Do most aspies grow out of having intense special interests?

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As just about everyone has said it depends on the individual. For me it was shapes and trying to understand space (spatial parameters,perimeters). And since around age nine-ten to now (age 24) it has been geometries and how vectors of many kinds interact with the geometries of the space around, mainly astro-physics. I would like to say I have improved by spending less time thinking of these things, but if I have spent less time thinking of these things than it is near unnoticeable.

Me too, I think......every time I got a serious girlfriend or any other promising social thing in my life, my more geeky special interests would go on hold. Then when the relationships soured and I'd run out of ideas on how to put them right, I'd find myself reverting to the geeky stuff again. I often felt bad about not getting enough time for my special interests while the social things were good, but I always felt it was a price worth paying - almost as if social interaction is simply the most important special interest I have, and one which I only stop working on when I've completely run out of ideas to keep it working. To this day, if I had to choose between a good, lone special interest and a good friendship, I'd go for the good friendship, though my ideal would be to share an obsession with somebody who was a fascinated as I was about the obsession, like the Wright brothers might have been. But the nearest I've had to that was a girfriend who was a music performer like I am, and although it was really great at times, other things about our relationship forced me to end it.

I'm 41. While the interests themselves have changed from time to time over the years, I don't think I've lost the propensity to have them at all. What has happened, I think, is that I've learned not to talk about them all the time in public so I don't come across quite to weirdly to other people. (I'm still not quite so good at controlling that tendency online, though. )

From my experience they come and go (become active and go dormant) but I don't think you really "grow" out of them. A lot of them however are easily adaptable to changing circumstances.
Example childhood interests in forming secret clubs or secret codes with friends -->
Adult Version --> American Cryptogram Association, membership in secret societies (e.g. Freemasonry)

Example childhood interests drawing comic strips --> Adult Version --> Graphic Arts program at a community college. Special interests don't necessarily have to be a handicap depending on how you handle them.

My special interests have always fallen under the umbrella of specific fictional characters. Although the intensity and focus has changed with my age and maturity level, the practice of loving and obsessing over fictional characters never has. Allow me to elaborate:

Childhood
Focus - Talking animals/monsters, no humans. Some from cartoons, some from anime.
Intensity - Characters completely dominate thoughts and internet searches. They were imaginary friends whom I talked to out loud, even while in public.

Adolescence
Focus - Humans and humanoids. All from anime.
Intensity - Characters moderately dominate thoughts and internet searches. They were imaginary friends, but I almost never talked to them out loud.

Adulthood
Focus - Humans and humanoids. All from live-action movies.
Intensity - Characters are still a part of my thoughts and internet searches, but they aren't completely dominant. I still consider them "friends", but they're more along the lines of a comforting mental presence rather than a full-blown imaginary friend.

It would depend on the particular interest. Some of them engaged by Aspies go across all ages.

OP: count yourself lucky... 41 in less than a month... the intensity has not fallen off... but my interests do not swutch nearly as often...

Lol you could try and get a prescription for Zyprexa, if it effects you the way it does me you'll have no interests in no time.

I do not think I have 'grown out' of forming special interests, though they have certainly changed over the years. And I don't seem to get quite a focused on them anymore, but I think that has some to do with the PTSD comorbid...not so much any kind of 'growing out' of developing them...sometimes I wish i could go back to getting totally immersed, but then I wan't content with life than either so maybe it makes no real difference.

I had intense special interest till I started taking Neurontin/Gabapentin at 29 for OCD so I medicated it instead of growing out of it at all.

I don´t know if I GREW out of it or realities of life took over. Music is a permanent source of focus and fascination in my life - a world and a language - and I miss "disappearing" into that world.

I would say the intensity is still there, but how much time we spend talking/time spent on the special interest changes. As others have said, I have learned not to really talk obsessively with just anyone, rather find a specific group of fellow enthusiasts to discuss it with, such as an online forum, or local group that is into it as well. However, most of my time tends to be occupied with work, kids & wife, that I don't get to spend as much time as I would like to. But when I do get a chance, I completely loose track of time, and I become oblivious to everything else around me.

Actually, the more I am into something, the less I talk to it with my friends/family unless they too have shown an interest. I think this has made me less "weird" and awkward.

An example of my current "special interest" is how I found this forum. When I first suspected my kid(s) were on the spectrum, I started doing research, and by the time my daughter was diagnosed last year, I became whole-hardheartedly obsessed. It is only after doing all the reading, forum-lurking, that I had begun to realize I am likely on the spectrum too.

I havent. I havent become more social either. The difference now is that I have less interests because I have to work more. Now I mostly only have time for my main special interest. Im still learning not to monologue people. I catch myself doing it sometimes. Ooooops!

I seem to have grown out of the very concept of interests: I have been more and more apathetic in the last few years. To be fair, I derive some degree of satisfaction from most of my past interests (like video games, dinosaurs, video game development and world building), but not enough to keep me engaged.

It should be noted that I am not completely sure of having AS and I am probably afflicted with some sort of depression, which would explain my extreme apathy. Therefore, my opinion on the matter is not truly relevant.

My thing has always been severe obsession with specific fictional characters (when I was a kid) or bands/musicians (as I became a teenager and older.) As in, it would be fun in moderation, but I feel compelled to keep trying to learn more and more about the subject beyond the point where I'm mentally tired of it, and I go into isolation because I've learned that talking about it with my family and friends is useless but I can't think of any other topics.

They've tapered off in frequency, but I got wrecked by a couple of them at 21 and 22, so I guess I'm not safe. I have developed the ability to have longer-term pointed interests that are actually somewhat useful, like learning languages, and I don't know if I could have maintained focus on things like that when I was younger.

Not me