Having non-stereotypical autistic interests

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Sometimes I'm bothered or frustrated by the fact that there's this myth that all autistic people are obsessed with math, science and science fiction and disinterested in pop culture. My experience is that it's not WHAT you're fixated on/fascinated with, but HOW that fixation plays out. I have been known to have autistic-pattern obsessions with particular artists, for example, like a musician I was into as a kid who I put way more focus on than even the biggest NT fan would, I think- cataloging everything she'd ever done, including film appearances and guest spots on other people's records, memorizing dates and facts associated with them, etc. I hate math, get confused by technology and while some of my interests are in scientific fields, they don't line up along the stereotypical lines. I'm wondering if anyone else here has had similar experience, being drawn to things in the autistic pattern but not to the things that are commonly associated with autistic fixations?

I've always been obsessed with particular people, ever since I was about 11 (before that I didn't have any obsessions, just casual interests like other children).

I've never been obsessed with maths, science, technology, video games, animals, or anything else like that. I've always been obsessed with people.

If it wasn't people, it was random obsessions only lasting for a short time, like I got an obsession with pubs when I was 15, but even then that was related to the current obsession I had with a few particular people.

I wonder why an Aspie would be so obsessed with people for?

Yes! When I was a kid I used to keep lists in a notebook about cartoons. I'd list every single cartoon character in existence that was a cat, or list all the cartoon voice actors I liked and then list every single cartoon character they voiced. I also made diagrams of how to draw teenage mutant ninja turtles and their hands, weapons, masks, etc. from every possible angle.

I'm too ADD to be obsessed with anything, lol...i get bored REAL quick.

I'm as aspie as can be, and never cared much for math, science, or technology, and am not particularly gifted at any of them, though I did put myself through college working as a land surveyor. My obsessions have always been with the humanities and social sciences, particularly history, sociology, and philosophy.

For most of my entire life, I have been obsessed with specific fictional characters. Iread and memorize their character profiles, watch scenes with them in it over and over, and have vivid daydreams about my favorite characters being in relationships with one another. My favorite type of couples are crossover couples, where you take a character from one franchise and put them in a relationship with a character from a different franchise. I've made fits and starts at creating a list of all the crossover couples I support, but I find it a daunting task due to the sheer number I have enjoyed over the years.

It's not that uncommon for autistic people to be into fictional characters, but I haven't come across many others who share my intense love of crossover pairings.

Stereotypes are just stereotypes, they never apply across the board to everyone. Frankly, I have known several people on the spectrum who are quite obsessed with pop culture and more specifically with pop music. I spent more than 30 years standing in a room alone, talking to myself and playing music for a living, and when I wasn't on the air, I was at home, playing records (making mix tapes in my home recording studio before the term "mix tape" even existed) and talking to myself. My iPod contains every song ever played on commercial radio in North America from the advent of radio broadcasting circa 1910, through the end of 2012, arranged by Year and Month of release and/or peak chart position (along with radio news broadcasts, national commercials and radio jingles and sweeper IDs from around the US. It took more than 15 years to compile all that into a digital collection, although it helped that I already had massive collections of vinyl LPs, 45s and Cds (free music being one of the perks of working in the broadcast industry).

Over the course of my career, I worked with quite a few others who were obsessive about collecting and categorizing music and memorizing vast amounts of trivial information connected with every aspect of the bands, labels, producers, musicians, singers and songwriters who made it. Almost every one of those people showed characteristics of being on the autism spectrum and there are some I am absolutely certain would be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome if they were to go for an evaluation and testing. Through my 20s, my only regular social interaction was hanging out with a small group of stoners, all of whom obsessed on record collecting, obscure artists and albums and music trivia. We conversed endlessly about movies, politics, religion, science, the paranormal and philosophy, but it was pop/rock music that brought us all together.

So the notion that all Aspies are Math and Science nerds is just a misconception (though I am a bit of a Science geek, my math skills are horrible). I saw a young boy on Leno's Tonight Show a few years back whose personal obsession was vacuum cleaners. He knew everything there was to know about them, collected them as antiques, rebuilt broken ones, etc. and though it was never mentioned on the show, anyone familiar with Autistic obsession would have spotted him as having AS from a mile away. Autistic obsessions can be about anything, and you can have more than one - I'm also addicted to comic book art and tattooing.

I'll post my (non-stereotypical?) obsessions:

- Completionism in video games. I love doing everything in video games--everything. Video games are all right on their own, but nothing is better than the process of learning about and getting better at or stronger in a video game.

- Sex/porn/masturbation--participating in it, learning about it, and teaching others about it (via various forums). For me, this can go on 24/7 for a month or more several times throughout the year.

- ASMR. I've been seeking out ASMR for over 15 years now, since before I even knew what it was.

- Writing. While I hate writing, every 2~ years or so I enter this zone where I write for 9+ hours a day. I've written 15+ novels because of this. I have a very strange relationship with writing and I don't read (for pleasure).

And that's it! I pretty much do nothing else all day.

When I was a teen I discovered KISS. I knew then that I had to have a guitar. I a bought a red, white & blue acoustic for $19. I practiced it after school every day from 4PM till midnight, teaching myself all kinds of techniques I never actually used in a band.

When I write novellas and short stories, the obsession lies in the amount of time and discipline poured into a particular character or event. For instance, in one section of the novella 'Stranded In Paradise', Hitler relates a tale of the Mayas, Oaxaca, Mexico and emerald mines to his new friend. I spent weeks researching those topics so they would be realistic in the book, and that section was only 5 or 6 pages long.

Funny you mention this. I just recently finished reading a book about a man who has Asperger's who designed the special effects guitars for KISS
http://www.amazon.com/Look-Me-Eye-Life- ... in+the+eye
Check it out! You'd probably enjoy it as much as I did! I'm currently in the midst of reading his second book Raising Cubby. His brother wrote the famous book Running With Scissors.

Last edited by mikassyna on 19 Jul 2013, 10:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My own version of obsessions is getting interested in something to the exclusion of about anything else, often investing (too much) money in it, then moving on to another obsession when that interest fades....

I can relate. Zip on math, science and programming. Pop culture, for sure. I wrote music articles for Perfect Sound Forever 10 years. Once I got interested in a band, I had to become an expert. Maybe you'll be the next Ebert.

I came across this listing of some relatively common special interests. I cannot vouch for the source, but the list is very diverse: