When Passion Becomes Survival: The Power Of Autistic Special Interests
Illustrating the relationship between special interests and autistic people.
To people that have uncaring and selfish minds, they’ll see special interests relating to autistic people as weird and obsessive but to autistic people, they use special interests as areas of fascination or passion that brings them a source of joy, knowledge, and even skills to help navigate themselves in a neurotypical world.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5), one of the diagnostic criteria for autism is individuals showing ‘restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities’. When an autistic person is relishing into one of their favourite special interests, which there can be several, it’s very difficult for them to want to discuss anything else. Special interests can vary from being broad subjects, like: maths, to specific niches, like: trains of the 19th century, and can be formed as depth of intellectual knowledge or physical collecting of items.
In history, society has shown negative language and perceptions when it comes to describing the special interests of autistic people as ‘inflexible’ or ‘obsessive’; to the point where various therapists have often tried to get individuals to reshape their behaviours connected to special interests by reducing the need of them, as there’re seen as ‘repetitive’ or ‘intense’, and may cause psychological harm or hinder their social development. However, autistic advocates, like myself, will massively defend in saying that special interests are a very important and fulfilling part of an autistic person’s learning and wellbeing.
Like neurotypical people who also can have interests they like and bring joy to their lives, special interests can change or evolve as autistic people get older and develop more life experiences, whilst there can be special interests that can stay with individuals all lifelong. When I was a child, I obsessively watched all episodes of Mr. Bean, a British sitcom in the 1990’s starring Rowan Atkinson, and I still like the comedy even to this day, just not as obsessively as I did as a child as my interests broaden over time. Rowan Atkinson starred in many other comedy sitcoms and films, like: Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line, and Johnny English, and became one of my favourite comedians of all-time.
As I got to my teenage years, I got into liking cars, especially Aston Martin, and watching Top Gear, an automotive magazine motoring-themed television programme that ran from 2002 to 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond and, at its peak, reached over 350 million viewers around the world. The episode that got my notice was when the trio did a car vs public transport race from Dunsfold, UK to Monte Carlo, Monaco, with Jeremy in an Aston Martin DB9 and James and Richard on a mixture of buses, high-speed trains and aviation travel, covering a distance of over 900 miles. Despite all the modern innovation and development of fast-commercial travel, the car won the race and the fine British fashion as well. You can’t beat a good British V12 power.
My love for Aston Martins and cars leads to developing my passion for the James Bond franchise. The character of James Bond was the creation of renowned writer and author Ian Fleming during the 1950’s; with his inspiration for spy novels came from his time in the naval intelligence division in Great Britain during the Second World War. The connection between James Bond and Aston Martin dates back to the 1960’s when a Silver Birch coloured Aston Martin DB5 appeared in the 1964 film ‘Goldfinger’ starring Sean Connery and this partnership was strengthened over the years with many other Aston Martins used the films. The film that got me into the Bond franchise was ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) starring Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play James Bond. The only reason that I went to see the film in cinemas was that a marketing poster was showing an Aston Martin DBS, that became the star of the film. The DB5 has appeared in a number of Bond films over the course of the franchise, with the recent film being ‘No Time To Die’ (2021) as the last outing starring Daniel Craig as 007.
My interest in 007 then leads to me to developing an interest in scotch whiskies. In the 2012 film ‘Skyfall’, Bond and his boss ‘M’, played by Dame Judi Dench, drink ‘The Macallan’ scotch whisky at various points in the film. ‘The Macallan’ is a scotch whisky founded by Alexander Reid in Craigellachie, Scotland in 1824 and the whisky brand has been renowned by collectors all over the world and in auction houses where some of its most expensive bottles are sold. In November 2023, a bottle of the Macallan 1926 sold at Sotheby's auction house in London for £2.1 million, making it the most expensive bottle of whisky sold. My late grandfather was also a whisky drinker, who sadly passed away around the time my interest into scotch whiskies started; so I like to think that my interest honours his memory to a certain degree.
That being said, I’m not a massive alcohol drinker, I’m more of an amateur connoisseur kind a drinker; relishing into the history of whisky brands, which has leads to me to expanding into French cognacs (brandy), wines from different regions of the world, Belgium ales, as well as British ciders and beers. I think this is further inspired by my love for the 007 franchise. Don’t get me started on food! I like trying different cuisine and raise my horizons to different styles of cooking instead of being stuck in the same old dishes all the time, despite how comforting they can be in terms of similarity and feelings of nostalgia. When reading all the above, it demonstrates that interests can grow and evolve over time, as well as being relatable to one another. The journey of special interests is as unique as the individual who possesses them.
What are the pros and cons of having special interests as an autistic person?
Pros:
Increased confidence and self-esteem: Engaging in special interests allows autistic individuals to develop expertise and feel a sense of pride in their knowledge and accomplishments, boosting their confidence and self-esteem.
Emotional regulation and stress relief: Special interests can provide a sense of calm and order in a neurotypical, chaotic world, acting as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety, and helping with emotional regulation.
Learning and skill development: Diving into a special interest can lead to in-depth knowledge and skill development, which can be valuable in various aspects of life, which influence their career paths.
Social connection: Sharing a special interest with others can foster social connections and create opportunities for interaction and belonging, when the optics for interaction are right.
Flow state and motivation: Engaging in a special interest can lead to where individuals become fully immersed and highly motivated, leading to increased focus and productivity.
Sense of joy and purpose: Special interests can be a source of pure joy and a way to express oneself, providing a sense of purpose and meaning.
Cons:
Social isolation: An intense focus on a special interest can sometimes lead to social isolation, as the individual may prioritise their interest over social interactions.
Difficulty with flexibility: Autistic people may find it difficult to shift their focus from a special interest, which can lead to challenges in adapting to new situations or tasks.
Limited social interaction: The intensity of a special interest can sometimes overshadow social interactions, leading to difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships.
Potential for obsessive behaviour: In some cases, special interests can become obsessive, leading to difficulty in managing other aspects of life.
Difficulty with transitions: Autistic people may experience distress or anxiety when forced to stop engaging with a special interest, making transitions challenging.
Negative stereotypes: The intensity of special interests can sometimes lead to negative stereotypes or misunderstandings from others.
To bring this all together, you’ll quickly understand that special interests play an important role in autistic people’s lives and it’s not something that can be taken for granted or abused in anyway. Autistic people have every right to have special interests as much as any neurotypical person has. The one common denominator I have witnessed is where neurotypical people will question autistic people for their interests, sometimes from a place of arrogance, but don’t accept or allow their interests to be questioned by others; hence a level of hypocrisy in play.
By showcasing my special interests, it demonstrates how they can grow and evolve over time and still play a part in an autistic person’s development in knowledge, critique and expertise in various subjects. Despite the cons of special interests highlighting the risk of limited social interaction, flexibility and challenges with managing multiple levels of general life, the pros of special interests are more stronger in terms of improving emotional regulation and stress relief, aid autistic people’s learning and development and provides purpose and excitement in scenarios when anxiety occurs and trying to mitigate the situation.
My experiences of having special interests in subjects that I’ve mentioned above, along with many others, helps with dealing with anxious situations, enhances my knowledge in those areas and allows to have an open mindset to learn and develop further. My advice to autistic people is to continue enjoying your special interests, as long as they aren’t harming you or anyone else and always adopt an open mindset to new interests that might catch your attention, as these will further deepen your knowledge, enjoyment and purpose which can lead to career and/or life opportunities for the future.
I love this, it's totally me. One interest leads to the next. Tom is that way because of ADHD. People like us tend to end up experts to varying degrees in all our fields of interest. And it makes other people's heads spin.