Hi, I have no special interests.

Well, I don't think it will be challenging in regard to stamina, not for me, but I was the most clumsy in my class at school, and I hope I made some progress here after years of manual labour, then there is my barely functional wrist of my primary right hand, that will eventually stop being functional as predictions say, so the plan is to learn doing it lefthanded, it might be easier with something I haven't done before

I need to test some of my crazy fencing theories in practise for the book I'm writing

I could say that finding ways to shoot two birds with one stone is my special interest :P

haha I don't think there is a type that can withstand what we have to face here over the sea sometimes

I'm not light, but sometimes it makes me feel like I'm about to find out how Dorothy felt LOL

My first thought was what sort of fence but I think it's because they've been on my mind with the windy weather.

I remember someone once said on the forum, think about stuff you liked or were interested in when growing up. I think the adult world makes us lose focus sometimes, but you might just find a spark going back to things you had forgotten about.

As for films etc I always find it interesting how others were able to explain what happened in a film or the storyline for instance. Altho I don't watch many films, this is something I've always had difficulty with. (For example summarising a story or gist or maybe explaining something) but I'm going off on a tangent here.

Also, check out futurelearn - they do loads of free courses and you don't have to commit to anything.  I've learned about forensic psychology, black holes, gravity, dyslexia, everyday maths etc. Theres a wide range of courses.

Classic!

it starts in September LOL

Actually that’s one thing that annoys me a little about the otherwise great and informative Aucademy videos on YouTube. If they have a guest on they always end by asking them ‘whats your special interest?’ And I always think ‘what if they didn’t have one? Is that allowed?! What happened to recognition of diversity among autistic people?’ I do have one major one and some smaller ones but I get defensive on other people’s behalf! 

Hello, Melon. 

You're not alone. I do not have any interest that I can say that I love wholeheartedly. More importantly, I don't know everything about the interests that I do have and have seen other Autistic people with such a breadth of knowledge within their interests that it makes me feel almost neurotypical. 

However, I think this is largely down to how we chose to perceive things. We sometimes may think people appear more knowledgable than they are because we make that presumption based upon what they do know. It is likely that you too also know a lot, but your methods of delivering that information may vary. 

Additionally, not knowing what to talk about is completely natural. I think you done the right thing and talked about what it is you don't know what to talk about. Welcome to the community! This is what we're here for (presumably, I just joined too!)

But going back to the interests; I have a few interests that I've spent years cycling through. One month it may be chess, the next it may be a videogame called Runescape and then I may decide to read blogs online for a month. I can't say that I have an interest in any of those things despite doing them for years. They just keep me entertained. 

Sometimes, that's the only purpose they need to serve just like watching films. So if there's one thing we've gathered here today; it's that you have a fine taste in entertainment! 

Nice to meet you, 

Adam.

It's actually natural to feel this anxiety / fear. New things can be daunting. But I've learned to close my eyes, hold my breath and just dive in. (really I look like a mime at the very shallow end hesitantly dipping my toes in the shallow end, but at least we're experiencing the water and I'll have a full report in about a year of trials). But deep down I'm quite scientific. I'd rather know than not and work out a well-thought through conclusion with a posteriori evidence as to why or why not. So, that requires engagement. 

But regardless of what or how you explore, make a point to. Even if it's something as a new coffee once a week. It can be small or it can be fierce. It is the element of engagement and 'play' which matters most.

Oh that's brilliant!! You must tell us how you get on.

Thanks for the advice Juniper. I have a bit of a fear about trying new things, like literally gives me anxiety because I might not enjoy it  and I want so badly too, so looking through stuff at the library might be easier for me. Thank you 

JuniperFromGallifrey said:

etc.

so I signed for fencing course

Feeling like my head was in a fog most of my 20s, I sympathise. 

There is a technique to discovering what you might secretly be good at and what you might be passionate about and they may not be the exact same things. Within both of these things are big areas which might incorporate things we're not good at but it wouldn't hurt to better ourselves in and there might even be another circle of things one just enjoys or can wind down with.

Not everyone will become specialised. But we need to take time just for ourselves. Selfish time we protect from others to be able to explore. This could mean signing up for a range of workshops: glass blowing, electronics, wood working, gardening, cooking, etc. These would all be things to try and see if they spark interest. Another exploration would be a day at the library. Once a week. And just peel though shelves. You won't ever be introduced to this range of ideas online, as algorithms can be limiting and might not allow us to see something we'd never have thought of. Just some ideas!  Mid 30's I realised I had always loved a few things I was discouraged from learning. I've recently decided in my late 40's I'll probably go to uni finally and get a degree in them :)

Hahahaha

I had a burst of activity around 2005/2006 and wrote 6 articles, 3 online and 3 in print journals, on Napoleonic cavalry. One even won a prize!

I answered no. However, I do look at them, but they only interest me if they suggest words.

I feel the same, I like to fixate not go :P about special interests

Hopefully someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe special interests and hyper fixation/hyperfocus are two separate things. For example, I used to spend HOURS doing cross-stitch, to the extent that it was like an obsession. I now realise it was a special interest, and that I had been hyperfocused.

I've been thinking more about this and I wanted to know if hyper fixations would count as special interests or if they are a separate thing? I hyper fixate on things a lot and I feel like those words describe what I'm doing more than special interest.

It is a bit of a curse  

My supervisor thinks I can do the job of 4 people because of it

Why have 4 people, when  you can have one who takes a lot less to train and can repeat processes efficiently!!