What significant impairments do special interests cause?

Post Reply New Topic

Ever notice that when people see something so well done and cool like the hoodie, they have trouble believing that not everything is that good? Kinda like, "He/She is so good at that, why can't he/she do this?"

My special interests are things related to space travel and engineering.

Me:


Also me:


This is a good thing in that I can probably efficiently navigate a space craft using only a pen and paper and this skill will come in handy if I work for a space program, but there have been times where I get hyper focused on something and then I realize that I haven't eaten in 10 hours and it's 2:00 AM. It can be a problem in school too because I am physically there but my mind is often in another galaxy, which can be hard to stop from happening. If I had a switch that could toggle on and off my obsessiveness then I would make use of it.

I really like the first one. Do you do 3D?

Oh, yes. That assumed correlation frustrates me immensely. I spent many years after school cursing my academic abilities and wishing I could be more "stupid", because whenever anyone saw my school certificates they immediately jumped to conclusions about what they think I can do, or even what they think I will prefer to do.

For example, in my last job, after I was promoted to a position that I couldn't cope with, I offered myself for demotion back to the factory floor and was fine with taking the cut in my pay. But I was told that this would be a "waste", and they insisted that someone with "my abillties" would find machine operating "boring". But I had been a machine-op before my promotion, and loved every minute of it - I found the repetition and rhythm very calming, in fact.

I realise now that wishing to lose what few talents I have was a dumb way to react to the problem. I need to find help for the things I find difficult, not delete the positives. But trying to convince people that someone with the qualifications to go to university might need an outreach worker to help with domestic chores, diet and personal hygiene seems to be beyond their comprehension.

I didn't make those, I was just joking that I am like that. I guess miscommunications like this should be expected on a forum full of people who are intrinsically bad at communicating.

Also, I do actually do 3D stuff. I am not the best nor do I have a very large collection of art, but I could post some of my work at some point if anyone is interested. One of the coolest pieces of art I have made so far is probably the Earth graphic that's in the background of my avatar.

I'm a fast learner. I can learn things very quickly on the job but they couldn't understand how I could be so stupid like forgetful to do things and forget how to do things a week later when it's not in my routine or not remember where things are put or needing clear directions and needing to repeat things I hear because it's my way of trying to process it and to clarify I understood so they can correct me if I get it all wrong.

When I was in a play in high school, I was able to memorize lines and knew other peoples lines, I had to know their lines so I could know my cue to say my line and after that kids expected me to focus more in class, pay attention, listen better to lectures, process information.

Online when I posted a story, all of a sudden I was expected to understand more and what I am reading by people and understand their questions and I couldn't be all that naive and this happened on another forum for autistic members that was a none support forum. I wasn't slow as the person thought I was.

For me, the impairment comes from not being able to talk about anything else and constantly associating things in my everyday life with my special interest. I make constant Doctor Who references with hopes that someone will understand them, but it is rare that anybody ever gets my references and then people at school and work think I'm "weird" and don't want to talk to me. It was harder for me as a child because I couldn't understand why not everybody loved 101 Dalmatians (my first special interest) as much as I did and would get upset if the other kids in my preschool class wanted to watch different movies or play something else.

Two of biggest impairments are:

1.) Conversationally, If I can't draw on a reference or something that I've seen, I can't get it out and it usually comes out really badly too.

If it's not in a special interest area, I'm lost in the first few minutes. I just can't hold a conversation if it's not an interest.

And, I get the Dr. Who thing mentioned above. As I age and my reference materials get more and more outdated, I am losing connections to people I need to be able to connect to.

2.) Incoming information can get mixed up. Accidentally missing either cues that give subtext or just, somehow, inverting meanings sometimes.

Audio processing is a problem as just about any background noise can create signal problems in my understanding. This will happen in reading as well.

So, incoming, outgoing is screwed.

But as a special interest, things have caused me to forget to eat, sleep or completely lose track of time. And, the worst was last December when I got so obsessed with a special interest, nothing else got done.

And, now, being unsettled, I can't alight on one of them. I feel the tug of them, but can't get to one and just settle in.

I would get caught up in things & put off doing things I'm supposed to do like eating, going to the bathroom, doing chores, spending time with my family, & sleeping. I felt I related more to them than real-life stuff & became more detached from the real-world. Thankfully I quit having special interest after I started a med for my OCD.

What is if one has several special interests (one can have more than one, right?), does it happen that they get in the way of each other, i.e. you want to be occupied with one of them but also with the other at the same time?

Kudos, that hoodie looks really great! About how much time did it take you to make this?

Also, speaking of handicrafts, and since Doctor Who came up, ain't these on this page cute, too (a crocheted versions of all Doctor Whos, and a small tardis, too)?
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/f ... who-a73423

Awww, I love those! I want to make them once I get better with my crocheting

What usually happens with me is one special interest finds me and it takes over the other so I am no longer interested in the other special interest.

My perseverated behaviors might be-
high distractability, lack of sleep, decreased social interaction, emotional dysregulation and being more uncomfortable with change. I think this is a unique topic.

I am nowhere near as bad as some people. But I like to write. It's both my escapism, but it's my dream to become an author. It hinders my relationship with someone I really love. She's very supportive and I cannot give her any more. Because I feel the most connected to her when I write. But she gets bored of doing the same thing over. But she complains that every time we do something she wants, it's clear I have a lack of motivation to do it. I am not interested in the things that don't motivate me, so I do them with less enthusiasm. Even when I try to be enthusiastic.

I don't have to. But I like to travel with journals and notepads because I like to observe and people watch.