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rebecca1220
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12 Jun 2014, 3:50 pm

Hello,

Does anyone else feel that Nts are more narrow with their interests than people with AS sometimes?.... the only difference is they are 'socially acceptable'. take football for instance... (especially at the moment with the world cup)... It is perfectly acceptable for an Nt boy to live, eat and breathe football, to the point of obsession. it is even acceptable (and possibly even encouraged) for an NT female to do the same, particularly at times like the world cup, where its seen as 'supporting your nation'. At the moment it feels like it is all anyone talks about. I also feel like my Nt group of friends have narrow interests, which they constantly talk about, like football or game of thrones, or politics etc. I am not interested in these things.
It really feels like NTS do have 'narrow' obsessions but that they are acceptable. Everyone talking about football is driving me crazy!! !



Electricbassguy
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12 Jun 2014, 4:07 pm

I think the ASD/NT divide is mostly made up by self-diagnosing Asperger's.

But I say this as someone who was behavior modded out of ASD and officially only has a "non-verbal learning disorder".



spaceman0694
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12 Jun 2014, 4:23 pm

come to think of it, I have seen examples of NTs obsessing about a topic to the point where conversations would inevitably lead back to the topic of their interests. For example, my mom seems to link absolutely everything back to Christianity. I love my mom, and I consider myself Christian, but it can get a bit tiring, even for me. I guess sports, religion, and national pride are more acceptable obsessions. Then again, maybe it isn't the obsession that society considers acceptable or not. it might just be other factors. However, if everyone is talking about and obsessed with sports and someone else doesn't care, maybe it is the lack of obsession that becomes unacceptable. I don't know.



ikerio
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12 Jun 2014, 4:46 pm

I've been called "not human" for absolutely loathing football....which pleases me immensely lol



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12 Jun 2014, 5:10 pm

spaceman0694 wrote:
For example, my mom seems to link absolutely everything back to Christianity. I love my mom, and I consider myself Christian, but it can get a bit tiring, even for me. I guess sports, religion, and national pride are more acceptable obsessions. Then again, maybe it isn't the obsession that society considers acceptable or not. it might just be other factors.


Christianity is a all-encompassing worldview and a lifestyle. Relating everything to one's religion is therefore consistent with (some might say, necessary to) the nature and purpose of religion. National pride, which relates to culture (also all-encompassing) is similar. These are therefore not really appropriate examples of obsessions, not in the sense of less-encompassing interests such as sports or the stereotypical autistic interests (trains and dinosaurs). There is a huge difference between the level of intended, expected, and/or necessary engagement with hobbies vs. that of religions or other philosophies. Talking about sports all the time is not consistent with the nature and purpose of sports.



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12 Jun 2014, 5:12 pm

rebecca1220 wrote:
the only difference is they are 'socially acceptable'. take football for instance...


Yeah. Well, what makes something socially acceptable, is that it is socially relatable, something people can do together, talk about together, watch together, something that has common or mass appeal. If it's something you just do by yourself and not many people understand the appeal or share the same interest, it's less acceptable because it's not relatable.



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12 Jun 2014, 5:29 pm

dianthus wrote:
rebecca1220 wrote:
the only difference is they are 'socially acceptable'. take football for instance...


Yeah. Well, what makes something socially acceptable, is that it is socially relatable, something people can do together, talk about together, watch together, something that has common or mass appeal. If it's something you just do by yourself and not many people understand the appeal or share the same interest, it's less acceptable because it's not relatable.


Pretty much sums it up



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12 Jun 2014, 6:28 pm

Electricbassguy wrote:
I think the ASD/NT divide is mostly made up by self-diagnosing Asperger's.

But I say this as someone who was behavior modded out of ASD and officially only has a "non-verbal learning disorder".


Last I heard, ASD was neurological, not behavioural.


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12 Jun 2014, 6:43 pm

rebecca1220 wrote:
Hello,

Does anyone else feel that Nts are more narrow with their interests than people with AS sometimes?.... the only difference is they are 'socially acceptable'. take football for instance... (especially at the moment with the world cup)... It is perfectly acceptable for an Nt boy to live, eat and breathe football, to the point of obsession. it is even acceptable (and possibly even encouraged) for an NT female to do the same, particularly at times like the world cup, where its seen as 'supporting your nation'. At the moment it feels like it is all anyone talks about. I also feel like my Nt group of friends have narrow interests, which they constantly talk about, like football or game of thrones, or politics etc. I am not interested in these things.
It really feels like NTS do have 'narrow' obsessions but that they are acceptable. Everyone talking about football is driving me crazy!! !


I know of too many autistic people who are obsessed with sports statistics to call an interest in sports an "NT" thing. But then again, I've spent more of my life surrounded by more autistic people than "NT" people.

On my "NT" forum the people who post the most about the nation and politics and Game Of Thrones, are two Aspies.

I really feel like "NT's" are mythological invention.



Last edited by EzraS on 12 Jun 2014, 6:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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12 Jun 2014, 6:51 pm

I find that at times, the only difference between an autistic special interest and an NT interest are that the NT interest isn't typically all encompassing (some can be, especially conspiracy theorists). What I mean is that NTs have an easier time to talk about things outside of their interests etc, and that they don't think about that one interest all day.

In most circumstances, NT interests are also more socially acceptable (as someone already posted, more socially relatable) than the special interests of autistics.


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13 Jun 2014, 8:46 am

It sometimes seems to me that NTs don't really have interests. I mean, they just don't seem to care for anything, really. Not like me, that when I like something, I really like it. I love Sailor Moon and history for example. I love reading about it, collecting books on it, keeping up with the latest news on them, and collecting themed items on them. Same with cats. I love cats, and I collect figures, books, just about anything with cats. It's even a goal of mine to be on My Crazy Obsession show. :lol: I would so love to be considered the ULTIMATE crazy cat lady. I know, it's weird, but I guess it would be interesting. Or on Must Love Cats.


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13 Jun 2014, 11:20 am

ikerio wrote:
I've been called "not human" for absolutely loathing football....which pleases me immensely lol


I will have to join you in the 'not human' corner as well then. I can't stand the game, but I am female so maybe that makes my loathing more acceptable.

The neighbours even have the England flag pinned across the front of their house where I live. Eeek. Is it world cup time or something because I don't watch live TV so have no idea about these things.



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13 Jun 2014, 11:24 am

Norny wrote:
I find that at times, the only difference between an autistic special interest and an NT interest are that the NT interest isn't typically all encompassing (some can be, especially conspiracy theorists). What I mean is that NTs have an easier time to talk about things outside of their interests etc, and that they don't think about that one interest all day.

In most circumstances, NT interests are also more socially acceptable (as someone already posted, more socially relatable) than the special interests of autistics.


What does it mean if you have more acceptable interests at a higher level of intensity than average?

I like needle crafts and Art most at the moment alongside paleo nutrition. Neither are weird as such but I spend all day thinking about them and my life tends to revolve around them most days.

I have an appointment with Aspergers east anglia for an initial assessment in 4 weeks but at the moment I still cant make up my mind if I am weird NT or ASD.



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13 Jun 2014, 11:26 am

NTs seem to be obsessed with gossip and whatever everyone else said...so and so said something to someone and then that someone said something back to so and so and then someone else chipped in and someone else and....

Thats all they seem to talk about whenever I have taken time to listen into their conversations (therapist told me to watch how others interacted and it required a little eavesdropping...). I got bored and went back to my book on the paleo diet.



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13 Jun 2014, 11:39 am

EzraS wrote:
rebecca1220 wrote:
Hello,

Does anyone else feel that Nts are more narrow with their interests than people with AS sometimes?.... the only difference is they are 'socially acceptable'. take football for instance... (especially at the moment with the world cup)... It is perfectly acceptable for an Nt boy to live, eat and breathe football, to the point of obsession. it is even acceptable (and possibly even encouraged) for an NT female to do the same, particularly at times like the world cup, where its seen as 'supporting your nation'. At the moment it feels like it is all anyone talks about. I also feel like my Nt group of friends have narrow interests, which they constantly talk about, like football or game of thrones, or politics etc. I am not interested in these things.
It really feels like NTS do have 'narrow' obsessions but that they are acceptable. Everyone talking about football is driving me crazy!! !


I know of too many autistic people who are obsessed with sports statistics to call an interest in sports an "NT" thing. But then again, I've spent more of my life surrounded by more autistic people than "NT" people.

On my "NT" forum the people who post the most about the nation and politics and Game Of Thrones, are two Aspies.

I really feel like "NT's" are mythological invention.


When we say "NTs" (or at least when I say NTs) I am simply referring to people who are not autistic (or at least don't seem to be). Myself I have never been around many autistic people, like at my school it was just a regular school, and the vast majority of students were neurotypical (i.e. kids who were not autistic), there was only myself, my best friend, and a few other autistic kids but not many.


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13 Jun 2014, 11:43 am

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The neighbours even have the England flag pinned across the front of their house where I live. Eeek. Is it world cup time or something because I don't watch live TV so have no idea about these things.


Yep, the World Cup is going on now. The last time I went to see my ex-girlfriend in Switzerland four years ago this month she insisted on making me watch it. I have virtually no interest in sports at all.

I guess it's rather odd when the woman in the relationship is a sports fanatic and the man can't stand sports at all.