Is it still a special interest if...

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Is it still considered a special interest if you don't really collect information/facts about something but spend a lot of time looking at pictures of something?

I have always been into dolls, for as long as I can remember. I don't really collect facts about dolls but I can spend hours looking at dolls and doll accessories online. Every once in a while, my interest will be sparked by a particular company, and I will look at their dolls pretty exclusively for a while. I also went through a couple days where I watched tons of videos about dolls on youtube.

Yes, that is how special interests are for toddlers.

I used to do that when I was around 4-5-6 years old. I would collect books on human anatomy (my mum would borrow them for me, or I'd just read them at the library) and I would mostly just look at the pictures. I remember trying to read about the heart and blood system and all that but I can't remember why I decided not to.. probably because it was too hard I'm not sure.

Aside from that, I have never really been one to write down facts, I tend to just store the information in my head. Writing down facts for me isn't fun and it's time consuming, and how would I be sure something is a fact in the first place? Countless times I find contradicting information, so to me I don't really bother risking writing down incorrect factual information. When I became/become obsessed with particular people however, I'd sometimes write down various information into notepads about them or store conversations we had online and stuff like that, if that counts. When I was younger, a game I was obsessed with, at one time I made genetic trees on paper spanning generations of creatures, listing decent amounts of information about each one.

Currently I've got a collection of notepads (.txt files) with stacks worth of personally relatable ASD information, including posts from this site and extracts from books etc. I've also got a massive list of self notes, but none of it is neatly arranged as I plan to do that at a later date, if I am still going to make use of them.

Also, I find that there is no point exhausting effort writing down facts. No one wants to hear about them, I'm not going to use them for anything special. Also if I do forget something, I can go and re-learn it and the interest remains for longer. Why would I want to write down facts? Reading a list of self written facts doesn't interest me, in fact (ba dum tssh) I hate it.

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

yeah, mostly people with High Functioning Autism or Aspergers collects information and lower functioning and children will just enjoy the object/ subject itself. you dont need to be Low Functioning or a child to do this, it just means its more stimulating visually than logically.

i was the same way when i was younger, i liked piles. i would talk about them a lot and always get excited when i saw a pile.

Yeah I'd say that definitely qualifies. Not too long ago I became interested in Samurai katana swords and looked at hundreds of pictures of them and all the different parts and videos about them. I'm like an expert on them now.

Mine don't involve collecting facts.

I do have a few staring special interests. There's this pub on my street that when I lean back to see under the ceiling there's this mesmerizing geometric pattern. I could stare at it for hours. I also find myself staring at other patterns on the exterior of buildings. I have a thing for certain colours too.

I like the look of aircraft too but sometimes my interest gets so strong I've got to learn more about them.

I think if I want to learn about something but the information is too hard to understand then I'll just become a casual observer. I used to be that way with astronomy but I get so curious that I need to learn more, even if at times my brain can hardly process all that information.

Yes, that qualifies.

Personally, though, I've only ever had the 'collecting facts' kind of interest. Even as a toddler. Some of my earliest memories involve studying what our cats were doing, trying to meow to see if they'd react, etc. (Back then they didn't, but now that I'm better at meowing they do!)

I can spend hours looking at pictures of my special interests. I remember when I was around 11 - 12 years old, I was obsessed with the anime Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha. I bought a photo album and filled it with pictures of my favorite characters and pairings. When my family took me on vacation, I brought it with me for comfort.

These days, most series/characters don't get much promotional art at all, so I have taken to lurking on Deviantart to get my fix. (I don't have an account myself because in the past I have been negatively judged for my own artwork, and interactions with my favorite artists didn't go as I had hoped.)

I've gone through periods where I didn't particularly enjoy looking up or storing facts, and my interests were mostly reduced to 'observing'. So yes, I think yours really does count as a special interest.

When you all mention collecting facts, are you all implying that those facts have to be written down, or could they just be stored in memory?

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk