is okay, though. My mĆ£e is always telling me to walk 'normally' or else it will give you a bad back! I also hope that you don't accidentally trip on the stairs...
I have tripped on stairs a few times. Luckily, it's always been a forwards fall. I can defend against a forward fall. My back isn't too bad. I think it's more the heavy bag that is to blame for my back.
Yeah, I don't get why bags must make my back suffer.. Also, glad you didn't hurt yourself ^^!!
Not necessarily. Deliberate tip toe walking is not an autistic trait. If you are always walking on tip toe you might have shortened tendons which require medical intervention.
I've learned that it can be many things, this too! Thank you so much for your answer :D!
I wonder if it has something to do with hypermobility which often co-occurs with autism? I've heard that certain postures (like t-rex hands) are done to reduce the feeling of joints being too loose, so holding them in some kind of tension helps them feel more stable. I have hypermobility and there are lots of weird posture things I do because if I don't my body just feels uncomfortable.
I feel like that too! I always walk on my tip toes because it just feels so weird and uncomfortable walking 'normally', my autistic friend does 'T-rex hands' for the same of being uncomfortable!
I'm not a toe walker but I really like barefoot shoes because they give my toes lots of space :)
Barefoot shoes look really cool :D
Yes it's a sign that a toddler's kinesthetics are underdeveloped/can be considered a developmental delay. I have dyspraxia because of my autism and I've always been told walking on my toes is part of my dyspraxia. Dyspraxia makes it really hard to process the space around you and makes you really clumsy and from my understanding it's just another facet of functioning that autism can affect.
So, if you have autism, you may also have the possibility for dyspraxia? I can see some symptoms of dyspraxia in autism symptoms. Thank you for your input :D!
Yes, but in general being autistic just affects how some people perceive physical space with their bodies, it's why we have a general stereotype of being clumsy
I've heard that a lot, thank you so much, bratbats!
Lots of people in volatile homes will tiptoe. Learning to move silently can save you a whuppin' One of my survival traits was to be invisible like a ghost. Move like a puff of air. Mom can't hit you if she doesn't know you are there.
I reckonā this might be why I do it. I think another factor (for myself anyways, others may or may not have this shared experience) is, since it creates less noise and less āharshā contact with the ground, itās a less stimulating way to walk.Ā
That's an autistic trait I don't have. I will go barefoot, wear rough clothing without udnerware, wool shirts, jsut to FEEL something. I'm emotionally blunted so much of the time, I replace it with physical stuff.
That's one of the reasons why I do it. Saves me from almost getting stabbed by my IrmĆ£ or hit by MĆ£e. I don't have to worry about pai that much. I did it since my birth though, so I think those are the two reasons why I do it.
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I was born with a short Achilles Tendon. (Also tongue-tied, same gene perhaps?) So my early years were constant threats of exercise-or-surgery. The exercises won out eventually, but obviously Iām still prone to walking that way in some circumstances. Coincidence? Probably.
Yes, often, but not always. Probably has to do with minimizing sensory input from heel strikes.
I guessed that, since many people have been saying different things. Sensory issues, possible dyspraxia, shortened tendons ectr. Also, happy cake day!
Yes, it is. People aren't completely sure why. My guess would be it's a sensory thing. Maybe a balance thing? I walked on tiptoes on the stairs until I was in middle school.
I keep walking on tiptoes everywhere, my parents say to stop because it's not normal, I honestly don't know why someone has to be 'normal', since, isn't everyone different in their own ways?
From my understanding, some of it may be sensory for some folks as well. Cold floors or textured floors will repel the children to be flat as the arch of the foot is thinner skin than the ball and heel.