Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people's brains develop and function, impacting behaviour, communication and socialising. It can also involve differences in the way you move and walk – known as your gait.
Having an "odd gait" is now listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a supporting diagnostic feature of autism.
What does this look like?
The most noticeable gait differences among autistic people are:
toe-walking, walking on the balls of the feet
in-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned inwards
out-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned out.
Research has also identified more subtle differences. A study summarising 30 years of research among autistic people reports that gait is characterised by:
walking more slowly
taking wider steps
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