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Autism and Passions/Interests

P

Punchr0ck3r17

New Member
Hello All!
I've been thinking about interests and how they're developed recently. Have you ever wondered how your passions and/or interests were developed? Have you ever thought about what influenced you to pursue the career you did in life? These are the things that inspired me to write about it in my blog.

I encourage you to check out my blog post and maybe share it if you like what you read. If you're not interested, that's okay too, but I'd like to ask you one thing before you leave this thread... What do you think encouraged or spurred on the development of your interests and passions in life? Leave me a comment down below! Thanks! :)
 
I am not sure of the 'how' but think most of my special interests were already formed, before childhood's end. Some of my few oldest memories, age 4, are related to them.
 
Most, if not all, of my special interests developed as a result of curiosity and sparse availability of information. And my interests are mostly scientific in nature.

The exceptions are interests in Prussian culture, History, and Genealogy. But even there those interests expanded to include genetic testing which is scientific, and was driven by curiosity and sparce availability of information.
 
All of my passions and interests stem from one thought: What else can I do with this?

As a kid, it was Legos. I loved exploring the possibilities and would always ask for more.

Later, it was some geometric toys called Googolplex. I loved exploring the possibilities and I kept buying more, because I kept thinking of bigger things I could build with them. I still have a large bin of Googolplex.

Then it was spherical magnets ("buckyballs"). I loved exploring the possibilities and I kept buying more, because I kept thinking of bigger things I could build with them. I have about 2,000 of them now.

Then came the Ball of Whacks. I loved exploring the possibilities and I kept buying more, because I kept thinking of bigger things I could build with them. I have 6 of them now.

Somewhere in there was the Rubiks Snake. I loved exploring the possibilities and I kept buying more, because I kept thinking of bigger things I could build with them. I have at least a dozen of them now.

Now it's straws. I have about a thousand straws at home, because I'm buying them in bulk now to make larger "sculptures."

Everything I get hold of becomes something that I ask, "What can I do with this?" It has served me well as a programmer and mathematician.

I saw an ad online for magnetic rods that work with buckballs to make large 3d structures held together by magnetism only. I showed my wife and said, "This looks so cool. You can't let me get started on this." She knows that if I get started, I will keep buying more and more.
 
For me it was architecture and, well, it was quite logical to my mind. As a kid, I liked maths, been fascinated by construction, but also loved poetry, philosophy and creating art. Architecture is kind of like a mix of all of those. It fascinated me how I could pursue things I like in one specific form, as well as learn a language that not as many people can 'speak'.

And so it went.

But other than that one specific instance, most interests just came to me and either stayed or left. I always had problems answering questions like 'why do you like it?'. I still do. I just like it and the process of creating it, and looking at it, reading about it... That's all.That and a though of 'how does it work?' and 'how can I use it?' or 'how can I change it?'. Curiosity, I would say.

As in: I like it because I like it. Heh.
 
When I was younger, I would draft ideas for hover cars, planes, etc. and build models of them from cereal box cardboard.

After being molested in my tweens, sexual ethics/propriety* and general human aesthetics [eidonomy**] became my perseveration, particularly figure drawing & American comicbook art.

*Mapping out the healthful AND the unhealthful.
**Eidonomy is closely related to anatomy, so there is some medical overlap.
 
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It's not so much about content, it's about process. Something initially interesting that I can amuse myself with endlessly, developing expertise and mastery. I think autistics need something to distract themselves from their interpersonal confusion and marginal acceptance. A special interest fits the bill.
 
Some of my interests make sense. Gaming is my really big one. My parents bought an Atari 2600 when I was like 2 years old, and I grew up with that thing and later the NES. I've been a gamer since the very beginning. Anime, I was exposed to on the sci-fi channel, and just loved it. And my interest in conventions and cosplay sprung from both of those things.

But then theres other stuff that doesnt make as much sense. For instance, I seem to have developed this obsession with creepy dolls. No, I dont know why. It doesnt make any sense at all. But I've got like a bazillion photos of the things. I'd own some, but cant imagine how I'd explain one of THOSE coming in the mail.

Granted, it seems like autistic interests are like that sometimes, things that might be considered by some to be super "weird". So there's that at least.
 
Misery said:
Some of my interests make sense. Gaming is my really big one. My parents bought an Atari 2600 when I was like 2 years old, and I grew up with that thing and later the NES. I've been a gamer since the very beginning. Anime, I was exposed to on the sci-fi channel, and just loved it. And my interest in conventions and cosplay sprung from both of those things.

But then theres other stuff that doesnt make as much sense. For instance, I seem to have developed this obsession with creepy dolls. No, I dont know why. It doesnt make any sense at all. But I've got like a bazillion photos of the things. I'd own some, but cant imagine how I'd explain one of THOSE coming in the mail.

Granted, it seems like autistic interests are like that sometimes, things that might be considered by some to be super "weird". So there's that at least.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't so much experience with gaming make you an expert or drum role gaming LEGEND!!;)
 
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