Question about interests

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I started this topic because I recently read a news story that got me thinking about how interests in autistic people are viewed by neurotypicals. The story was about how a little boy, (5 years old) who has autism, would wait in front of his house every morning when the garbage truck came around to see the garbage being collected because he was so fascinated by it. He even had a favorite garbage collector named Manuel. One day Manuel brought him a bag with a toy garbage truck inside. The boy's mother was so touched that this garbageman would do something so kind for her son. The story made me wonder two things: 1) If the boy wasn't autistic would his interest in the garbage collecting routine seem so peculiar? Why is the boy being singled out for his interest in garbage collecting routine, after all many kids have many weird and different interests. Or is it just me who doesn't think his interest in garbage collecting is not odd? and 2) How come autistic children who have an interest in something be labeled weird? For example if a child is interested in piano and happens to be good at it and he or she has autism then why does it suddenly become a 'special interest' or 'gift'? Why can't autistic people who have interests be like anyone else who has interests? Is it because those interests are considered odd or unrelatable to neurotypicals?

I see it from Manuel's point of view – he was probably so surprised and touched that anyone cared about his job, that he wanted to do something nice in return, and bought him a toy. It might not have had anything to do with autism.

And I think a special interest can be something common, like playing the piano – but what makes it 'special' is that the person completely obsesses over it, and has no interest in other activities.

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Last edited by Willard on 17 Feb 2014, 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I dont know where Williard is coming from.


If a NT child stood on the doorstep at dawn every mourning to watch the garbagemen do their thing every day it WOULD be considered strange. In fact probably MORE strange than if an autistic kid did it because NT kids dont act that way. Getting up at dawn in the cold one or twice to watch the garbagemen maybe. But not everyday for months on end.

An autistic kid might 'luck out' and develop a special interest in something socially acceptable that parents approve of that gains a person social status as you gain prowess in it like: playing the piano, or sports, or academic interests. In that case it would be both difficult and moot to distinguish it from a NT kid having a strong interest. Unless we are talking about an "idiot savant" those people you see on the news who are so low functioning that they cant dress themselves each morning, but can play the piano like a classical genius. In that situation the person's aptitudes seem to most people to be very lopsided- ret*d in every other way (including practical survival skills) but super advanced in one narrow way.

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Last edited by Willard on 17 Feb 2014, 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I find it touching that a man who usually would not feel like a hero, suddenly feels like a hero to someone, and then the person who idolizes such person has an awesome personal interaction with said hero.

However there have been times in my life where this sort of article would simply annoy me because I wouldn't understand why it was such a big deal.

But now, having a child on the spectrum (before ever having fathomed I was once one myself) adds a level of identification to the article that I would not have otherwise had. Understanding the challenges of raising a kid on the spectrum (educational, financial, etc.) makes me appreciate the "awww" factor that much more. When my 4-year old son was interested in firetrucks, the fact that the firemen we used to pass walking on the way to school used to let him help them "clean" the firetruck because he was so serious about it (yet their having no idea he was on the spectrum), or how the laborers down the street who loaded the boxes from the delivery truck used to pretend to let DS4 "help" them carry the boxes to the landing, was like finding a glass of water in the desert. A far different, kinder response than the glares of strangers wondering how or why I couldn't control my more-often-than-not screaming, out-of-control child. Maybe some people are more adept at understanding these types of touching moments. It took my becoming a mother of a challenging child (ironically having been pretty challenging myself) to be able to fully appreciate this angle.

Thank you all for your replies, it made me see different sides to the story and also gave me insight on how to interpret this story.

It depends where you live, the frequency of the garbage pick-ups. I live in a major city, and garbage is picked up on a daily basis. The only things that are not picked up on a daily basis, but on a specific schedule, are large furniture and appliance items.

It is possible that the story is bunk. However, equally possible is that some person had a journalist as a friend who thought it would be cool to write the story, or perhaps the story was written by a reporter specifically hired to seek out these types of spiritually uplifting human interest stories to balance out the nasty side of human nature that is pervasive in the news.

Okay. It wouldnt be EVERY day. But still- his mom would tell him what day of the week the garbage is collected, and he and his mom probably stand next to each other together while he watchs the collection. And she makes sure he is dressed warmly for the winter crack of dawn collection viewing and such. So he and his mom probably have established a relationship with the garbage crew. She's probably mentioned that he is autistic to them, and so on. There is nothing implausible about it.

Hi, I just wanted to clarify this is a real story, the story was written on the Daily Mail website and there is even a video of it. The link to the story is below. And sorry for confusing you, the child did not wait outside for the garbage truck every day it was only once a week. Sorry, my mistake.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... truck.html