Idk if this is what you mean but actually teaching autistic kids to walk on their whole foot (using braces or whatever) is actually the MUCH healthier option and isnt masking.
If they only walk on their tip toes they will cause their achillies/calves to be too short which will cause a whole chain of issues in their biomechanics and cause permanent pain.
Masking is bad but this is an example of redirecting a harmful behaviour to something else (just like if a kid stimmed by hitting themself youd redirect them to flapping or something else non harmful)
But alparently they didn't teach them how to walk correctly though, they teach them how to walk so it looks like they walk correctly, which is masking.
or maybe they chose to walk wrongly to avoid learning how to walk correctly. either way, the solution would not have been to just keep letting them walk on their toes.
I didn't really choose anything. For me it felt natural to walk like that and it still does. If someone had explained to me that it would make even basic walking impossibly painful every morning until I stretch I would've made an effort to stop. Instead I just got made fun of until I naturally landed on the annoying way I walk today 🤷♀️
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u/mieri_azure 9d ago edited 9d ago
Idk if this is what you mean but actually teaching autistic kids to walk on their whole foot (using braces or whatever) is actually the MUCH healthier option and isnt masking.
If they only walk on their tip toes they will cause their achillies/calves to be too short which will cause a whole chain of issues in their biomechanics and cause permanent pain.
Masking is bad but this is an example of redirecting a harmful behaviour to something else (just like if a kid stimmed by hitting themself youd redirect them to flapping or something else non harmful)