What are your motor skills like?

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From a parent's point of view, this is a really interesting topic. I have two boys, one 20 years and an undiagnosed Aspie, and another boy, 10 years old, who is diagnosed PDD-NOS. Both have had real problems with coordination, but in totally different areas:

20 year old -- could NEVER catch, had a hard time learning to ride a bike, couldn't throw a ball, ran like he had arthritis, and never had enough coordination or drive to play organized sports. BUT, he learned to ride a bike, and by the time he was in seventh grade loved riding his bike, and was actually very coordinated when playing on his soccer team. He can dance fairly well, and enjoys basketball with friends. Everyone knows he isn't athletic, but it doesn't seem to matter at all now [this son has a killer sense of humor].

10 year old -- [now remember, this is the son with a formal diagnosis] can't catch a ball, but throws a football rather well. Had no problem learning to ride a bike, and does it often. Cannot play on teams because of lack of ability to know what to do when, but physically has some athletic skills. Actually shoots hoops really well. Does DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) on a regular basis, and does exceptionally well at that. Also has some skill at playing golf, and seems to like it. LOVES kayaking!

Both boys played organized sports -- baseball, basketball, soccer -- until they were about eight or nine years old (older one played soccer until 13), at which time we gave up because we could see it was not their thing. I still encourage the 10 year old to shoot hoops or ride his bike, just for exercise and as something that he can do with NT's when asked. But that's it -- I never expect them to keep up sports unless they have the desire. Sports are great if you like them, but totally unnecessary. You can still have a rich social life without knowing how to catch a ball.

I cannot really seriously compete a cricket or a baseball game as I look like a real joke at it if I try even at a social picnic gathering. If I ever attempt to bowl/pitch a ball I can never master it no matter how hard I try and the ball either goes out too wide or I cannot get the speed in it like as if it was thrown by a little old woman.
I am also darn hopless at batting. That bat often does not swing anywhere near where I want to swing and I am often out on the first ball. BTW my handwriting is also pretty bad.
Could this be a condition known as "motor apraxia"? and is it typical of what many aspies go through?

Well, I can't catch things, and I can't aim. I read somewhere that a lot of Aspies have problems with that kind of stuff. But not every Aspie has that problem.

My motor skill is awful, my calligraphy sucks, I can't catch balls that easily, I'm a mess...

It's horrible when I have to play softball for Gym class. I ruin the game for everyone else.

I can't catch anything thrown at me. I can't aim and my coordination is pretty bad (except for Video Games.) The only sport I'm good at is bowling. I have no depth perception and I tend to be clumsy. I also don't dance to well. Although I did get pretty good at aerobics in college until a new routine was thrown in.


-Scott

I have really good hands, as in catching things, and I was good at hitting the ball. But overall my motor skills are poor, and my handwriting is terrible.

"What are your motor skills like?"

Below average.


Except for electric motors and Stirling engines.

Crap

My bandy legs, bowlegs or genu varum put me very much behind the 8 ball in competition running and I could only run about half as fast as the average kid at the age of 8 but I did persevere and in the end and I was eventually up with the best of them bandy legs and all.
I guess just like some 1 legged skiers can end up skiing better then most skiers with 2 legs if they work at it.

not great I would love to be well co-ordinated to improve my ability to navigate myself through space, it would help my artwork, cooking, learn to dance, it would be great, I've heard theres something called balametrics to improve this. I will find the website and post it later on.

My motor skills have improved as my Asperger's did. 5 years ago, after I was diagnosed a second time which was when I was moved up to AS/HFA, my motor skills were excellent, and they still are today.

Gross-motor control is pretty bad. I'm horrid at sports. Bad coordination. Some single-person things aren't too bad though. I'm a decent swimmer; I like biking; and I can walk just about forever (though not fast). I drop things a lot, especially dishes while I'm washing them. I've broken three glasses over the past two months.

However, my fine-motor control is decent, probably NT average. My handwriting is OK, even though I hold the pencil the wrong way (I learned to write way before school, so naturally nobody ever taught me the right way, and now the "right way" makes my handwriting horrible!). I'm good at working with my hands generally, doing minor repairs, crafts, etc. My typing speed is pretty high too.

My motor skills are both good and poor. If someone throws two balls at me, I can catch both. My typing is slow and I make a lot of mistakes. If I were a musician, I'd make a good drummer, but would not excel at piano or guitar. My balance is good. Basketball for me is extremely hard, but I'm a Viking at dodgeball! I enjoy hiking, so walking over tough terrain is easy.

I believe that people with AS can also have motor dyspraxia whish affects motor skills.
Mine are terrible, i can not do sports and resigned myself long ago to getting hit on the nose (can't catch). I am also bad at judging height and distance etc and am forever walking into doors. I do not hold a pen properly and have trouble reading my own handwriting which is terrible.
Strangely enough, in school i had to do line dancing and was very good at it. All you have to do is remember the steps. I was also good at scottish country, or social, dancing as you did it in time to the music and once you knew the steps you could go on indefinetly. However i did NOT like the touching other peole bit, so some scottish dances where quite good as the most you had to do was touch someoneelses arm, and it worked even if you didn't, yay.

http://www.balametrics.com/ site I mentioned earlier for co-ordination etc