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What happened to all my special interests

Miles

I understand that special interests are a significant part of many people’s autistic lives. I have certainly had a few over my life. I am not sure what I think about the term special interests, although for me it is definitely preferable to the word 'hobby' maybe 'passions' sits better with me. I am talking about interests that I have devoted myself to fully, become obsessed with and become central to how I see myself in the world. I have also tried to turn some of these interests into work and I have had some success in this but ultimately this has not worked out for me.

this has left me feeling like a bit of a failure and mistrustful of investing time and energy into any of the interests that have previously brought me pleasure. I struggle to motivate myself as I fear it will ultimately lead to disappointment.  Consequently, I feel like a significant part of myself is missing.

It’s feels like grief. What’s more is l feel slightly hesitant posing this here as if admitting to being without a special interest somehow draws into question whether or not I am actually autistic.

Does any of this resonate with anyone here? If it does what has been your experience and have you managed to overcome it? 

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  • Miles said:
    l feel slightly hesitant posing this here as if admitting to being without a special interest somehow draws into question whether or not I am actually autistic

    Hopefully you'll be reassured to hear that even a complete absence of special interests wouldn't necessarily prevent someone from still being diagnosed as autistic. Slight smile [smile] 

    Under both diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD), it's possible to be autistic without having focused / special interests, as long as other features are present that meet the broader criterion that special interests also fall under.

    It might also help to know that any focused / special interests that we do have can be short-term, long-term, or lifelong - so we also needn't worry if they change over time:

    NAS - Focused and dedicated interests

    Given the emotional impact of your past frustrations with trying to turn some of your special interests into profitable work, I wouldn't want to encourage or discourage you from trying again. But I was reminded of a quote that's attributed to Thomas Edison: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (ThomasEdison.org)

  • in reply to Bunny

    Hi bunny, are you real? Your responses, while helpful, seem largely ai generated or at least ai assisted and your profile seems to be an add for ear buds

  • in reply to Miles
    Miles said:
    Hi bunny, are you real? Your responses, while helpful, seem largely ai generated or at least ai assisted and your profile seems to be an add for ear buds

    Hi again, Miles. I'm real. I don't use AI to reply here. And yes, my profile shares a referral link (disclosed as such, per the rules) to a product that I'm a huge fan of, and that's been extremely helpful to me in coping with hyperacusis.

    To date, I've preferred not to share a personal bio. But perhaps you missed my latest reply in your intro thread, where I did share some personal background information with you?

    In respect of my communication style, you might find it helpful to learn more about autistic communication differences. For example:

    "Social communication and social interaction differences (compared to non-autistic people) are a ‘core characteristic’ of autism"

    "... in comparison to non-autistic people, autistic people might ... use more:

    - direct language, or less unnecessary or ambiguous language

    - formal, precise and technical speech"

    I try to keep my replies concise and clear, especially those focused on sharing factual information. I also favour providing links to sources - so that people can verify things for themselves. 

    NAS - Autism and communication

    I hope that helps!

  • in reply to Bunny

    Well in that case I’m sorry your responses are helpful and I didn’t mean to cause offence. 

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