Joint hypermobility simply means that our joints can bend in ways normal people cannot. When Tracy (my personal trainer) saw me sit down on the floor with my knees forming an M, AND then folding myself over the M to touch my nose to the floor, she was shocked. She was afraid that I might hurt or dislocate my hip joint. I do this stretch very often because it gives me relief after a cycling session.
The Husband is envious of me because try as he might, he cannot touch his toes. I not only can touch my toes at my age, I can bend over double and touch my nose to my knees.
I recently discovered that whilst not all autistic people have joint hypermobility, the prevalence of joint hypermobility is considerably higher amongst people who are autistic.
These soft and flexible muscles are also the reason why many autistic children are clumsy and lack fine motor skills. I have fragile ankles and am prone to ankle sprains because of soft muscles around my ankles. Hence I need to invest time in strengthening my ankle muscles.
Auto-Immune Issues
Apparently, auto-immune conditions where the body's immune defences attack the body's own tissues is also prevalent - See HERE. My particular auto-immune problem arises when I eat gluten. Ingesting gluten will cause my body's immune defences to attack my thyroid gland. Then, I need to go back to eating my thyroid medication.
I reckon that autistic people living in a neurotypical world live so much in the fear of social rejection that they are always anxious. Anxiety then leads to auto-immune disorders.
I think.
Youthful Looks
Anecdotal evidence suggests that autistic people tend to look younger than they are. All my life, I have been mistaken to be at least 10 years younger than I am. At 22, people thought I was 12. At 32, people thought I was 22. At 42, people thought I was 32.
I am guessing it has to do with our inability to evaluate social situations, facial expressions and motives. You know, like babies, autistic people take things literally and at face value.
Even though, as an adult autistic, I know that people pretend things or say things they don't mean, I will only be able to decipher the untruth a day or 2 after, sometimes weeks afterwards. I had lunch with a friend who commented, "Outside of your work and area of expertise, in which you are streets ahead of everyone else, you seem to be very childlike and under-developed in many ways."
I think this readiness to take things very literally leaves in our eyes a certain child-like expression that people associate with youth.
I think.
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