A question for any here with ASD.
Could someone explain to me what defines special interests ? How is it different from hobbies?
I don’t think I have special interests but will explain what I do do.
For years I have been frequently checking my rss feeds and later Twitter for articles to post on forums. These are primarily mental health related and secondarily political and general articles .
I also save many of these articles to my usb drive .
Whilst thinking this does not qualify as special interests I have a feeling it is not typical NT behaviour either.
What is ASD? 151515151515
Autism spectrum disorder.
1 Like
Interests are usually more intense than hobbies. They usually have advanced knowledge of the subject.
1 Like
@Tomasina ASD stands for autism spectrum disorder which is the newest medical term that applies to a lot of different people. I have aspergers but people could also say I have ASD.
As for special interests, it’s like something you love love LOVEEEE so much it’s like an obsession you would die for it and if someone brings it up in conversation it’s extremely hard not to talk nonstop about it. For me my special interests are In general animals and cartoons, witchcraft, sailor moon, and Harry Potter. If anyone mentions those things I go totally nuts since I have so much useless facts and knowledge stored inside me about them. If I have a shitty day, putting on some Harry Potter will ALWAYS make things better. It’s hard to explain, but it’s basically a hobby that borders on an obsession that is self soothing. At least that’s what it is to me.
2 Likes
I guess I’m quite obsessive about what I do. It’s not something I regale people with without an opening to do so. Ie I won’t go up to some unsuspecting person and start spouting reams of stuff about mental illness. However if they bring the topic up …
1 Like