What's the difference between NT and ASD special interests?

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Over the years, I've had plenty of NTs who I have in common with find me weird or avoid me because I spend time and talk about their special interest (whether is TV shows, movies, random things from the internet, etc.) a lot to people and I can't help it because it's part of who I am.

I think they can balance their interests, social, work life better than us.
My ex is an NT who loves cycling, bass guitars, music, programming, etc. But he's really social and just has more flexibility than I do.
I also think I get a bit too obsessed with certain parts of my interests.

Also, His Dark Materials is one of my special interests so I like your avatar pic.

It's less common for them to be AS obsessive. And they pretty much always maintain people as a special interest, even if it's in addition to another one.

The ones that NTs have are celebrated and the ones that we have, are looked down upon.

Everyone has interests, but NTs don't tend to become as obsessed and enthusiastic about theirs as we do about ours. It's one of the Aspies' greatest strengths

It reminds me of playing trivial pursuit and you could answer something here and there that everyone seems to know and be safe but if you start to elaborate on the answer or argue that the real answer is incorrect because of recent data you start getting weird looks instead of intellectual discussion. I know most people who have interests and they are more on collecting things of interest but not collecting the info that goes with it and to me that I find more interesting than the mere tangible.

Criterion B:

Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
(1) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

Most people's interests are not 'encompassing preoccupations', meaning most people don't link almost everything they experience during the day back to their interests, or find that their mind drifts to back to those interests almost whenever there's nothing immediately pressing to be done and even sometimes when there is, or to an extent that is makes it difficult to concentrate, enjoy other aspects of life and and get things done as well as most people with the same kind of schedule would do.

It still amazes me how much time NTs spend thinking about their own memories and plans instead of about an interest. Even when I've got lots of exciting things planned or recently done, almost whenever I have nothing to do while waiting for something, I'll think about whichever interest is a current preoccupation instead. They say their minds more often drift to things like what they might have for dinner, or to rumination over a conversation at work.

Abnormality in intensity or focus is a little more subjective a phrase. Some NTs have interests that would be classed by some as abnormal in focus or intensity, but they're not quite encompassing preoccupations. Other non-autistic people do seem to genuinely have this symptom though, and no others; maybe they just have one or two autistic neurological features but not most of them.

Thanks. It's nice to meet another fan of the series.

NTs know when to stop and we don't. We just keep on perserverating on our interests without many breaks, I DREAM about mine for crying out loud, I can't even stop fixating on my special interests when I'm sleeping! Sometimes I wish I did not have aspie style special interests, and just had NT style passions instead.

I don't know....NTs may not go on about their obsession, but they still can let it take over their life. Take fashion for example. Many young NT girls would rather wear a fashionable jacket what isn't rain-proof or snow-proof just to look good, but then complain when they get soaking wet or freezing cold. But if you offer them an eskimo coat or a rain coat, they will say, ''ew, that would look like so ugly and freaky on me, like oh my god!'' I wouldn't say that, but they would.

I think fashion has gone a bit far. I've always been told that other girls don't want to be friends with me because I'm not into fashion. I don't think that's true, but if it was then god help them.

I actually have dreams that I'm Mick Avory and it's 1964-65 and I'm behind those drums, on stage.

What about NT women and shopping? Every woman I know is obsessed with shopping. They go into a clothes shop and could be in there for hours without getting bored, and they seem to stay focused.

And the way people (mostly women) go on and on about what they brought in shops, bargains and offers they saw, and so on. Everywhere you go you hear this. Whether it's just a popular interest or not, but it sounds like it's an obsession. My mum's the same. If she goes into a clothes shop, she completely goes into her own world and nothing else matters except clothes, and she never leaves the shopping mall without buying at least one top.

NT women in shops never give up! I wish my special interest was shopping - then I can join in too. Unfortunately, I'm not into shopping.

I used to talk about my obsessions a lot but mom wouldn't let me so I didn't do it to her. Now I don't do it at all. Now I usually link things to my obsessions like if something reminds me of it.

I always have obsessions going through my head even if I don't talk about it. I can go online and keep reading about it or try and look it up. But it gets frustrating if I don't know how because I am not good at research.

But I often wonder what is the difference between aspies being on the computer and NTs and them playing video games? I know lot of people spend lot of time with that stuff because my brothers sure did. My school counselor said it was a trait they had because they are related to me but my mom says lot of stuff he told me was BS so I don't know if that was one of his BS there.

My obsessions are just there for me when I am bored and have nothing to do. I don't know what NTs do in their spare time.

The intensity is the difference. I embrace my intense nature. It's unknockable.

My NT cousin is really into guitars and so he practises on his guitar a lot of the time. NTs can have intense interests, otherwise their lives would be pretty boring too. I mean, they can't be socialising 24/7! My brother is NT too, and he watches films, goes on the internet, even still plays his playstation.

One of my other cousins is 11, and he is a very ''typical'' NT, but he never, ever comes off his playstation 3. He is always on it, and he's on it so much that he's even had bad headaches which the doctor diagnosed as ''too much playstation games''. All his mates are addicted to playstation 3s aswell.

The only difference between NT interests and Aspie interests is NTs know when to stop talking about them. It doesn't mean they don't pursue their interests less. And I'm not even going to go into how mad my dad is over football! It literally takes over his life. Literally, and I mean literally. He split up with my mum years ago because of his intense football interest. But he is no Aspie. If you met him, he is a very ''typical'' NT too, socially. He doesn't talk about football to anyone who isn't interested. I think that's where the line is between Aspie interests and NT interests.

This isn't the only difference, no. Autistic (not just "Aspie") interests tend to be fairly consuming, excessively detail-oriented, and can become one's life. Talking about it incessantly is a sign, not just a superficial thing. I mean, there is a lot of humor in this comparison:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCkAEAla91o[/youtube]

but it really is possible to focus way too much on surface appearances and say "because they look similar, they must be the same."