Brain To Body Speed Signal Communication.

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This seems more noticable if I go and cross a road. If I look and all seems clear but just as I step out to cross a car comes unexpectedly (Either due to excessive speed or a car pulls out unexpectedly etc.), I find that most people can stop themselves from walking but my brakes don't work until I am half way across the road.... So all I can do is keep going as I can't suddenly go faster, as my body does not respond (Or I can think quick enough to tell my body to respond) quick enough.
Those things we did in school where after a Physical Education teacher would shout "Change (Or blow his whistle etc) where one was expected to suddenly change direction and run back the other way that we came from I found I was still going the other say when people were coming back!

Is the walking across a road and not being able to stop myself that is the odd thing as I can see a car coming but there is nothing I can do about it to tell my body to do something, and yet when driving I am overly relaxed and my braking ability is good, as somehow driving is different. Still get the thing at junctions when sudden choices have to be made ... If I see a car approaching fast I will floor it (Luckily I have a quick accelerating car) because to stop requires the sudden change in direction that has delay to respond to, though at times I do stop. Depends on the situation... But have noticed that if already accelerating, response to accelerate quicker again is almost instant, whilst response to suddenly stop requires an extra mental process which is a fraction of a second slower to respond to.
Walking however, means as I am more physically active and not so relaxed, I find that my ability to stop when I need to is compromised. Is like my body keeps going at its last command such as a model train that is under DCC control and s not responding to the DCC signal but still has current so it is just carrying on with its last instruction.

While most have this delay when walking or running, I think mine is a longer delay.
But cycling or driving and I am more alice and responsive somehow which is the bit I don't get? Is why I got on so well with cycling as on the bike I felt "Alive".

So the processing speed is amplified when doing certain tasks that I am enthusiastic about but slower when doing walking or running?

Never really have been good at running as can have my legs collapse under me if I get a partial shutdown while cycling I find I was in more control, and driving I am very more in control as I am more relaxed so is interesting.

I think the key thing is to relax. Easier said I know, as it's not possible to consciously make yourself relax, but I think what your problem is is that your body is stiff when you're crossing the road because you're focusing so much on a car coming up from nowhere and getting to the other side in one piece that you find it difficult to get your body to stop once you get going. I understand that feeling but I sort of trained myself to relax when crossing the road and I try to tell myself that even if a car does come up from nowhere they should be able to see you even sometimes before you see it. This is the reason pedestrians very rarely get knocked over (yes it happens sometimes I know but not often).

I'm an American....and I have to be REALLY aware when I cross the road in the UK----because cars are coming from unexpected directions. I have to remember to look right, instead of left.

In Central London, though, the authorities are quite courteous. They inform us as to what direction the cars are coming from, so it's not so bad

I've heard of this thing called the ASD "start-stop" problem. We procrastinate, and when we do finally get on with the task, it's often hard to stop or change direction. I've no idea what the neurological reason for that might be. I just know that it happens like that with me sometimes. Maybe it's something to do with being highly focussed on the detail of the task, so that new information indicating the need to change the plan doesn't get processed.

I often get my left and right mixed up. Consequently, as an American, I got into the habit of looking left,right,left,right before crossing the street. When I visited England I just did the same thing - no real difference for me.

For safety I might think about “cross at the green, and not in between”.

O.P. Described something which sounds to me like brain executive function challenges.

The fact that reaction time is better in some cases relates perhaps to some activities stimulating the prefrontal cortex to the point where the EF functions better.

For me this reminds me of an old car I used to have with a clutch that would slip. When the clutch didn’t engage you could rev the engine and go nowhere. Once the clutch engaged the car would leap forward.

Maybe bicycling provides the right kind of stimulation to engage your brain’s EF “clutch”. And walking just doesn’t.

Thanks all for your insight and thoughts.

I have the same problem, but in a different way.

Since I've been in the UK I've had a few close calls with cars because they seem more zippy, as in they seem to accelerate much faster in a short distance than what im used to.
So I go to cross and I miscalculate the speed, then I hesitate, then I need to run.
Im getting used to it though.

^Australia.

Nice. Quite a difference.

Issues with proprioception (which is the same as kinesthesia or simply put body awareness) is a really normal occurrence with people on the spectrum, so much that it is one of the common criterias in diagnosis. It compasses body movement, force, position, speed etc. It is called the sixth sense and as we are people with sensitivities and differences in sensing, it makes sense we have differences in sensing our bodies too.

That is why it's so beneficial to many neurodiverse people to use weighted blankets, and be swaddled for example and why for us regulation happens through stims and toys as opposed to exercise which can be challenging. To my knowledge, NTs regulate mainly through exercise (and of course processing emotional things verbally but this is more about the body).

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I have often been told that every day movements I do "weird" like running, bowling, cleaning etc. A part of it personally is issues with my spine and muscles but I think autism is a larger thing. I find also issues with a lot of body-movements, not knowing how much force to use, things slipping or throwing things accidentally too hard or touching too hard or softly and so on. With exercise I can easily hurt myself because I go too hard or the movements I do awkwardly and can't learn the way NTs seem to know how to do.

I also find myself frozen in a bad position for a long time and can't really move despite experiencing discomfort. Then again I have such back issues there aren't really any good positions so it is sort of futile to correct, the pain just changes place lol.

Mostly for me the annoyance is with things that require fine-motor skills. Cooking and art really take a lot of energy from me, they are always a struggle and that is frustrating because I enjoy them so much but can't often really produce the quality of work I would like to.