My body can't "see" things - visual spatial deficit?

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Good evening! Even though I can drive, and there's nothing wrong with my vision, my body with its senses are wooden or muffled, especially in my immediate environment.

Sometimes my clumsiness is due to poor balance or confusion about how to move appropriately (in a moving crowd, for instance), but a lot of it seems to be a kind of helpless blindness in physically interacting with the world.

Is this a familiar autistic experience for anyone here?

Being clumsy is actually feature of autistic spectrum disorders. Sometimes it is dyspraxia, or sometimes it isn't as severe as that, but is still troublesome.

I have issues with proprioception, which causes this and is common in autism.

Its like I have to think through common movement every single time I do it, or as if I'm uncertain about it even though I do it all the time; is that the same as proprioception?

Its not just that I'm clumsy and I bump into things (I do that regularly), but I also feel like a toddler when I'm in a situation like a buffet line - I make wide, shoveling movements to scoop food towards me (my NT friends are disgusted by that), and I have to pause and refresh my "motor memory" about tasks like setting things down or making simple household repairs. Its also like I get lost trying to move objects in space - including myself (I'll bang a jug against the counter when I'm actually trying to set it gently on top of the counter).
Etc. etc. etc.

I've hit my head so many times that it surprises me when I notice that I haven't done it for a while.

My ASD daughter and I are naturally athletic and yet we are clumsy. The clumsiness is indirectly proportional to our focus and practice.

Disgusted? That is really unfortunate. Sometimes I just want to give the world a gentle shake (without toppling buildings) and emphasize "PEOPLE ARE ALL DIFFERENT! DON'T BE SO CRITICAL!" I sincerely wish that everyone on this forum would encounter more less-critical, less-judgmental people in their lives.
(take a deep breath)

I don't have visual spatial deficit, but I do have an physical awareness issues. When I walk, I evidently have always had heavy feet. When I was young my bedroom was above my parents bedroom, my mom use to ask me not to stomp in the morning. She asked me many times over the years and I think she thought I was doing it on purpose because she would get mad. I myself have noticed it as I've gotten older because things shake or rattle a bit when I walk around. My youngest son is the same way, always have been. He as spatial/physical awareness issues.

Still, it is not as difficult as the issues you describe.
Back to grumpy mode. It is ironic that when in line, like a buffet line, people want others to be like robots, and yet Aspies are criticized for being robots. (take a deep breath, visualize pictures of puppies or better yet, pictures of Boris Karloff as the Monster, or maybe a painting by Vermeer! There. Now I am less grumpy.)

I also have a tendency to hit my head.

Thanks for making me smile!

I also walk heavier (maybe its core muscle weakness).
Also, I don't bang/slam things ALL the time; it happens more if I'm tired/stressed.

I was in a religious community that sat 4 inches from one another (small dining hall + large community = barely enough space). I guess I sat down like a vulture, got up like a giraffe, and ate like a duck, because the more sensitive people started imitating me all the time, and they were pretty good at it - they could mimic my making 5 moves with my hands for the same motion it took them 1 move to make. (It was cute sometimes, but in the end, I had to move on.)

I didn't know that! My daughter is super clumsy and breaks everything. She has broken at least 2 of our showers in the last few years and we've had to replace them.

I never have been clumsy though. My balance is very bad but that must be something to do with my middle ear as I get terrible travel sickness.

I heartily agree with that! Less judgement please, humans.

Vertigo is hard to deal with! The inner ear is so tiny but it affects so much!

I don't break things, but I knock them over or fumble.

Doctor who diagnosed my autism 4 years ago ( I was 68) said he had never met an autistic person who did not struggle with some form or forms of proprioception troubles. I have poor balance, poor depth perception, get motion sick easily, and I trip, fall, drop, or spill things constantly. I have all my life. So from that part of things, this is typical for those with autism. "normal" for us??? I'd rather not be blessed that way, but I guess most of us will relate!

Thanks, everyone!

I get worried about these things because part of me forgets that I'm autistic and that this is "normal" for me.
It can also feel like everything is just in my head, because people react so differently to me; some are upet and find ways to demand that I fix whatever my problem is, but others are so tolerant that they don't even notice there's a problem. So much depends on perspective.

Off topic: love your kitty in your pfp!

Clumsiness and proprioceptive difficulties are common in ASD.
ASD is often considered to be the result of differences in our cerebellum.
The cerebellum is responsible for many things but most importantly balance and coordination.
I've had two strokes in my cerebellum in the past 8 years so I know all about them.
Being autistic with motor coordination issues made it even more difficult for me to ambulate.

*It also explains why my emotions are blunted, and I might seem brusque at times.






Here's some info:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998980/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650713/

I worked with Occupational Therapy doing a program involving yoga and other body awareness activites.

I've been able to improve my balance by wearing high heels.

Its an odd thing for me
I also don't drive, my lack of depth perception makes it so
I struggle with riding my bike on the road, bike riders are encouraged to stick close to the Curb and I often underestimate how close to the Curb I am
On the other hand my reflexes are lightning quick.usually, I can catch a glass falling off the table before it reaches the ground.
It's almost as if my subconscious is able to talk to my body better than my brain is, it could be overthinking is my problem. But, subconscious alone cannot drive the car to the store.