Special interest question

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I was reading some posts on here, and reading other sites about special interests that most with Autism/Aspergers obsess about. Actually, I never really had a interest I read lots about and knew lots of information. I know I did lots of drawing, every day all the time. I don't know if that would be a special interest. Now that I been going online, things that interest me I can be online for hours just reading about it and learning more and more. I am always typing online new things to learn about about or read more on. Could that be consider it? If not I really don't have a special interest.

I don't know if I am the odd one and that but I never really had anything brought to my attention I wanted to learn about and study.

But I have always liked photography, drawing, painting, and writing. I have done it almost every day since I was 11 years old.

Well, I thought I would ask if any of that would be considered. And do you need a special interest to have Aspergers/Autism?

You don't HAVE to have a special interest to be diagnosed. For AS, you only need to match one of the things in the obsessive/repetitive category in the DSM. Special interest, stimming, routines/rituals, or focusing on parts of objects. I think the majority of aspies meet the special interest one.. but it's not a requirement if you show obsessive/repetitive behavior in one of the other ways.

That does count as a special interest. I used to obsessively draw (not as much now). As soon as I could read (which was sort of late) I started to also become the kind of aspie that acquired a lot of knowledge on stuff as well, but my drawing was the main thing. Before reading, my substitute was TV.

So I used to basically isolate myself in my room, drawing and doing not much else. If I wasn't drawing, I was obsessively watching TV (because my maain obsession is animation). If I wasn't watching TV, I was reading encyclopedias (non-linearly, of course) or some fiction (usually something humorous and surreal).

I've wondered about that as well. I have had a few special interests, that I believe truly do fit the category, but not until I was about 14.

When I was younger than that, I don't remember being particularly interested in a certain topic, but I don't think I had much access to information about topics. I did like to do a certain activity each day, which was to line up my stuffed animals and make them sing along with my Beatles records (and a few other records). But I just assumed everyone had something they like to do each day, and never thought for a moment that it was unusual. I called it "playing", and I thought all kids did it. Maybe they all do. I didn't freak out if I couldn't do it, but that wasn't an issue, because I always could do it. It's just what I did, and something I never questioned. How do you know that something is unusual or that you do something to a different extent than other people unless someone brings it to your attention?

I've read that women tend to be less obvious with their special interests. As far as your artwork and photography go, I suppose it really depends.

The things that have become special interests for me are things that hit suddenly, in a way that almost feels magical. I want to read about it, experience it, see it, talk about it (but only with another person who can fully appreciate). There are certain topics that I find interesting, and enjoy learning about/doing, but it's not a craving or something that keeps me up at night. I've been known to let food catch fire in my toaster oven because I got too engrossed in a special interest. I threw a friend out of my house (at age 17) for making a derogatory comment about one of my special interests. But...I've never, ever had the need to talk endlessly about any of my interests to people who aren't interested.

While I have the special interests, I have overcome many of the sensory issues I had. I have very mild AS. Not everyone with AS has all of the symptoms.

One thing I know I do is when I am reading about a topic online or reading about the same one for weeks sometimes. I can be online ready for hours and hours. And I block out everything around me, sometimes actually I forget I have to go to the bathroom and don't realize it until I stop reading for a second. I get that crazy into what I am reading about and I read so much about it, non-stop. After I read about it I share it with my mom or sister, sometimes their interested other times their just like blah shut up. But they still listen sometimes.

I have repetitive behavior but I don't freak out if it's messed up, sometimes I just feel awkward.

After reading about stimming on one the posts I put. I do have it, but I never noticed I did it until my sister keeps yelling at me to shut up or that I am annoying or ask me what the heck I am doing.

I actually wish when I was younger that I was introduce to more things, that I could have gotten more interested in and such. Because I'd be looking forward to more things and maybe I would even know what I want to be whenever I go to college.

Yeah, after reading all the symptoms I definitely don't have all of them.

Most people who get diagnosed don't have *all* of the symptoms, though.. Everyone is affected differently. You just need to have enough of them from each category in order to be diagnosed. For example, this is how it breaks down with the repetitive/obsessive symptoms for me: I've pretty much always found some interest to obsessively cling to. Before my family had ever learned about asperger's, they'd always say that i was obsessive. So that one is a definite YES. And i also stim a ton.. Actually i stim a lot more these days than i ever did as a kid.. the only stimmy things i remember from back then were less noticeable ones. So ever since i was a teenager that would be a big YES, but if i was getting tested as a kid then it wouldn't be enough that people would probably notice as unusual. Although, back then i was much more routine-oriented, had hand-washing rituals, and all of that, which i barely have now at all.. So, as a kid i probably would have a YES for nonfunctional routines and rituals, whereas nowadays(ever since i went on antidepressants, anyway) this isn't usually a big issue. And i've always focused on parts of objects, but it was never to a problematic level. So, for that it's kind of a yes, but not to the point of being a big issue in and of itself. Breaking it down like this, the most significant one for me has always been the special interest one. The rest have kind of fluctuated throughout my life to fill my need for repetition, but i've always been obsessive over something or another. Everyone's different, though. One person might not have special interests, but they might have an intense need for routine that they need to live by... and another person might be completely unable to create routine in their life, yet rock and flap all the time and be obsessed with trains.