Published on 12, July, 2020
The stereotyped autistic person is obsessed with maths, science, technology, but I wondered if there is another type who is obsessed with words, correcting word mistakes, dictionaries, learning new words etc. A Word Nerd.
I am a proud Word Nerd, I have zero interest or skills in maths, science, technology. It is a reason I didn't even consider I was autistic until I was in my 40s/50s- I wasn't a computer geek, so I couldn't be autistic, could I?
What do you think?
I'm pretty sure Autists have all kinds of narrow interests. I'm obsessed with all kinds of things. If i could cope with life a bit easier i probably would of been a Councillor or an MP. That's where i have the most knowledge. Before i dropped out of school my best subject was History. So perhaps i could of been this generations Eric Hobsbawm. I guess i'll never know now. My wants are just the basics of life now.
I wouldn't say an interest in words is narrow, words are used by 100% of people on the planet! haha.
Well they say Autistic people have narrow interests. Or specialized interests. I don't know how that separates us from most academics. I've never been one of those Autistic people who are super interested in Autism actually. Do you know what i mean? I think it's because i was diagnosed so long ago and so young. (2000)
Oh yes, don't take on other people's jobs. Definitely not.
Why ever did you think I meant you were being abusive? I don't understand.
I meant that I can get obsessed with people then eventually I realise they are using me/ they are narcissists/ they are shallow etc. and I lose interest. They wonder why I suddenly disappear And it's saved me from them.
Ug, the most annoying thing is people 'giving you stuff to do', my first reaction is thinking "fxxkoff, I've got plenty of my own stuff to do".
I'm not being abusive i'm just trying to explain to you what restricted interests are.
No, I can't say I've ever been interested in things as specific as those. I dabble in things, I have an interest, learn a bit about it, then move on e.g. Viking world history, MotoGP riders, dyslexia, Maneskin. I meet people who really are obsessed with those subjects and I think 'gosh, who cares what their shoe size is, move on'
I've often had people excitedly show me some information about a former interest of mine and thought 'why are they showing me that?' Then remembered I moved on from it some time ago.
It's quite funny. But I like it because my constant changing has saved me from abusive people.
Restricted interests are common in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For example, a person might be interested in a specific TV show, math or drawing. People with restricted interests are often experts on the topics or objects they enjoy. Sometimes they share their interests with others.I don't think it has to be the same interest all the time to qualify.
Yes, I was diagnosed this year and I thought 'Oh, well that explains why I've always been the weirdo.' And moved onto the next thing.
I've definitely never had narrow interests, I move from one to the other all the time. I can't understand people who've had the same interest all their lives, how do they not get bored?