"The Autistic Gait" what is this?

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so from what little i can find that actually says what this is kind of says that its basically a deviation in how one walks and that commonly people on the spectrum, Aspergers and classic, can have it as a telling sign. one of the things mentioned is a "hands on chest" type thing, you know, where the person lifts their hands up and sort of "fiddles with the air" almost. the other things are like "the penguin walk" and things like that. im not sure whether the way i walk could be counted as this, ive been told i walk with a slight limp on my right leg even though i haven't hurt either of my legs at anytime. im interested if this is a true thing and whether im right....

When an autistic person is relatively young, the person might "toe walk."

I've been identified by strangers as being autistic based on the way I walk. It's sort of a perpetual falling motion with slapping feet, hunched shoulders, and arms that never swing. I've been told the arm-swinging thing is a red flag for autism.

Yeah, my footfalls are a bit heavy and my posture tends to be a bit hunched as StarTrekker describes. I've had people notice, but it's more subtle for me and some of it is just because my right leg is a bit wonky.

I also tend to lift up my big toes a bit when I walk on some surfaces, especially if I'm barefoot on linoleum or hardwood. I suspect this is a holdover from the toe-walking kraftie describes; trying to minimize contact with the ground for sensory reasons.

i walk in a huffy kind of way according to the few people who have commented on my gait.
i tend to dig my heels in and grab the ground and push myself forward in an impatient way.

when i walk along polished floor boards, people often complain that my footsteps are too loud (when i am wearing hard soled shoes).

i do not walk like a storm trooper, but similarities can be seen i guess.

I used to have a funny gait, to the point people would laugh at.

After about 5 years of little dependence on public transportation, perhaps I don't have it anymore. Even my employer told me that I walk like a model on stage when I pace. I'm not even trying.
But there are times I regress to the odd gait, depending on my mood.
Though, I couldn't say the same when sitting...

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I walked like with a hunch and held my hands in the air all loose when young but forced myself as I got older to stand straight and walk normally and it's stuck.

I tend to sort of bounce up and down a lot when I'm walking. If I focus on not doing that, I can assume a more-or-less "normal" gait, but it requires more mental energy than I can sustain all of the time.

The foot part can vary but it does seem to be a holdover from childhood toe walking. Adults will change this into different foot postures as they grow up.

Rigid arms is pretty common. Neurotypicals let their arms swing "naturally" (what does that mean?) as they walk. You can see some autistic people swing their arms robotically, as they try to mimic a natural swing.

The walk is something that people pick up on, even if they don't know much about autism.

The next time you're in a place where many people are walking, such as a mall or school, try sitting down somewhere and observing people walking. Keep in mind that you will also see some autistic people, but most of the people will be neurotypical. You should get a good idea of what a "natural swing" and what "natural footsteps" look like and how to mimic them if you want to.

There is also the option of simply recognizing that this is a unique aspect of being on the spectrum and letting it go. There's nothing wrong with walking differently. I walk differently myself sometimes. I have a neurological disease and it makes me walk like a drunk person on bad days.

This is a debunked theory. They thought for a while you could detect neurological damage by a person's gait. But when you stop taking apart one autistic person's gait, and compare the number of gait defects that we have with the number of gait defects that average humans have, there is no difference. We have gait issues. They have gait issues. We all have gait issues.

The whole theory is part of the debunked idea that autism is caused by brain damage due to vaccines or wheat.

Cerebral palsey on the other hand, really does come with typical gait defects.

People confusing cerebral palsey with autism makes me growly. Totally different disorders.

I walk a bit oddly. I lean a bit forward like Im anxious to get where ever or perhaps just overly focused on the destination. Also I tend to look down and or am so focused on looking straight ahead I will miss a person I know that is right beside me.
I think the forward lean may be due to walking on the front part of the foot but not like the elevated toe walking. I'm wondering if this posture is more due to stress/intensity/focus than on any motor deficit. However, I can be very clumsy while at the same time pretty athletic. Strange combo.

Truly, many people have "odd" gaits. It could be for any number of reasons.

Again this is not a must situation. There is no physical typicality among autists.