Can you have aspergers without a special interest?

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Other point: if someone has strong dificulty in inititiating an/or sustain a conversation (and I imagine that most aspies have), I suppose that he can't have more than 2 of the 4 symptoms (more than that, and he has "classical Autism", no AS)

It says Abnormal in intensity or focus. It doesnt say "Lots and lots of interests and curiosity about many things." So I dont know if I can fulfil this.

Also in the Gilberg it says



What on earth does this mean? Was I imposing my interests on others when I was telling them my facts and stories? Was I imposing my interests on myself when I was reading stuff? Imposing.... (?)



That is one of the DSM criteria and I also have no idea what it means. Both schedules are written in weird, ambiguous ways, to me anyway.

I prefer the ICD.

Though I have to admit, the DSM-IV-TR itself does explain this of 'Lack of social or emotional reciprocity' criterion too a little.

^ Well I would get half a point in that, as I did do all those social play things but would often walk off in the middle of it if something interested or distracted me.

Anyway I shouldnt be stressing about the dsm and gilberg. Im only nervous because I am being assessed soon.

So, I guess it's not needed, but it's usually there (76% is pretty close to most cases), kinda like what I said previously.

Anyway, if you want to read the source text of how the current definition of AS is defined (which this above comes from), read this.

Thanks Daniel, very interesting.

I guess i am not in the 76% as such.

Not sure what I will tell the diagnostician. I have written a list of all my interests and readings over the years to see what she makes of them.

I don't know. I think I've seen Aspies that don't have special interests, but they might just not be talking about their special interests to me.

Do I know about this one, lol. It means you expect people to be interested in what you are interested in, to conform to your routines when you can't conform to theirs. People tend to resent it and gather negative opinions about you. It's not a pleasant experience with other people.
Either that or you impose your routines on yourself. That part is sorta strange wording. Why would you not impose your special interest and routines on yourself. I agree with b, sometimes I want other people to be interested in the same things as me and do what I do.


All it means is you have trouble socializing with others. You won't talk to them when they talk to you. You refuse to go out and eat with them, you won't go to the Christmas party at work. You might be percieved as quiet and focused on work when others are talking to each other, gossiping. You aren't interested in the gossip and the low down on others because you are doing your own thing, thinking about what you want to think about.
Emotionally, you don't reciprocate. When someone is glad to see you you don't return the happiness by being glad to see them. If someone gives you a gift or card on your birthday, you don't seem that excited or grateful to recieve it. Someone tells you something that happened that upset them, you don't seem as upset as they are.

Well in that case I impose my interests on myself, and sometimes on others. I dont have routines to impose. I dont expect others to be interested in my interests though, I only hope they are.

I dont have impairment in social reciprocity but some in emotional reciprocity. Mainly to do with not getting upset if others are upset, unless the event also upsets/angers me. But even this has changed a lot in past years.

No, you don't. I know that i had one for seven years, but now I just have multiple interests that swap from time to time.

The DSM-5 ASD diagnosis refers to: "Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities." Special or fixated interests are only one of several examples given in the DSM-5. So, the answer to your question appears to be, special interests are not required for an ASD diagnosis.

I've never had a special interest and I'm diagnosed with AS. I liked astronomy and dinosaurs when I was a kid but so did a lot of boys.

I'm a perfectionist, and also feel that I can never really understand something if I don't understand EVERYTHING about it, and as that is so hard to achieve, I usually give up trying very quickly, if I try at all. Therefore, even if I would like to have a special interest (and I would very dearly like to), I don't get to the point of obsessing over something, because I know beforehand that I will get extremely frustrated and exhausted trying to get all the correct information about it. Just like trying to write a university paper. Urgh.

You can have AS and not have a special interest.

In order to have AS, you have to have both social difficulties and what the DSM calls 'restricted and repetitive behavior'. There are three main forms of RRB:

* special interests
* stimming
* need for sameness (routines, rituals, etc)

Although many AS people have more than one of those, it is possible to meet AS criteria with only one type of RRB. So an person with poor social skills who stims or insists on a routine, but doesn't have special interests, could still be diagnosed as AS.

Incidentally, AS and NVLD often occur together. NVLD without AS causes social impairment but no RRBs, as well as the characteristic learning profile of good verbal skills and poor visuospatial skills. AS+NVLD have poor social skills, RRBs and the NVLD learning profile. And AS without NVLD have poor social skills and RRBs, but their visuospatial skills are as good or better than their verbal skills.

I got diagnosed at 8 but I didn't start getting obsessions until I was at least 11. I had interests as a child but they weren't special interests or obsessions or whatever you like to call them. They were just casual interests.

I have this too! It's extremely annoying.

This is exactly what I wanted to say, too!