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dt18
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24 Apr 2010, 11:43 pm

Why do most autistic people have special interests?



CockneyRebel
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24 Apr 2010, 11:47 pm

Without them, I would be dead.


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Elementary_Physics
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24 Apr 2010, 11:57 pm

Because we live in our heads, haha, or a lot of us do. It's like information is food to me. I constantly want to learn more, and get anxious to learn more.
Sometimes it feels like it's a niche I can belong to, really belong to even if it's only in my mind. Like a secret club - How many people love studying epilepsy or obscure bands? I feel like it's my own in a sense. Maybe nobody cares, but that's what draws me to it.
Does that sound crazy?



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25 Apr 2010, 12:12 am

Elementary_Physics wrote:
Because we live in our heads, haha, or a lot of us do. It's like information is food to me. I constantly want to learn more, and get anxious to learn more.
Sometimes it feels like it's a niche I can belong to, really belong to even if it's only in my mind. Like a secret club - How many people love studying epilepsy or obscure bands? I feel like it's my own in a sense. Maybe nobody cares, but that's what draws me to it.
Does that sound crazy?



Couldn't of said it better myself. VERY well said.



Villette
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25 Apr 2010, 1:30 am

everyone has interests. it's just that NT's interests include socialising. :D
Another thing I read is that obsessing over interests is required to give an autistic/Aspie pleasure. An NT get get pleasure with less obsession/intrest.



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25 Apr 2010, 1:36 am

dt18 wrote:
Why do most autistic people have special interests?


Because DSM-IV says we have to.



pyzzazzyZyzzyva
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25 Apr 2010, 12:24 pm

one-A-N wrote:
dt18 wrote:
Why do most autistic people have special interests?


Because DSM-IV says we have to.


I thought Autism was about NOT conforming.



Last edited by pyzzazzyZyzzyva on 25 Apr 2010, 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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25 Apr 2010, 1:43 pm

Because we have an intensely strong focus.


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Cryforthemoon
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25 Apr 2010, 1:44 pm

I love to learn knew things and find out why things are the way they are. But I will say if it does not interest me don't tell me about it and don't talk with me about it.



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25 Apr 2010, 3:22 pm

I live to learn. Not to socialize. :lol:

SnowWhite88 wrote:
Everyone has special interests, autistic or not. I think that autistic people may just be able to focus on their interests a lot more intently than a NT most of the time...and besides that, if you're autistic you're likely not going to be interested in anything social...which can make our interests seem a bit strange to an outside person.


I agree with this, well said.


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Last edited by Hidden on 25 Apr 2010, 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

SnowWhite88
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25 Apr 2010, 3:28 pm

Everyone has special interests, autistic or not. I think that autistic people may just be able to focus on their interests a lot more intently than a NT most of the time...and besides that, if you're autistic you're likely not going to be interested in anything social...which can make our interests seem a bit strange to an outside person.



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25 Apr 2010, 4:03 pm

Because autism, by definition, has to include some symptoms involving repetition or obsession. This would be having special interests, need for routines and rituals, stimming, or focusing on parts of objects. So.. People on the spectrum tend to be repetitive and focused intensely on specific things, and having special interests is just a manifestation of that that most of us have. I think there's a variety of reasons for it... Most of us like familiarity, so having a specific topic that we know all about is comfortable. Executive functioning problems could play a role, because i know that for me organizing a bunch of interests into my life is something i can't do. With me a lot of the time it also feels like my mind gets stuck on something and just can't let it go.. So maybe our minds need to have something to cling on to and focus on.