Special interest (autism)

Uncommon card · No. 104467

Special interests are highly focused interests common in autistic people. They are more intense than typical interests, such as hobbies, and may take up much of a person's free time. A person with a special interest will often hyperfocus on their special interest for hours, want to learn as much as possible on the topic, collect related items, and incorporate their special interest into play and art. Some interests are more likely to be seen as special interests if they are particularly unusual, specific, or niche; however, this binary of acceptable "passions" and pathologised "obsessions" has been criticized by autism-rights advocates and psychologists. Terms like circumscribed interests, obsessions, or restricted interests have historically been used to describe special interests; however, the use of these terms is discouraged by advocates. Special interests are sometimes conflated with hyperfixations. Hyperfixations are typically short-lived periods of strong interest in a subject over...

Read on Wikipedia · Image MissLunaRose12, CC BY 4.0