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What “counts” as a special interest?

Inah

I am newly diagnosed with autism. I still struggle with identifying what “counts” as a special interest and I am still trying to find out for myself what it is. Like I understand the passion aspect of it, but I am not sure how long you need to have it so it counts (I am using “counts” even though I am sure there is no official measurement or judge obviously), if anything can be a special interest (I read somewhere that someone’s special interest was breast feeding which made me question my initial assumptions about what special interests are), as well as whether you need to be an “expert”. I hear the last part over and over, even in the post-diagnostic psycho education, and it put me off really. Like, I like learning about space but could in no way explain things to others!! I kinda hate this even because it puts one under some pressure to excel in something you might “just” like doing (perhaps it’s just me!).

Also, does being obsessed with working out what is “wrong” with me for basically the last 20 years of my life count as a special interest? Might sound odd and ego centric but really wondering that :) 

Equally I have been hooked by the idea of living in England since secondary school (I am not an English native person) and for the last 10 to 15 years have done everything to be able to do so (including deep diving into improving my English - even dating some English speakers and I am currently in a long term relationship with one*, studying, living and working in the UK) and the thought of going back to my country of birth is a devastating thought, among others because of the loss of daily exposure to English. Does this make “being in an English speaking environment” a special interest?

*just to be clear, I obviously love my partner and am not just together with them because they are an English speaking native, but I think I did consciously narrow the pool of possible partners to English speaking natives at the time and would find it difficult to broaden it again, especially to people who speak my mother tongue

  • For me Russian was my special intrest for around 10 years, I took a high place in Olympic competition in the capital of my country of birth *not UK, English is not my first language either. My intrest was so intense, that I spent any minute of my free time to study it, the grammar, the vocabulary,  spelling, I was fully in love with the language,  country and culture. While pacing my room I also repeated words or imagined that I talked Russian to my imagined friends. I used to listen only to Russian music, watch only Russian movies or movies in Russian (there are many nations, that use Russian as their first or second official language) menu in my phone must have been in Russian, so I left it to the service point to install the menu language package with Russian. If it was impossible and i had to use the phone in my first language,  I was sick for weeks and months, couldn't eat and sleep, couldn't calm down till the menu of the phone was in my beloved language. I became so good at Russian that russian-speaking people didn't recognise I'm not one of them.  Just an example of my special interest. Earlier were trams and floor plans. Now I have aliens and space. It can be anything it's not about topic but intensity.

  • I've previously read that 'special' interests present differently in females and also, I believe but am not certain, that I've been told that females are more likely to change interests than males (making the interests shorter term).

    I just did a quick Googly and I've come up with this which explains it quite well:

    https://autisticgirlsnetwork.org/knowledge_base/autism-and-girls/

    (under 'Girls and Passionate Interests'):

    'Autistic girls may have passionate interests which are viewed as more socially acceptable than the ‘special interests’ of their male counterparts. For example, animals and reading are common passionate interests amongst girls, alongside others.'

    I obviously don't know your gender, but this may in any case be of general interest.

    When I had my assessment I was quite concerned that my 'interests' wouldn't be seen as 'special' but upon discussion with the psychiatrist I realised that they were/are fairly intense which I think is quite key.

    Actually, I'd put this intensity down to self 'diagnosed' OCD.

    Otherwise, I agree with all the comments others have made here.

  • You sound like you have a lot of special interests to me! I think   and   explained it already, it's more about how much of your thoughts are taken up by it and I'm just reading about it 'unmasking autism' and it's also about the joy it brings you. England, your mental health and space are all interests. 

    My kids are a special interest of mine, it was noted in my assessment as I tend to bring them up a lot. When they were little, after they went to bed I'd spend my evening looking up new things to do with them, sensory games, places to go and I'd set up play areas and turned my house around to suit their needs. I have other interests too, but just pointing out they can really be anything. (And yes I had a friend who knew a lot on breastfeeding and I read books she leant me so I could know more about that side of mothering too).

  • Good morning from America, Inah!

    I actually just mentioned this on another thread earlier this morning! It’s totally okay for special interests to come and go, for you to not be an expert in them, or not being able to focus on it for long periods of time. I recently had an obsession with the Seattle Sounders soccer team, but I didn’t become an absolute expert in them. Like, I don’t know all the players’ names by heart and such. Sometimes I like not knowing everything about something; It leaves more for me to discover later.

    Autism can DEFINITELY be a special interest! It has been for me.

  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum

    P.S. your English is very good. I'm intrigued as to what your native language is? I'd never have guessed you weren't English or from an English speaking country.

  • I don't think there is any hard and fast rule with special interests. They are just interests felt far more intensely than your typical interest. They likely take up a lot of your time and you may feel upset if you do not get to pursue it. It may involve researching a specific topic a lot or collecting everything to do with that interest or it may be something that you actually do. You don't have to be an expert in that topic or be able to teach anybody else about it.

    I think you could just say England/English was a special interest of yours. I don't think you have to go as specific as "being in an English speaking environment". 

    Space could also be a special interest. You don't need to be an expert or be able to educate people. It just needs to be important enough to you that you spend a lot of time doing it and you feel quite intensely about it.

    Special interests in my understanding tend to my quite long term interests. Although I know some people will feel really intensely about a thing for like 2 weeks and then it switches to something else. I think this is more of an ADHD trait and I think this would be more likely categorised as obsessing as opposed to a special interest.