Stereotypical "Autistic interests" you don't have.

[Hazel_1914]

What are some "stereotypically autistic" interests you absolutely do not share with the rest of the "autism community?"

--never owned a gaming console, nothing against gaming but personally never was interested.
--The My Little Pony franchise creeps me out, even without the fandom, which also creeps me out.
--for whatever reason anime doesn't do anything for me either.
--never was a darn bit of good with a computer, though I enjoy doing shady stuff with them
--believe it or not, I've never played Minecraft.

Stereotypical interests I do have include trains, nature, animals, things that spin, machinery, that sort of stuff--it's just that some "stereotypical interests" that have a large neurodivergent fanbase don't "click" with me. Your experiences?

 

[Forest Cat]

I have noticed that anime and playing video games seems to be very popular, but I'm not sure if that is especially 'autistic interests' or if it is just something a lot of people like to do. I'm guessing it's just something that is popular in general?

 

[Progster]

I don't play video games, also never owned a gaming console. Never really given anime much thought, but it doesn't appeal to me. As for My Little Pony, no thanks. Not good at maths, know enough about computers to do what I need to do.

I'm a product of my time, my upbringing and environment, just as is everyone else, I guess. I grew up in a family which didn't have a lot of disposable income at a time when it was very expensive to buy a computer, so no computer, no games. For me it was music, radio, records, books, experiments, astronomy/space, TV. I also had a lot of obsessions based round foreign countries and languages and music from that country, that was my escapism rather than computer games.

Nowadays everything is digitised and these things are available to a lot more people, games are a way of escaping into a different world and so it's understandable that they appeal to autistic people.

 

[Progster]

I have noticed that anime and playing video games seems to be very popular, but I'm not sure if that is especially 'autistic interests' or if it is just something a lot of people like to do. I'm guessing it's just something that is popular in general?

I think you're right about that, especially video games.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I really dislike, and I daresay disdain, computers and digital technology. That's not a hundred percent true, because I do love learning about circuits and lightbulbs. It gets my aspie tingles going. I also am very thankful for these forums.

But really, I am fascinated with pre-industrial lifestyles. It makes me so happy. I could talk forever about the golden joy experienced when crocheting or reading under the gentle glow of firelight.

 

[Dagan]

I'm not into first person shooter games, D&D, Minecraft, Among Us, work simulators like diners, farms or candy crush, words with friends or that like. I am not drawn to spoons, but my grandmother and great grandmother used to travel the world a lot, and I promise you that they only ever got souvenir spoons from everywhere they went. It was always so specifically curious to me and hit hard when things became clearer of my diagnosis and then tracing back family history some. I am not drawn to math, but I am very much understanding of numbers, especially as they relate to sports or astro physics, astronomy, etc. I'm not a fan of letters in numbers at all. If you ask me to solve for Y, I'm going to tell you that I have already been trying to figure out WHY letters have to be included in math because it doesn't have to be so complicated.

I guess, the one that did get me the most, and I had to laugh about it, is trains. I never focused on it or put much thought into it, but I was making a list of some of my favorite films - Silver Streak, The Good The Bad The Weird, Snowpiercer, Train to Busan, Bullet Train, Runaway Train, The Lone Ranger (the Johnny Depp one), Emperor of the North, Von Ryans Express, Breakheart Pass, Howl, Murder on the Orient Express, Midnight Meat Train... I have no conscious draw to trains, but I did apply to work for the railroad when younger. It's tough to get in because of the Unions and such, but I didn't keep trying like it was an urge.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

--The My Little Pony franchise creeps me out, even without the fandom, which also creeps me out.

YES! Thank you!

 

[Kisa the tea]

I like this thread idea, although I'm not sure what interests are considered stereotypical. I'm not sure if there's a helpful list somewhere. Out of what you listed though, I am not really interested in any automobiles or trains or things like that.

 

[Hazel_1914]

I don't want to pick on people for having "childish" interests. It's that I really find a lot of the whole "autism culture" a bit alienating with how much influence it puts on the 3 f's -- Franchises, furries, & Five Nights at Freddy's.
It might be just that I am not an Internet native and prefer to go play outside or do stuff with my hands.

@Dagan I actually got to work for a bit with a tourist railroad which was fascinating when there were antique diesel & steam locomotives, rebuilt 1920s-style Pullman heavyweights, the 1915-1930 "Boonton" type coaches left over from the Delaware & Lackawanna. It was pretty cool. @Kisa the tea I can kind of see how people wouldn't like trains as they are massive & dirty & loud, but it was fun. I made a run for the porch of the car I worked on, as it was leaving the siding, & jumped on as the train was moving--while carrying an apron full of fresh eggs. Didn't break any.

 

[Princess Viola]

I'm not part of the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom. It's not like I dislike or hate the Sonic games, I own and have played quite a few of them and have fun with them, I just don't consider myself part of the fandom or whatever, y'know? It's like Sonic is just a game series I can enjoy but it's not one where I'd consider it one where I'm actively part of the fanbase. I don't make Sonic OCs, don't participate in online Sonic communities, etc. I just play the games if they're good.

 

[Misty Avich]

What are some "stereotypically autistic" interests you absolutely do not share with the rest of the "autism community?"

--never owned a gaming console, nothing against gaming but personally never was interested.
--The My Little Pony franchise creeps me out, even without the fandom, which also creeps me out.
--for whatever reason anime doesn't do anything for me either.
--never was a darn bit of good with a computer, though I enjoy doing shady stuff with them
--believe it or not, I've never played Minecraft.

Stereotypical interests I do have include trains, nature, animals, things that spin, machinery, that sort of stuff--it's just that some "stereotypical interests" that have a large neurodivergent fanbase don't "click" with me. Your experiences?

I've never been a stereotypical Aspie.

I don't have special interests, only casual interests, and my casual interests aren't stereotypical for an Aspie (I especially do not like anime, which seems to be common among Aspie females)

I'm more drawn to dramas than superhero/action movies

I have difficulties in math, technology and science, and have a hard time learning and remembering facts. I prefer to talk about feelings and mundane day-to-day life

I like a brightly-lit room and I also like bright colours

Despite having anxiety disorder, I don't self-soothe by hand-flapping or rocking or any of the other stereotypical autism stims, even when alone. I never have done

I don't self-harm even when depressed

I can't hyperfocus for very long on a task even if it is an interest/hobby of mine

I make eye contact when communicating

I enjoy chatting on the phone and could be on the phone for hours

I like being touched, no matter what mood or state of mind I'm in

I don't disassociate from others when I'm feeling depressed or anxious, I can still communicate like normal without feeling exhausted

I don't follow a rigid routine. At all

I don't order the same meals every time I go into a restaurant

I enjoy gossip and social chitchat, and I'm interested in people

I'm not blunt or too honest, I know when to be tactful and when it's appropriate to lie, etc. So if you ask if your dress makes you look fat I'm not going to say "yes!" In fact I often have a problem with speaking the truth, even if they do want a solid answer. So I just say "I don't know, how do you feel?" or something like that

I'm good at predicting people's feelings and intentions in a situation

I only play videogames that have nostalgia, like playing the games I played as a child. Otherwise I'm not into videogames (most children liked and had videogames when I was growing up, but I wasn't a game-obsessed c
hild though)

OK I could go on and on but I'll stop here.

 

[Magna]

Trains
Chicken Tenders are not my favorite food
Rubik's Cubes are something I'd rather throw against a wall in frustration than enjoy solving
Mathematics
Gaming
Maps (mildly interesting, but in no way are they a special interest)

 

[NDR2]

I’m not one who’s good at technical things or figuring out how things work. If something was broken I wouldn’t try to fix it myself.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I never thought what would be stereotypical special interests. Never got into gaming except for warbird simulations. I have always liked animation, and for good or ill, liked slice of life anime as somehow showing me the experiences I could never have. My escapism was paleontology-fossil collecting, that let me understand other lands. For a while I was destructive, using my focus to understand explosives and progressed as far as disposable sabot shaped charges fired from a cannon I machined.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

First off, I concur with some other people that several things you mentioned is stuff I have never associated with autism in particular. Video games is something I associate more with males, though nowadays they are quite popular across the board (Minecraft being among the most popular games of all times). My Little Pony is something I've never seen as being autism related (honestly, no media is to me except a couple of Star Trek characters), and similar to video games, anime is popular in general, though it's been associated more with social outcasts (which autists are more likely to be) till recently, like comics.

I also think that what catches your interest is heavily dependent on your age and the culture surrounding you when you grow up. We have autistic people of all ages using these forums, but the ones in their 70's are less likely than younger members to be enamored with Minecraft, just like the teens here are not as likely to be into gramophones (though there are exceptions which cut both ways). It's not because they are wired differently, but because they are unlikely to encounter the same cultural relics in separate social surroundings.

Now, with that preface over with, I'll speak about common interests folks have shared on the forums which I don't particularly associate with.

To start with, I'm pretty terrible when it comes to technology and have no interest in computers. I've taken one course in programming, and found it interesting, but not something I have any burning interest in doing except to the extent to which it can serve my needs. I really have the look of a tech genius (gangly, socially awkward mid-20's dude with glasses) but I have no clue what the difference between GPU and CPU is, don't particularly want to build a computer and don't understand most of the basic terms technology people use. I've never even been particularly interested in knowing more about computers or software.

The other very popular interest here on the forums I don't share is cars, or really machinery in general. I'm glad people are passionate about them, but to me, the topic is very boring. I can appreciate them aesthetically, but I have close to no clue how they work, couldn't fix a broken light, have no idea what most of the switches and dials in the control panel do (this does not only go for the most recent cars, but older modular ones as well) and don't really enjoy driving them. I mainly see them as a means to an end. Same goes for trains, boats, planes and other vehicles. It doesn't have anything to do with danger, loudness or cleanliness, I just straight up don't have an interest in machinery. This goes for other machines as well, like gramophones, radios and typewriters. Though I can appreciate their shape, function and aesthetic, I have no curiosity regarding their inner working or developmental history.

The sad thing is that it would actually be quite useful to know more about how those things work. It would be great if I could repair a car or fix a computer, but I would only learn how to do so out of necessity, and wouldn't have a good overview even if I learned how to fix a specific problem. To be clear, I do like listening to people who are passionate about their interest talk about them with me, even if I don't share them. I just won't seek out more information by myself afterwards.

 

[mysterionz]

@Gerontius i had a MLP special interest when I was in late elementary school, my first ever special interest was Minecraft when I was in early elementary school to late elementary school.

I used to have a special interest in anime from grade school to high school but now I just appreciate anime as an art form and I find it’s history interesting.

 

[Aspychata]

I guess l failed, anything repetitive like some gaming, computers, l am right on it. I can completely zone out with anything computer related. It's sad actually.

 

[Luca]

Anything fandom, video games, cartoons, comics, movies, or otherwise things people refer to as “nerdy” interests have always been about the farthest thing from any of my interests. Which has made a lot of people think I’m not autistic.

I am very interested in science, however, but it’s specific to animal biology and ecology. I can read nonfiction books and watch documentaries about wildlife and habitats for hours lol.
I’m also a social work student, or at least will be again in August. So I’m obviously fascinated by human psychology too.
So that is all a bit stereotypical in the “science” sense, but I’ve never been part of a fandom and I have only attempted video games a handful of times (and it wasn’t for me at all.)

I’m absolutely not trying to say there’s anything wrong with having any of those “nerdy” interests, but literally all of my special interests can be put into four categories: science/animals, outdoors/fitness, art/music, and travel/culture.

 

[Georgia Galaxy]

What are some "stereotypically autistic" interests you absolutely do not share with the rest of the "autism community?"

--never owned a gaming console, nothing against gaming but personally never was interested.
--The My Little Pony franchise creeps me out, even without the fandom, which also creeps me out.
--for whatever reason anime doesn't do anything for me either.
--never was a darn bit of good with a computer, though I enjoy doing shady stuff with them
--believe it or not, I've never played Minecraft.

Stereotypical interests I do have include trains, nature, animals, things that spin, machinery, that sort of stuff--it's just that some "stereotypical interests" that have a large neurodivergent fanbase don't "click" with me. Your experiences?

Lollllllll it's funny that you actuallly mention stuff that I genuinely lovee????? But it ok... There are some anime I don't like when you mention that, certain types of things I do avoid. And with games as well. I tend to be wise with my media consumption. I used to be heavily into MLP, but I've recently outgrown it and I'm kind of glad I did, phew. You're right, a lot of the fandom is creepy ,. It's okay to not be into those things!!! I've done things that aren't even EXPECTED of someone on the spectrum, I'd like to believe! Like what you like and keep truckin' <3

 

[Hazel_1914]

Lollllllll it's funny that you actuallly mention stuff that I genuinely lovee????? But it ok... There are some anime I don't like when you mention that, certain types of things I do avoid. And with games as well. I tend to be wise with my media consumption. I used to be heavily into MLP, but I've recently outgrown it and I'm kind of glad I did, phew. You're right, a lot of the fandom is creepy ,. It's okay to not be into those things!!! I've done things that aren't even EXPECTED of someone on the spectrum, I'd like to believe! Like what you like and keep truckin' <3

Hey, they're really strongly represented by the online community, & a lot of people there are neurodivergent.
I heard a theory that a lot of autistic folks like animated shows because of the eyes and facial expressions. Never was a fan of anime but I got deep into silent film because of being an incurable history buff & again the facial expressions in silent drama are easier to follow than some of the newer movies. After practicing with the older films I moved on a bit.
You're probably right with "like what you like & keep on truckin."