Do people with Asperger's look different?

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Hey Joe.

If you have very poor vision, please do wear glasses, or contacts.

It's very dangerous to have poor vision when, especially, you're in a highly-populated area.

You're not aware of your surroundings. You might get hit by a car, for example.

^^^ Seconded.

I've been wearing disposable contact lenses for months now since I lost my glasses, and they are quite comfortable, especially for sporting activities and allow me to wear dark glasses for the sun when needed. I can see better long distance with them. For really small writing I have to remove them and peer with the naked eye.

I happen to find women with glasses very attractive!

There hasn't been a huge amount of research conducted on this topic, but I am aware of at least one study that found a few discreet facial traits that seem consistently different in people with Aspergers.

It seems to me that once someone with Aspergers has the realization that there are commonalities in our physical appearance, it becomes easy for them to retrospectively confirm their suspicions. It's important to remain skeptical in instances like these where our analysis of something is almost entirely based on our memories, which are only written after our perceptions have been processed.

That being said, these are the traits I tend to frequently see in people with AS: large forehead/top half of skull, large irises but not necessarily large eye areas, shorter and slightly flatter noses, and high cheekbones that may be prominent when viewed from straight ahead, but are further back in your skull than those of NTs (this is easy to identify when you look at yourself face from a 3/4 angle. I suspect that our jaws/chins also protrude forward less while they might retain NT width. I might be looking too far into this and I am not asserting that any of these are necessarily true for everyone with AS/ASD, as we all develop differently. But it would be cool to know how many of you observe these traits in yourself.

Edit: I forgot to mention slightly asymmetrical eyes and ears!

Yes, we're all incredibly good looking.

^^^ For proof of this, go here and scroll to the bottom of the page:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16892&p=6636060#p6636060


yeah we all look just great!!

Well everybody looks different from everybody else, even identical twins.
But I know what you mean, unlike disorders such as down syndrome, Autism/Aspergers doesn't cause you to look different body wise, however someone with autism or Aspergers may have "weird" posture or move around differently which may make them stand out and look different.

It's not like aspergers is a different ethnicity than NT so that aspies would look different than them

I agree 100%. People on the spectrum are not born with physical differences or features. I mean, I have small ears, but I've never said "oh it must be because I have AS, do other people with AS also have small ears?" There is no proof of these things with Aspies, and people can convince me with all these studies til they're blue in the face and I still won't buy it.

Anyway, the reason why I don't believe that Autism includes physical differences is because every time there's been a thread on sites like these saying about physical differences in Autism, the "physical differences" are always different from the last thread, so you can tell that these just get invented when an Aspie looks in the mirror and goes "oh, I have a big nose, small hands, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, 2 moles on my left hand, big breasts, and I'm growing 3 wisdom teeth - these must all be the physical differences of being an Aspie."
No. It doesn't work that way. Sorry.

I have 110 kg, but people say I'm 78, my neighbor is 75 kg, higher than me and with fatty look.But probably that haven't connection with my asparger.

Asperger's, alone, does not have much to do with physical appearance

yes and no.

we don't look different in the sense that you can "measure" ASD (like the width of the skull or the ratio of arm length:leg length or anything).

however, if you know what to look for, it is possible to detect ASD in someone by looking, but it's more behaviour.
the way they stand, walk, look around, look at you... it's the subtle mannerisms that do it

Yes, we're all green It's called wrong planet for a reason, we're lost aliens.

This^.

We have all seen folks with Down's Syndrome, and can see how they have a distinctive look.

Folks with William's Syndrome ( rare even compared to autism, popularly called 'the opposite of autism' because folks who have it are compulsive socializers) look more normal than Downs Syndromers, but have certain subtly similiar facial traits(so I have read).Something about their ears- I forget.

But I've never heard nor noticed aspies sharing any distinctive physical look. Have only heard one thing: we tend to have bigger heads than average. In my cast that's true (have trouble finding hats big enough for me).

I have a smaller than average head.

From the replies, it seems there is nothing in particular that suggests autism. If there is it's very subtle - unlike Down Syndrome. All there seems to be is a higher amount of different as well as a higher percentage of dysmorphologies compared to NTs, and nothing more specific than that.

I'm going to agree with the general consensus and say no. I have a fat 'alien' head (or a smaller body), I'm very pale and have dark eyes that slant the wrong way so everyone said I looked like a sad china doll when I was young. But I don't think any of those are typical autistic traits. I'm just a weirdo in more than one way!