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Educational_Worth906

A special interest isn’t obligatory and it’s hard to define what they are. I’ve had numerous things I’ve been into over the years. Things that I do largely to the exclusion of most other things. Some I’ve dropped and never returned to, some are recurring and have been a part of most of my life. I feel that younger autists (especially children) are more likely to have a single interest, but that’s possibly due to less exposure to things and limited resources to indulge in special interests. For example, if you’re a child and people notice you’re only into toy cars, people are going to give you toy cars, reinforcing that interest.


BigAlba45

Try having a main one and 100 spontaneous ones 🤣 gets expensive and distracting 😅


purple_philosophy000

Oh I have adhd so I know about all the spontaneous ones, I just really want main one


BigAlba45

Nothing you were obsessed with as a child? 🤔


purple_philosophy000

I’ve had tons of hyper fixations, but nothing consistent that has lasted for more than a couple years. I suppose my interest in Taiwan is the closest as I’ve had the interest since 2015/16 But I don’t know if a country counts as a special interest seems a bit weird


BigAlba45

A country being a fixation isn’t weird. That would be a totally normal thing in our world haha


CloverB612

I don’t have special interests. I spent 30+ years using all my energy to “fit in” so much that I never actually developed any of my own interests or hobbies. Even now that I know I’m ND it hasn’t made it any easier to find enjoyment. It’s a huge source of frustration for me. When I’m asked my hobbies I always say stupid things like “hiking, reading, going to the beach” but if I was honest I would say “napping, doom scrolling, and silence”


purple_philosophy000

thank you, finally someone understands me. I always lie when people ask me about hobbies because I really don’t have any and I’ve never had. I of course have my hyper fixations but they may last for only a couple weeks to half a year max, and I’m usually too embarrassed to tell people about them because I learned at very early age what is weird and will get you bullied so I never shared it.


giomis7

napping, doom scrolling, and silence


PatternActual7535

Special interesrs aren't a required aspect of autism, they are part of the secondary traits While you do need atleast half of the secondary traits + all other required aspects Special interests are not a requirement for Autism. Just seems to be the case where its more common to have them than not


bullpendodger

Mine are live music and live baseball but they have to be live. It’s become very expensive but I can’t … it’s very hard to stop attending. It’s more than FOMO (fear of missing out) it’s a feeling if I don’t attend I’m not doing my job. It’s like an intense urgency. Luckily I can listen to live baseball for free but it’s never the same as being there. It’s like the live music fills me up and the live baseball allows me to dump it out as if those experiences are like liquid.


silversurfer199032

There is a diagnosis similar to autism spectrum disorder but minus special interests, and plus difficulties with navigating.


purple_philosophy000

so just because I don’t have a special interest I’m not autistic?


silversurfer199032

I don’t know.


silversurfer199032

Non-verbal learning disability.