QUESTION: Physical Traits?

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I'm 15 and many people think I am 13. They are always giving me child tickets at the movies. (Which are for people 13 and under).

I don't actually believe that physical traits are linked to AS, it was just something I've heard.

No. There are no "physical traits" by which Autistics can be identified. Not from a photo anyway.

In person is another story, because there is more to look for. The way one carries oneself, the way you do or do not make eye contact, hand, leg and arm movements, etc. The way we talk can clue people in too.

i have found with me so far that only one person ever managed to see it before I brought it up. That was in person, and was my primary doctor, after I hadn't seen her in years, and she had taken extensive training in identifying Autism.

I've had a bit of a poke around and
'Autism' is a bit of a dumping ground in a way, for a collection of 'symptoms' and not causes.

Some of those causes [I say as scientificly as possible] relate to some forms of retardation, and I know that some forms of retardation can result in physical traits and appearance traits such as those mentioned in the start of the tread.

Some of this may be purely down to muscle tone, caused by lack of control or otherwise due to cognitive 'defects'

Downs syndrome for instance has some particular traits which I believe go Beyond muscle tone.

I have a big head, and the ambionic? fluid was tested before I was born to see if I had Type I diabetes. (I believe that that condition can affect growth hormones and such).

So under the broad umbrella of the autistic spectrum, there is most probably some physical characteristics dependant of the cause of the autistic traits. It should imagine that it's also possible that the causes can develop into something other than Autistic spectrum traits but with the same physical characteristics.

When I was young I was diagnosed as Dyspraxic. They said I had poor/weak muscle tone as well. I have flat feet and one doctor apparently said I had the flatest feet he had ever seen. I also have "webbed feet" (big gaps between the toes) which seems unusual for most people.

I don't know how true it is but I have read a lot of people who are Autistic or have Aspergers often have these sort of physical characterics.

I honestly wonder If I have something else because Dyspraxia is mainly a disorder of co-ordernation.

Sorry for the double post.

I am dyspraxic too and have flat feet (not the flatest feet in the world but quite flat compared to "normal" feet according to my family and doctor), but I think I've inherited them from my father (we have the same feet) who is not dyspraxic (no learning disability, only some autistic characteristics but not all of them and he's gifted).

However, it seems that flat feet are usual for people with Fragile X as said earlier. But still, it's not so uncommon among people who does not have this, one of my friend has flat feet (and a genetic disease affecting her sight) and the only thing we have in common is our prematurity.

The reason for this is quite simple. No causes have ever been firmly identified. All that exists for causes are speculations, none of which have ever been confirmed.



The cause for Downs Syndrome was firmly identified decades ago. The cause is genetic. Extra genetic material in the 21st chromosome is the cause, which can be detected with genetic testing before and after birth.

While the cause for Autism is suspected to be genetic as well, no suspected chromosome has ever been linked to it in any statistically significant way. It is suspected by many scientists now that Autism may be genetically caused by any of several different genetic abnormalities. There may be several different chromosomes responsible, and it may take one of many different combinations of abnormalities to cause Autism.

Downs Syndrome results in similar physical traits among those who have it because only a single chromosome abnormality needs to be present to cause it. That same single chromosome problem causes the similarity in everyone with Downs Syndrome. Autism, on the other hand, if it is caused by genetics, is strongly suspected to be a much more complicated combination of possible genetic abnormalities, which if this is true, aren't very likely to cause similar physical traits across everyone on the spectrum.

There may very well be groups and subgroups that share the same genetic abnormalities, as well has similar physical traits among each group or subgroup. No specific groups of genes have ever been identified that cause Autism though, and no one has ever found physical traits that can be reliably proven to be "Autistic," or that can be shown to be shared by everyone with Autism.

Hypotonia can (well, in clinical literature, anyway) be associated with autism, but only if it's severe, chromosome-related (yes, there is a chromosomal defect that causes severe autistic features or an extremely severe manifestation of autism), but is generally found more in genetic defects like Fragile X, as someone already said (in truth, my joints aren't hypotonic, but they are clumsy and painlessly stiff). Macrocephaly, or a large head, was associated with autism in what I think is the 1960's, but mostly, it's associated with mental retardation, genetic defects (again), or hydrocephaly. Large eyes can be a trait for anybody, as can pale skin (which is associated with anemics). Low facial muscle tone is either a complication of plastic surgery, or a defect associated with hypotonia or diseases that cause hypotonia.

Oh, and as the physical habits, I am just clumsy and the very opposite of lithe. My family, though, is typically clumsy, especially my uncle, who is usually counted on to destroy his knee joints, crack his head against a tree (thankfully, he didn't sustain any brain trauma or trauma-related dementia...at least I hope so), and other things of that criteria.

I don't think that I look any different than a normal person. I think that a lot of people with Asperger's/autism look just like normal people. Dawn

I don't look like a normal person. I look slightly different and my ASD is part of it. It was handed down from my father's side of the family. He, his mother and me (and maybe a great grandparent?) all have the affected genes. My father has ADHD but I don't think he has autism. Same with my grandmother, who might not even have ADHD. She just looks a bit strange. Her face is a bit dysmorphic. We all three have facially dysmorphic features. My dysmorphism is a bit more extreme than theirs. A definite progression has occured somewhere in the DNA.

There's essential autism and complex autism. Complex autism involves the dysmorphic facial features and the rate of affected boys to girls is 1:1. Essential autism is less obvious and affects more boys than girls.

Care to elaborate, Ana? I've never heard that distinction.

People are always telling me I look older than I am. Well, I haven't heard that one in a while, but then, people haven't been commenting on my appearance much lately except to say I look like I've lost weight (I have).

For far as I've read, they don't really seem to even know what Autism is if Asperger's is a type of Autism or just similar etc... There also seems to be a lot of modality.

A bit like diagnosing someone with Anxiety. Which could be phobia, post traumatic stress, bi-polar, social phobia, ASD etc....

It may be quite possible that it's down to the language used by the parents, that would seems like a generic origin and may even show up like one genetically.

People with ADD/ADHD have more 'mutations' on one bit of curly stuff.
That basically means that have more opportunity and are evolving faster than NT+ people. More mutation, bigger gene pool, faster evolution of new traits.

I think one of the major issues is that the people trying to, well, 'fix' us are the same who have a 'theory' of mind and not a 'knowledge' of mind and treat things personally and believe in authority, often without doubt.

The blind leading the blind.

What I explain things to people in the more [nt] group, i usually get the 'well it makes sense, in a way, but that's impossible everyone things like me, look' Like they've been monumentally dazed and confused in an attempt at imagining something and their brain rejected it.

I suppose like the logical paradox used to kill robots of futerama, except this is a truth logic mind bomb.

I'd never heard of this before. I found an indepth article about it, for anyone interested: essentialvscomplex
I don't know what physical features they mean by 'dysmorphic facial features' though.

Some people with autism seem to have unusual eyes, I have noticed. Not most, but a few I've seen have lower-sitting eyelids than most people, or eyes that are a slightly unusual shape or that don't quite look in the same direction as each other. I've never seen this in an NT except for the eye direction thing. Is it one of the things being referred to?

I suppose that digit-ratio is the single most studied physical trait of autism, because it is affected by an identified biological process and associated hypotheses. I recall a recent thread here linking to an article with a facial diagram associated to another trait. But a whole load more were:

The most common structural (morphological) features found in the ASD children included:

* Sandal gap toes (59%)
* Facial asymmetry (46%)
* Abnormal non-frontal hair whorl (39%)
* High narrow palate (37%)
* Attached ear lobes (35%)
* Hypermobile joints (33%)

Some morphological features were found in the ASD that were absent in the 224 controls including:

* Brachycephaly
* Mouth asymmetry
* Eyes asymmetry
* Ear lobe crease
* Macrostomia (large mouth)
* Limited facial expression
* Open mouth appearance
* Abnormal whorl
* Prominent lower jaw

Heval Ozgen et al. Morphological Features in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Matched Case–Control Study
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. http://www.springerlink.com/content/ck4 ... lltext.pdf

I share the big eyes trait. I have big blues that seem to change color depending on my mood. In elementary school, my given alias was "bug eyes".

Also, I am 23 and resemble a 17 year old when I shave. I stand at about 5'6", and I'm skinny like a rail. I have a super high metabolism, and it's completely natural (I got tested for hyperthyroidism and I didn't have it). I have a fairly strong frame, but I might get that from my father (6'5", 215lb biker).

I read somewhere that we may succumb to muscle weakness in the hands? I have fairly strong hands, but my left always gets sore after I write things. I try not to press hard, but I always do subconsciously. Anyone relate?