[Video] Why do autistic people toe walk?

And here I thought slamming heels into the floor was just needlessly loud and rude

This. I thought I was just being a good housemate by being quiet. But outside, it just feels more natural to contact with my heels first unless running.

I want to send this to my sister, whose children are clearly autistic (but she doesn't know yet?). Thing is, I won't, because she will just take them to a chiropractor. 🫠

I wish we could report parents practicing pseudoscience on their children to CPS.
- Dear God, if only...
  
  She was telling me about how her toddler son fell off the back steps and bashed his head on the sidewalk. Then she said that "he didn't cry was moving his jaw weird" so she RUSHED HIM TO THE CHIROPRACTOR!
  
  I held back the urge to scream as I loudly and incredulously asked "Why the chiropractor??? You should have gone to the hospital????" but only got an "oh he was fine, tee hee!"
  
  She's putting her poor kids in danger with her horseshit beliefs, and I can't do anything about it.
  
  Fucking infuriating.
  
  I just avoid ever interacting with her now.
- I’ve softened my stance a little bit on chiropracting insomuch as I can see it being ok if a) it’s used as an additional therapy along the lines of massage and b) it doesn’t involve “adjustment” of the spine. (But then why not just go to a LMT or seek physical therapy…)
  
  I know what you’re saying, though- there are those who eschew real medical treatment in favor of going all in on chiropractors and I agree that is so dangerous, especially for kids, especially kids dealing with intricate diagnoses like autism

Because I got yelled at for shaking the shitty house floorboards when I heel walked, next question.

I used to think I like walking on the balls of my feet because it provided more shock absorption than heels. The heels hit too hard, and it feels wrong tho the military did train that out of me.

That's a feeling can in some be a sort of stimming.

There isn't one answer. It's depending on the person.

https://psychcentral.com/autism/walking-on-tiptoes-autism#autism-and-toe-walking

It’s believed that toe walking may be directly or indirectly due to a dysfunctional vestibular system — a condition commonly seen in autism.

The vestibular system, which involves the inner ear and central nervous system (CNS), is what gives your body a sense of:

balance
position
spatial orientation

If the system isn’t working correctly, you can have difficulties with coordination and balance.

so if im understanding correctly, autism can cause a messed up sense of ballance and spacial orientation, which in turn can lead to toe walking

Not quite, it can although be your formulation. Autists have more frequently as co-occurence a differently functioning vestibular system.

But, it can be stimming as well. The sensation of toe walking can help resynch the brain.

I often have to catch myself from assuming people I see toe-walking are autistic. I went to physical therapy as a teen (ironically, I went for heel-walking) and so many kids there just came because they toe-walked.

Havent done it since I was young. But I just remember it being fun, and feeling faster than normal walking

I suppose we'd have to see if the tendency splits down the line of hypersensory or hyposensory. To me, a hypersensory autistic that does toe walk, I always figured I did it because your heel hitting the ground is both too loud and a bit of a jarring sensation physically too. I only know a handful of other Autistic people well enough to know if they are hyper or hypo and if they toe walk, but my limited data does line up that way. Would be interested to hear of any counter data/anecdotes.

I'm 30 years old and i still toe walk. It just feels comfy.

It's just ✨extra suspension ✨

I remember my mother trying to fix my posture, my grandparents telling me that I had short tendons that needed to be fixed, etc. Turns out it was normal all this time.

This is really eye-opening. So much of my childhood involved neck problems and my mom telling me to stop walking on my toes.

..What

I've always done this. This is a thing?

Well damn this is me, and I'm diagnosed ASD. Had no idea the two are related.

Fact check: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTeovUU/

The words fact check should never be followed by a link to tik tok 😅
- And I never trust a crystal necklace.