I never realized that people on the spectrum had a unique look to them, other than appearing younger than their actual age. That boy looks like Hayley-Joel-Osbourne though. It would make sense if Hayley was Aspie, because he really is like a mini-adult.
Both my ears, from the frontal view, look very much like that boy's. They both have that squarish shape and flop over a tad. Actually, they look almost identical to his. Except that from the side they don't look as round, and my left ear sticks out a little more.
Aren't these same sorts of abnormalities though found in joint hypermobility disorders? And joint disorders are more common in ASDs... which could account for why some of us have such features if there's a genetic link between ASDs and JHS.
Joint Hypermobility Syndrome
See pictures and description under \"Typical JHS Facial Appearance\".
It does, despite that it hasn't been well-researched. The ear anomaly bit came in part from this research study done in Nova Scotia:
Teratology
Volume 55, Issue 5 , Pages 319 - 325
In the context of an epidemiological study of autism in Nova Scotia, subjects were evaluated for minor physical anomalies and physical measurements. Normal control children, children with autism and their siblings, and children with developmental disabilities and their siblings were compared. Posterior rotation of the external ears was found to be a characteristic related to autism specifically, rather than to developmental disabilities in general. Small feet and normal-to-large hands also were observed in the autism group. Children with autism had a significant reduction in interpupillary distance, but not intercanthic distance or head circumference. In contrast, children with other developmental disabilities were notable for general small stature, which affected the hands, feet, eyes, and head size, as well as height. Abnormal ear configuration was the minor malformation most characteristic of the developmental disability group, and the subset of Down syndrome children had single transverse creases of the palm and epicanthic folds that resulted in significantly increased rates of these anomalies in the developmentally disabled controls. Siblings of the two disabled groups were not significantly different from normal controls on any of the measures that characterized children with autism or other developmental disabilities. The results agree with those of several previous studies, which have suggested that abnormalities of the ears are the general category of minor anomalies most associated with autism. Recent evidence regarding the embryological origin of autism suggests that the ear effects may be an important marker of the initiating events that lead to the disorder. Teratology 55:319-325, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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I'd imagine one reason why this hasn't gotten much study time is because of the negativity associated with the term \"phrenology\". It's currently considered, in large part, a joke because of its ridiculous beginnings.
However, based in science, some phrenology is reliable. Such as characteristics associated with Down's Syndrome or Williams'.
I always thought having a larger than normal head size and a blank or unusual facial expression were characteristics of many people on the spectrum. I also read somewhere that loose joints is another trait that may be present. I looked at the pictures on JHS website. I can bend my elbow back just like in the picture. I can also bend my wrist forward so my thumb touches my arm. I used to be able to bend my wrist backwards all the way but not anymore. This is first time I read anything about us having abnormal ears.
I've been reading up on the big head thing. It seems there's some debate between whether the larger head is just in earlier childhood or whether it continues, since there have been cases where, come adolescence, the head is average size, and then other cases where the person's head has continued to be large.
And more recently there's been conflicting research studies done on that. But whatever they can't seem to agree on, they've all mostly agreed that at least the amygdala and hippocampus tend to be larger, even if the head is no longer considered above the 97th percentile in circumference.
hmm...the mouth looks just like mine in a natural state...some teeth showing, not a nt smile.
something i would like to know...are autistics more likely to breathe through their mouthes than non autistics? i think that is part of the reason why my mouth is like that normally to breathe.
hmm...the mouth looks just like mine in a natural state...some teeth showing, not a nt smile.
something i would like to know...are autistics more likely to breathe through their mouthes than non autistics? i think that is part of the reason why my mouth is like that normally to breathe.
Don't know. I'd suspect people with problematic sinuses definitely breath out of their mouths more often. But as for whether autistics are more prone to have sinus problems, I have no idea.
Interesting. Lauren and I both have perfect ears, curved and set close to the head. However, we both have the lower-set to the corners of our mouths, and larger than normal heads. Like other posters, I thought the mouth thing was due to the fact that we use the muscles less to grin inanely all the time, so they are more at rest. And buying hats is problematic, I can only take a large men's size, and can find nothing "pretty", and end up decorating the thing myself, which can lead to odd effects.
Alison
hmm...the mouth looks just like mine in a natural state...some teeth showing, not a nt smile.
something i would like to know...are autistics more likely to breathe through their mouthes than non autistics? i think that is part of the reason why my mouth is like that normally to breathe.
Don't know. I'd suspect people with problematic sinuses definitely breath out of their mouths more often. But as for whether autistics are more prone to have sinus problems, I have no idea.
In answer to this, I just found a recent study which might account for breathing out of the mouth more due to a higher rate of allergies amongst the autistic population. This is just an abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To compare parent-reported prevalence of health conditions and health care use between children with and without autism. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2003 to 2004 National Survey of Children's Health. SETTING: Population-based sample across the United States. PARTICIPANTS: More than 100 000 parents. The main exposure was "autism" (not further defined), from response to the question: "Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has autism?" MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Medical and mental health conditions and measures of health care use. RESULTS: Autism prevalence among children aged 3 to 17 years was 53 per 10 000 (95% confidence interval, 45-61 per 10,000), equating to a national estimate of 324 000 children (95% confidence interval, 274,000-375,000 children). Children with autism had a significantly (P<.001) higher prevalence of depression or anxiety problems (38.9% vs 4.2%) and behavioral or conduct problems (58.9% vs 5.2%) than children without autism. Respiratory, food, and skin allergies were reported by parents more often for children with autism, with food allergies having the strongest relative difference between the groups (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.0-7.0). Children with autism had significantly (P<.001) higher mean physician visits over 12 months for preventive care, nonemergency care, and hospital emergency care, and were far more likely than children without autism to receive physical, occupational, or speech therapy (76.0% vs 6.3%), to need treatment or counseling for an emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem (75.4% vs 7.0%), and, among those taking a prescribed medication, to be using a medication long-term (51.4% vs 14.5%). CONCLUSION: We found markedly higher reports of concurrent conditions and health care use associated with childhood autism in this study.
I don't look like that. I'm (appearantly, according to others; I disagree) "beautiful", so I can't say I look average, but I don't look like that either.
However, I would say AS/Autism does have a "look", but it something about the way the person holds themselves, something I can't really describe properly, not an aspect of physical appearance.
The title "what autism looks like" has the sound of unveiling something hideous, but that could just be me being a little PC. :/
I don't know about ear shape, but do any of us ever look athletic? I was watching a program on TV (it was football, Vernu was watching it, I was doing the ironing) and the men on it were *ginormous*, not just physically tall but with immense thick necks, square jaws and shoulders so wide they'd have to turn sideways to get through a door. And I was thinking, all the aspies I know personally seem to come in two basic types: thin and small-featured, or fat. I'd like to hear other's takes on this.
Alison
Alison, not sure. I've got small ears that are very flat to the side of my head, and not much earlobe. I also have few wrinkles on my face as I don't have as many expression lines as most women my age.
That's interesting about the lack of lines in the face, and seems to be another defining feature of autism. I wonder if we have a "slowed down" maturation time? I know that at 46 I tend to act like a child in a lot of ways. Maybe there's something about us physically that keeps us in a permanent state of youthfulness?
Alison
My head is a normal size. I've been told that my ears are unusually shaped. I am 17, but I've been mistaken for everything from 11 to 20.
Alison, not sure. I've got small ears that are very flat to the side of my head, and not much earlobe. I also have few wrinkles on my face as I don't have as many expression lines as most women my age.
That's interesting about the lack of lines in the face, and seems to be another defining feature of autism. I wonder if we have a "slowed down" maturation time? I know that at 46 I tend to act like a child in a lot of ways. Maybe there's something about us physically that keeps us in a permanent state of youthfulness?
Alison
For some odd reason, since I received the diagnosis of autism, I seem to have regressed into childhood ways in some areas eg. crying a lot more easily.
maybe because you no longer feel you 'must' behave in a certain way.?that is to say,you no longer suppress it so.
Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Even in the years before the diagnosis, I started standing up for myself more. From the time I was very little, other people often bullied me physically and psychologically and so there is still a fair bit of suppressed anger and sadness.
It seems very common for aspies to get bullied, and it seems as if the other children and adults could tell something was a bit "odd" about me from an early age. It's possible they got annoyed because I wouldn't accept any statements that were obviously false.
My (NT) sister is double-jointed, and she bruises easily and stuff. I only meet criteria for one of the Beighton score things, which is putting my palms on the floor without bending knees.
I remember in ninth grade the physical fitness testing that I had the farthest reach of anyone in my grade, and it was delightfully easy for me to do it, whereas many of my peers struggled just to get past their knees.
I was really shocked; I thought everyone could do that, as I'm not a particularly physically fit person, and I hadn't really been in P.E. much at all in my life up to that point.
I don't think I have the other features noted in the OP, although I think I have a slightly large head (larger than my dad's, and I'm about his height, maybe a half-inch shorter). When I forgot my hat and I borrow his I always have to adjust the velcro things so it will fit!
On a side note, I have an interesting hat story. When I was in fifth grade science camp, I was wearing a light blue hat as we were crossing a suspension bridge, with quite aways down to the bottom where there was a creek.
So then a wind gusted and lifted my hat off my head and flung it horizontally to my left, so it was past the bridge and over the creek. Except, my arm flung out at that very instant and caught it, and I then held onto my hat the rest of the way across. Other than that, I've not been especially known for co-ordination or good reflexes.