Does anyone here with Autism or their children have difficulty learning dances?

[Ivana]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum.
I'm an adult female with autism and in addition to the usual symptoms such as inability to read social situations,cognitive symptoms and sound sensitivity,I also have motor symptoms.
The motor symptoms though aren't stumbling when walking etc but are instead inability to dance or learn complex motor sequences which are necessary when trying to learn to dance.
All my movements just are awkward and robotic and not fluid,graceful or dancelike.
The perceptual part of dancing is also affected.
Ie:a person is usually able to perceive the different "feels" on dancing,such as for example Bollywood dancing and ballet may both have the same step but the look and feel will be totally different.
I though am not able to distinguish one from the other.
In addition,I am not able to activate my muscles either through dance or exercise.
Eg:a dance move may require a person to use their abdominal muscles and twist their abdomen,I am not able to do this at all.
This has been my situation for years and has only got worse (tried seeing physios etc).
Neurologists that I have told either look at me like in "crazy" or couldn't care less because they only take interest if a person can't walk,not if they can't dance.

This area of movement is never studied.

Does anyone with Autism also have this experience or their children with Autism?

Thanks

 

[Progster]

Yes!! I always hated dancing for various reasons - not having fluid body movements and coordination, not being able to learn steps, not liking contact with a dance partner or other dancers, just not getting it... not feeling of having that emotional connection to it that others are getting. I have a complete aversion to it!

In primary school, I once lashed out and hit my teacher, because she was trying to make me do country dancing and I refused to do it.

 

[Ivana]

Yes!! I always hated dancing for various reasons - not having fluid body movements and coordination, not being able to learn steps, not liking contact with a dance partner or other dancers, just not getting it... not feeling of having that emotional connection to it that others are getting. I have a complete aversion to it!

In primary school, I once lashed out and hit my teacher, because she was trying to make me do country dancing and I refused to do it.

That's really interesting.
Was it in particular that it was country dancing that made you mad or do you think you would have had the same reaction no matter which dance style she wanted you to do?

 

[Progster]

That's really interesting.
Was it in particular that it was country dancing that made you mad or do you think you would have had the same reaction no matter which dance style she wanted you to do?

I don't know. I think that if it was freestye and not formal, and I was free to move my body as I choose, it might have been different, perhaps even pleasant. Also, she was forcing me to do it, and I didn't see the reason why I had to learn it - what was I going to need it for? It seemed pointless to me. But is was also the fact that I was being watched, scrutinised, judged, both by the teacher and the other kids that I didn't like. I don't have nice, fluid movements, I felt awkward and it was unpleasant.

 

[Major Tom]

I've never been a dancer, but I had no issues learning my katas in karate. They actually helped me to focus and I was really good at them. I never had any real coordination issues though other than being accident prone when I'm in a hurry or don't have the words "be careful" in the back of my mind.

 

[Mia]

Began dancing when I was quite young, emulating dancers on television and the people around me. I can emulate most dancing styles to a certain extent within minutes of seeing them. Used to easily copy people on the dance floor in clubs.

Went to teen dances with my friends and siblings, and learned most of the dance moves easily. It's very much like a stim for me, I can dance at any time. Have difficulty with partner dances, like tango, rumba, ballroom of any type. As the manner in which I learned was as an individual and not with a partner. Used to take dancing lessons in my twenties when I was working as well as doing taekwondo. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even won a few competitions. The ability to dance likely depends on what you saw as a child, how active you were. Often saw my parents dancing and it seemed a usual thing to do.

 

[VJCJ0628]

So much so, I could never dance, no rhythm at all, I used to be made fun of for it. Something I could never improve on.

Even in other things, when I was young I had issues in sports too, I remember in baseball I got pretty good too, but I always looked bad at it even when I was at my best, In some ways that were good because I would always surprise when I made a big play But just look so uncoordinated and awkward.

 

[Tom]

Those that can't dance, invent dances.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

I've been doing ballet since I was 3, and have learnt a variety of different types of dance over the years, I find it very easy and enjoy it. I also do martial arts, which is quite similar to doing ballet without the music.

 

[Gracey]

I attended Zumba classes at one point.

If I didn’t speak to anyone, focused like mad and copied someone in front who looked like they knew what they were doing, yes, I could get the hang of it.

If for any reason I lost my focus, stopped copying or got distracted by something else,
I didn’t automatically know the sequence. Couldn’t anticipate the next moves (Even though I’d done it several times) so couldn’t bob along to the rhythm til I found my feet again.

Had to get back in the zone and watch the feet of the woman in front in order to mirror her.

When younger I could remember gymnastic sequences, katas and in my thirties, tai chi movements.

Struggle now though.

 

[OlLiE]

YES, i hate it, i've been forced to dancing classes by my wife but also in the past by girlfriends, supposedly i'm technically ok after i'm comfortable that i've memorised everything, but i hate every second of it

 

[VioletHaze_03]

I find this to be a very weird question, since i both enjoy dance but suck at it. It's hard for me to keep time with everyone else while still doing exactly what i'm told, i rarely know a routine off by heart, sometimes i do a quarter of it well. My parents have said that you could always pick me out in a crowd because i'm the one person who'se always a second behind or just randomly flailing since i don't have enough precision in my movements.

 

[Ivana]

I've never been a dancer, but I had no issues learning my katas in karate. They actually helped me to focus and I was really good at them. I never had any real coordination issues though other than being accident prone when I'm in a hurry or don't have the words "be careful" in the back of my mind.

Karate movements to be quite "choppy" up and down type movements-is that right?
Do you think you would be able to learn/emulate more "flowy type" movements like dancehall type dance movements that require a high use of mixed muscle/movements sequences and also at a fast pace?

When you do karate,are you able to activate your muscles fully?

 

[Ivana]

I find this to be a very weird question, since i both enjoy dance but suck at it. It's hard for me to keep time with everyone else while still doing exactly what i'm told, i rarely know a routine off by heart, sometimes i do a quarter of it well. My parents have said that you could always pick me out in a crowd because i'm the one person who'se always a second behind or just randomly flailing since i don't have enough precision in my movements.

Maybe it's not so weird-just not very often thought of if there is any connection to Autism or other disorders.
Often motor function" is assessed purely by walking and balance or clumsiness,but Neurologists never assess is the person is able to do higher motor functioning like being able to learn a dance sequence and make it look exactly how it's meant to (eg:elegant or expressive etc).
I also like dance but have the same issues you mentioned.

 

[BK201]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum.
I'm an adult female with autism and in addition to the usual symptoms such as inability to read social situations,cognitive symptoms and sound sensitivity,I also have motor symptoms.
The motor symptoms though aren't stumbling when walking etc but are instead inability to dance or learn complex motor sequences which are necessary when trying to learn to dance.
All my movements just are awkward and robotic and not fluid,graceful or dancelike.
The perceptual part of dancing is also affected.
Ie:a person is usually able to perceive the different "feels" on dancing,such as for example Bollywood dancing and ballet may both have the same step but the look and feel will be totally different.
I though am not able to distinguish one from the other.
In addition,I am not able to activate my muscles either through dance or exercise.
Eg:a dance move may require a person to use their abdominal muscles and twist their abdomen,I am not able to do this at all.
This has been my situation for years and has only got worse (tried seeing physios etc).
Neurologists that I have told either look at me like in "crazy" or couldn't care less because they only take interest if a person can't walk,not if they can't dance.

This area of movement is never studied.

Does anyone with Autism also have this experience or their children with Autism?

Thanks

Yes, i have all of the issues you've mentioned. Dancing just isn't my thing. Neither is the loud music that is usually played at events where people are expected to get up and dance.

 

[Bolletje]

I love dancing and have no issues with learning routines or making fluid movements to the music.

 

[Ivana]

I am wondering whether the people who do have the problem learning fluid dance sequences also have sensitivity to sound?

 

[LadyBird84]

I do Zumba and I'm no good at copying the instructor. However when I've done a certain routine a few times and have it memorized I'm fine. But I have noticed that everybody else in the class just keeps copying the teacher. (Sometimes the teacher makes a little mistake and everybody else does it wrong too and I'm the only one doing something else.) This is also why I dislike new routines and substitute teachers as they have completely different routines and I just end up standing around confused most of the time. I know my current instructor so well now that I can predict what she's going to do which helps a little with new songs.

 

[HappyHermit]

I've had various types of dance instruction since I was five years old, including classical ballet. I wouldn't say I can't dance - I've seen myself dance in the mirror and on camera, and I'm neither amazing nor bad.

What I do have considerable trouble with and always had trouble with since practically Day 1 that hasn't improved as much as you would expect over the many, many years, is learning unfamiliar movement sequences fast. I can't watch a teacher present a sequence of movements or exercises and immediately copy them, even if I know the individual parts of the sequence when it's broken down and have done them millions of times. I mentally and physically need to 'walk' myself through them (often forgetting half of what I was supposed to do) at least once (depending on the length of the dance passage or exercise) before I can halfway successfully complete it on my own.

This has led to some very frustrated teachers from time to time. Because I could in fact dance sufficiently well and knew the names of the exercises and knew how to do them individually, many thought I just couldn't be bothered to focus - when it actually took an immense effort for me to remember even as much as I did on the first go. I have not-so-fond memories of getting put on the spot and yelled at quite a bit as a child and teenager in dance class and nearly quit over it many times.

Adult dance classes are a lot more forgiving. There has been some improvement in picking up on dance / exercise sequences, but not nearly as much as you would expect over more than three decades. I don't know how much of what improvement there is is due to lower anxiety because I've been attending a good school that includes a psychological approach to dancing and teaching, where the teachers are more open to dealing with individual challenges, and no one would dare to yell at me (both because of the school's philosophy and because I'm now approaching 40).

Learning new (dance) moves and sequences definitely takes a very noticable bit longer for me than for anyone I've known who actually dances. I get there eventually, and once I do, I do it reasonably well - but there's quite a bit of cognitive and physical effort involved in seeing a dance / exercise sequence, mentally breaking it down, remembering it, 'translating' it into my own body while keeping track and executing it correctly. More so than for anyone else I've seen who had made it past the beginner stage.

 

[BraidedPony]

I can’t learn dance steps, but I can move to and feel music if it is music i like and ive had a drink and it’s dark.
Karate is different because there is a purpose to it, you are blocking a blow, blocking isnt the right word, or you are kicking something. There is breathing and an inner focus that I liked. I didnt get very far but i loved kicking that bag! It was either Tae Kwon Do or Akido that has philosophy of stop before hurt, hurt before maim, maim before kill or something like that. This was many years ago!
I stopped an attack by turning and using a stance and the gutteral sound you learn. Scared the s-word outta the guy! Me too, i collapsed but unharmed.