The list is extensive. I’m also making sure not to include “normal” interests. Many neurotypicals have what seem like “special interests.” We can’t assume that everyone who collected coins or rocks or had a chemistry [...]
Can an Autistic have a special interest without knowing a whole lot about the topic? […]
What’s the difference between an autistic special interest in painted nails and a “normal” interest by a neurotypical? […]
Autistic and wondering if getting older means a “burning out” of your capacity for new special interests? […]
Is there a sneaky question that if you asked someone who’s autistic, their answer would reveal their autism? I don’t mean “Are you autistic?” […]
Have you noticed that when money can be made off an intense interest, it's usually not considered an obsession, but in autism, when money can't be made, it's an "obsession"? Neurotypicals (NTs) study sharks for [...]
Is there a difference between an autistic deep dive on a medical condition vs. a health anxiety deep dive by a neurotypical? […]
Is there a difference between a Taylor Swift obsession by an Autistic and such by a neurotypical woman? […]
You’ve heard of a SPIN: special interest. You’ve heard of a stim: stimming or repetitive, self-stimulatory behavior. […]
Have you noticed that many autistic people love sharks and either know a lot about these creatures or in some way, express their interest such as collecting all sorts of shark themed paraphernalia? [...]
Ever wonder if every hobby or passion that an autistic person has actually meets the criteria for “special interest,” obsessive or hyperfixation? […]
It’s genius: There are now coloring books with “special interest” topics that will have incredible appeal to kids with autism – even adults too! […]
Can an autistic person have a “normal” level of interest in a topic? […]
Here’s an uplifting encounter with a stranger who became teary eyed as a result of my autistic special interest (obsession). […]
Is a special interest in autism as much of a hyperfixation if it lasts only a week vs. many years? Just how short-lived can an autistic obsession ever be? […]
It’s all here: the differences in special interests between autistic women and men. […]
The answer to why it seems so many autistic people have train or dinosaur obsessions is actually quite simple. […]
My interest in sharks was once autistic level but is currently at neurotypical grade. […]
Despite the intensity of my past special interests, I’d never given them a second thought and assumed many people had the same experiences. […]
Here are real-life examples of autistic circumscribed interests. A circumscribed or “narrowed” interest is very rarely found in neurotypical people. […]
The autistic community is divided with the term “special interest.” […]
I’m autistic and one of my biggest obsessions ever was that of wood chippers. […]
If only the Internet had been around at the time of my biggest autistic special interests! […]
It’s so wonderful and outright cool when an autistic person has figured out a way to make money off of a special interest (aka obsession or hyperfixation)! […]
I’m a prolific illustrator and never knew that my autism – which would not even be diagnosed until many years later – influenced my artwork in college. So there I was, in college art class, [...]
I’m autistic, deeply fascinated by racial ambiguity, colorism, the way people look whose parents are different races. […]
Just exactly how do hyperfixations in autism spectrum disorder arise in the first place? Are they foreseeable? Or do special interests “just happen”? […]
The line between what makes an interest “special” or “obsessive,” and what makes it “normal” can be quite blurry. […]
