Special Interests / Obsessions - Why do we develop them?

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Lorna Wing gives a very convincing hypothesis on why we may have special interests in her book 'The Autistic Spectrum'.

I can't remember what she writes word-for-word, but I'll look out the book and if the passage isn't too long I'll copy it here.

The reason that I have the special interests that I do, is because they're a haven that I can turn to in a not so warm and forgiving world.

Special interests and obsessions are fun. Most of the time they are. Occasionally, they can get unhealthy. But mostly, they make me feel safe in this crazy world. It satisfies my love of learning. Since I'm not able to go to school or work right now, they offer me mental and emotional stimulation.


Special interests and obsessions are just part of the package. So enjoy.

I have had an obsession with both trains(model and the real ones) and old lawn tractors/mowers. Both have an obsession since I was a small child. I turned the later one into a profession, first as a mowing and repair job out of my one friend's garage as a preteen/teenager. Then as a career as a repair technician at a local dealership. I took many failed jobs to get back to that career though. All the time I was not diagnosed, it was only around the time that I took my current job that I was diagnosed with AS and it all made sense. While the income isnt the most stable being a seasonal job, Its income I would otherwise not have and from a job that doesn't put me into meltdowns like the others had a tendency to do. Dodger.

For me, I feel like I develop special interests for thought-integration purposes... not sure if I can explain it...

Like, they say some kids spin as a means of sensory integration, pulling in the tendrils of themselves that otherwise feel too raw/sensitive/detached, like .. (I don't know how to explain this at all, sorry)...

and I felt like I used to engage in self-harm for the same basic reason, because my pain (or tendrils of pain, to keep with the comparison) was/were so widespread and far-reaching and all-encompassing that hurting myself physically brought it all together into one spot, one focus, you know?

and I feel like I develop special interests because of the same thing... my thoughts/brain/attention (tendrils of them, for continuity's sake) become so widespread and distanced and scattered and unfocused that a special interest draws them all into one nerve-center of thinking/pondering/whatever. (I do not have ADD, by the way.)

Picture an ice skater who is doing a spin - she starts with her arms out and one knee bent outward (like tendrils of sensation/thought/emotion fluttering outward) but then draws them in to herself until she's just a straight line spinning there, arms and legs all tightly integrated with her body and acting as one central point of focus... that's how I picture it...

yeah I really can't explain what I mean..

I develop special interests because my special interests are very very extremely interesting.
And I like to think about very very extremely interesting things.

I would rather ask why someone would not develop a special interest.

I've had times of my life devoid of meaning. There were different causes, but the common denominator every time my life has been exceptionally great is when I've been spending time with my hobbies.

I drank a lot of alcohol in my early 20s. I spent less time on my hobbies. Did I drink because I spent less time with the hobbies, or did I spend less time with the hobbis because I drank? Both are probably true to some degree. There was an underlying cause. What I try to illustrate is how hobbies are therapy and escapism, and everybody needs that.

For me, creative work or attaining knowledge creates a sense of progression. Just like in a role playing game where youevelop your character, the same applies to real life. If you think about it like that, learning new skills becomes very enjoyable

Fascination is heightened for us.

People with ASD can have normal interests (such as sport) but it is heightened.

-A neurotypical might watch baseball games. Know the players and a little bit about them and then talk to their friends about them.

-A person with ASD might watch all of the baseball games (never miss one). They know all the stats about all the teams and the players and use it to create a model. A person with ASD might just spew stats about players and teams.

See the difference?

I think it's an OCD thing sometimes. I quit having special interests 1ce I started taking OCD medication.