Definition of intense interest

Post Reply New Topic

What's the definition of " intense interest " ?

The intense interest mean few topics ( train , plane) or areas ( dinosaur, history) ?

1.When I was a child I fascinated by animals and dinosaur. I could remember every details
about animals, however my doctor supposed that if I have asperger syndrome, my interests
must be very intense (only love one kind of animal, not areas). He told me he has a patient
who always draws everything about train.


2.I remember when I was about 9 years old I draw Snoopy everyday. I gave them deferent looks, such like playing soccer, eating , fishing...etc. But I didn't always focus on one topic, I chose deferent topics to draw randomly. My favorite is dogs.


By the way, do you think everyone with asperger syndrome all lack of imagination?

An intense interest means you spend all day doing it. It also means that your interests are narrow or limited. I play video games which is very general but I tend to focus intensly on one game. Sometimes I focus on a smaller part of the game besides actual gameplay. Like in Halo 3, I was obsessed with the ranking system. Then it was the programming behind Halo 3. Now I'm collecting all 120 stars on Super Mario Galaxy.

No, I don't think all people with AS lack imagination. I have a vivid imagination and so does my cousin who also has AS. But my imagination is impaired. I can't imagine what it would be like to be someone else (empathy).

my imagination is so vivid that it often scares me.

In each summer vacations, I spent 15 hours per day to draw my comic stories. I draw almost
90 pages of each story and I ONLY show my comic to my sister. So I could say that "drawing comic occupied my life".

However my doctor supposed that it is a CREATIVE activity and ,in addition, I didn't draw the same topic . He always try to hint me that someone have asperger syndrome are all "LACK OF IMAGINATION "so that their works are boring. I knew
I had strong desire to draw comic but it seems an area, not a topic.


Yes , months ago I played online tennis game all the day, in addition I had played
Age of Empires for years and I only play with computer.

I've always cared more about the appearance of my toys than "playing with them."

I used to spend hours setting up elaborate scenarios, imaginign the plot in my head as I did, all to have one big battle that lasted a couple minutes.

That's an interesting distinction between Asperger's and "having a hobby."

Like, I read *certain* comic books, sometimes. I'm not a "comic book person" (OTOH, someone who collects any and all comic books and knows everything about them is very likely Aspie), but I have a few I follow intensely. I am deeply interested in the whole super hero mythos and keeping general tabs on what's going on.

I am obsessed with the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber ,but when I try to get interested in other musicals, for the most part, I can't.

From the friendly DSM-IV-TR:

Intense interest means I spend all my time doing it regardless of outcome. For example I'm intensely interested in art and music even though I have very little positive feedback from others for what I post online. I read on Wiki that intense interest is a trademark characteristic of those with AS, and even when I know this I still can't stop. It's like something I HAVE to do, and I'll probably keep doing it until they day I die.

My interests jump and skip and often cycle back. For instance, I'm always interested in science fiction, and also in fantasy. I read books constantly (no matter how bad they are), but I will cycle through reading just fantasy, or just science fiction. Most of my interests are like that. I dedicate ALL my spare time (food and sleep are optional ^.^) to whatever I am interested in at the time, right up until it no longer interests me. Then I move on to the next thing. But my interest in a subject is fairly broad, but yet limited at the same time. Such as I recently learnt how to read music, and all the fingering on a flute, but damned if I can be bothered to actually *play* it. Technically I could. But I have no interest in doing so even though I know *how*. I also have little idea as to why I got interested in it in the first place. Though, it did coencide with another cycle through listening to alot of classical music again.

I also have a fantastic imagination...but I can't imagine how someone might feel about something though without thinking it through first. Have enough problems figuring out how *I* feel.