Physical characteristics of AS and autism

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I have this eye condition, too. Mine is called alternating exotropia (a form of strabismus), and it basically means that one eye stays straight forward while the other one wanders off to the side. It happens more with my left eye, where my right eye stays forward and my left eye looks off to the side (it is symptomatic of problems I have with integrating my right brain/left side).

I have read that this is common in people with the autism spectrum condition called Nonverbal Learning Disability (which I have in addition to AS). NVLD makes it difficult to process visual and spatial information.

For instance, I have very limited depth perception, and I used to have no kinesthetic or proprioceptive sense at all until I trained in the Alexander Technique, which has helped me tremendously in integrating spatial information.

~ Caterina

My ring finger is significantly longer than my index finger, but that's not all that unusual if you are male (which I am).

I don't have an unusually large head, and I don't think there is anything unusual about my eyes. My heart is good so far, but my paternal grandmother had some issues (she exhibited some AS traits I think).

I have Crohn's disease, but so does my brother who is NT. My feet are actually narrow and my guess is that my toes are, too.

My birth was normal except that my mother had gestational diabetes for both me and my brother.

1. My ring finger is just a tad longer than my index finger, on both hands.
2. I was always teased about my big head, as a child.
3. My eyes are not remarkably far apart. I do have dark shadows beneath, though.
4. I have an irregular heartbeat.
5. I have IBS, and gluten and dairy intolerance
6. My toes have slight gaps between them
My mother told me that at birth, I turned blue and needed oxygen. I don't know if the delivery was difficult, though.

BTW, there are 2 number 5's in the list.

I'm assuming this topic is black humour? For people with AS/autism to have a laugh at some of the silly myths about their physical appearance.

Whats next, our ears flap in strong wind, an invisible third eye etc.

*pokes around forehead for third eye*

/pokes Ebonwinter in the third eye on the first attempt

the finger thing:
The world’s most famous ‘digit ratio’ research, John T. Manning, has begun examining autism too. He teamed up with Simon Baron- Cohen and Svetlana Lutchmaya from the University of Cambridge, who have used samples of amniotic fluid to directly measure the levels of hormones that babies are exposed to in the womb.
When the children reached their first birthday, the researchers measured their vocabularies and ability to make eye contact. Poor language skills and an unwillingness to make eye contact are early hallmarks of autism. They found that babies who’d been exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb fared the worst.

“What we’re hoping to look at is whether finger ratios can be used as a proxy for hormones,” says Lutchmaya. Amniocentesis (sampling the amniotic fluic surrounding the unborn baby) is a risky procedure that only a few mothers choose to undergo, she says. But by measuring finger lengths instead, researchers can assess a random sample of children for possible early signs of impaired language and social skill development. Currently, they are checking the fingers of children for whom they have amniotic samples.

Meanwhile, Manning and Baron-Cohen have looked at the finger ratios of 49 children with firm diagnoses of autism, 23 with a mild form of the disorder called Asperger’s syndrome, and their families. The researchers found that autistic children tended to have very low 2D:4D ratios. Interestingly, children with Asperger’s syndrome had ratios that fell between those of autistics and unaffected children. “It fits exceptionally well with the theory,” says Manning.

Clearly genes play a role too in these conditions. But could fetal hormone levels explain other cognitive differences between the sexes? Janel Tortorice at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, thinks they may. She has measured finger ratios in 2D:4D ratio gay women and found that their hands were significantly different from those of heterosexual women-in fact, they tend to resemble those of heterosexual men.

But she has also found differences in the way these women’s brains work. “They have more masculine fingers and more masculine cognition,” she says. On tests of spatial and verbal ability, lesbian volunteers perform more like men than heterosexual women, she says. If this can be confirmed by further studies, perhaps Manning’s most recent suggestion is not as outrageous as it sounds. He claims that musical talent, too, is nurtured in the womb.

An overview of the scientific sources which have found a link between finger length (low ‘digit ratio’: 0.94) and autism:

* The 2th to 4th ratio and autism – 2001 (PDF)

* [Evaluation of the 2nd to 4th digit ratio in the patients with autism] – 2005 (Japanese study)

* Differences in finger length ratio between males with autism, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified, ADHD, and anxiety disorders – 2006

* Motion and form coherence detection in autistic spectrum disorder: relationship to motor control and 2:4 digit ratio – 2006

Digit ratio related to autism.
Posted in digit ratio research | Tagged Asperger's syndrome, autism, autistic children, autistics, digit ratio, finger length, finger ratios, John Manning, testosterone, the womb | 5 Comments »
5 Responses to “Finger length related to autism! | Low ‘digit ratio’ (0.94)”

1.
Finger length shows your talent for math / literacy! « Digit Ratio: Your finger length ratio Says:

1. My ring finger is longer than my forefingers (left ring finger longer than right ring finger)
2. My head is large and somewhat odd-shaped
3. I have very pale skin
4. I have almost no muscle, but I can lift heavy objects
5. I am very tall, and almost dangerously underweight (6'1", 110 pounds)
6. I have digestion problems
7. I have large feet


I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of for now.

1. The ring finger is just as long, or longer than the forefinger.
Uh. They are same length or so close you can't really tell. :/

2. Big head
No...

3. The eyes stand further away from eachother than average
I have no idea. No one ever commented on it if I do. I don't really like looking at faces or my own.

4. Heart problems
No. I have a phobia of heart related things though, heart beat especially.

5. Intestinal problems/digestive problems/ obstipation
I don't know what obstipation means. But I have a gluten intolerance.

5. Above average distance between the toes.
I don't think so. I have abnormally small toe nails though.

Extra sign: Many people with an ASD have had a hard delivery, which is caused by a lack of physical ''communication'' and collaboration with the mother.
Nope.

Are these just myths?

I have everything but the heart and digestive problems. Also I am quite tall(6-3), light brown skin naturally but can turn to make me look like Im from India if I actually go out in the sun alot. Oh and Im muscular, but I workout. I also bleed very easily and for long periods of time but idk if that is relevant...

I just have the fingers and wide spaced toes (they're also incredibly dextrous... paid off SO much in gymnastics ). I never knew there was a reason for my weirdass toes that make it so I can't ever wear flipflops. I mean, seriously... I have the ugliest feet I've ever seen.

My mom, however, also has the ring finger longer than the index finger and she's the world's most NT person ever. She has perfect toes though. They're all nice and close together.

1) On both hands, my ring finger is about 1 or 2 millimeters longer than my forefinger.
2) The circumference of my head is 23 inches.
3) I don't know.
4) I don't have any heart problems that I know of, but I think there have been heart problems in my family.
5) There's a history of bowel cancer and irritable bowel syndrome in my family. So far I don't have either.
6) I don't think there is an above average distance between my toes.

My delivery was definitely hard. I was 2 weeks overdue, the labour took 32 hours and my mother and I nearly died because I got stuck on the way out.

1. The ring finger is just as long, or longer than the forefinger.
Yes, but I'm a woman.
2. Big head
I just know it's bigger than my cousin's and brother head.
When I was a baby my head was very small and became bigger (average) but then again I am a premature child.
My head circumference is 55/56cm. Someone I know said it is avergae for a male adult, not for a female but I still find hats that fits so I guess it's not that big !
I just hate the shape of my head somehow it seems weird.
3. The eyes stand further away from eachother than average
No.The only thing that makes my eyes special is that I have astigmatism as my parents do... And I'm photophobic (no one else is).
4. Heart problems
No.
5. Intestinal problems/digestive problems/ obstipation
Yes. Irritable bowel syndrome. My father, his father and my brother have it too.
I can no longer eat milk (though I love hot chocolate, cheese and yogourth so I still eat milk and have big stomachaches)
5. Above average distance between the toes.
I didn't even know their was an average distance. I'd say "no".

Extra sign: Many people with an ASD have had a hard delivery, which is caused by a lack of physical ''communication'' and collaboration with the mother.

First born of a set of mixed gender twins, premature (12weeks earlier), breech birth. But I had less problems than my twin brother who nearly died because of his umbilical cord. These complications are quite common for twins.

And I'm not tall at all (1m61), nor am I thin (63kg)

Dark circles under my eyes ? I guess I have something like that, most of the time I look tired even if I'm not... But I actually don't really open my eyes because of the light so.

I don't think i have any of those. Except my fingers are about the same length...

I'm a skinny guy too...Very small boned. I don't really fit anything on that list. Not sure if I have a big head or not, but my jaw is pretty big...

Sounds familiar...though I'd say any heart problems I have could be blamed on my poor eating habits.