Don't Neurotypicals Have Special Interests Too?

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Kind of a dumb question and maybe a little trollish by nature. (I don't mean it to be) But yes, this is something that bugs me so I had to ask. Where does the difference lie between an aspie with a special interest and an NT with a hobby?

Point of reference.... I'm 98% consistent over the course of a year with my interest. I also have the charts to prove it. But I would think that any well-disciplined NT could do what I do. So where is the difference, exactly?

Yes, neurotypicals have lots of interests, just like we do, but they don't seem to be "attached" to them as we are.

In basic terms, in my opinion, an Aspie Special Interest interferes, in at least some way, with the practical aspect of an Aspie's life (e.g., eating, bathing, paying bills, socializing, etc). At times, they interfere with the Aspie's ability to lead an independent existence. Bills go unpaid, health is neglected, hygiene is neglected, etc.

In neurotypicals, these interests (while they could become all-encompassing), doesn't, by and large, interfere with the neurotypical person's ability to live an independent existence.

Well, I disagree with that distinction.

To me, the key feature is that an NT can STFU about their special interest, whereas an Aspie just runs on and on.

Oh, and also, while an NT may have a hobby, an Aspie is capable of rather a marked extent of knowledge about their special interest.

I don't disagree with that distinction, either LOL

When I was 8 years old, I couldn't shut up about knowing all the capitals in the world.

To this day, people have to sometimes kick me under the table when I start talking about something like the weather or geography.

NT Special Interests:

1) Football
2) Pizza
3) Beer
4) Shopping
5) The Kardassians (or however you spell it)
6) Parties
7) Golf
8 ) Their House
9) Their Lawn and Garden
10) How Busy They Are

As for football, there are some fans who will go to the stadium during a snowstorm at temperatures way below zero, paint their bodies and faces a different color, jump up and down screaming at the top of their lungs with no shirt on. There are some other fans who will bark like dogs on a radio station to win free tickets. And others who will wear fake cheese on their heads. So, what's normal?

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I like:

1. football (American and various other types). I wouldn't go to a football game in subzero (Fahrenheit) cold, though.
2. Pizza
3. Golf

I really dislike: shopping, beer, lawn and garden stuff, parties, "the house," "lawn and garden" stuff, and "how busy I am."

I really don't think about: The Kardashians. They are a nonentity in my life. The only interest they hold is the fact that they are of Armenian heritage.

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 07 Dec 2015, 8:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i like this question.

yes of course NTs have special interests.

My NT sister was OBSESSED with the holocaust, you could ask her anything and she could answer it, she spend a majority of her life researching and still has a interest in it.

Did it ever interfere with her daily Life? no
Did she ever talk about it amongst friends who were uninterested? nope
Was it her only Interest? nah, she had many more aside that one

My interest is sonic and has been for the past 6 years, ask me anything and i can answer it, i spend the majority of my time researching, drawing, thinking about and buying sonic merchandise and am still interested in it.

Does it interfere with my daily like? yep, i've had issues making and keeping friends because of it, and lost focus in class
Do i talk about it to friends with no interest? i used to, but now i know better
Is it my only Interest? its one of few.

autistic interests can be very very intense, and even be disabling at times.

Liking football, pizza, and golf is perfectly fine.
What gets me is when an NT gets obsessed over football, pizza, or golf and is seen as perfectly normal.

One reason why I like the Buffalo Bills football team is because the X-Files is one of my special interests as a sci fi fan, and the Cigarette-Smoking Man character from X-Files mentions the Buffalo Bills in one of the old episodes called "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man", and there are a couple other hidden references to Buffalo and/or the Bills in an episode or two. Now that I no longer live in the Buffalo area, I never even watch football, but still feel sentimental about the team if the name comes up, so I follow them on Facebook and hit the Like button once in awhile.

So somebody who has memorized every single quarterback the Bills ever had is normal,
but I would probably be seen as weird for remembering the X-Files connection to the Bills.

Such is life
when you're a Keeper of Odd Knowledge.

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This made me laugh
"Their lawn and Garden" <- hahaha, literally everyday at lunch at my last job *shudders*.
"How busy they are" <- oh gosh so true, although, I too find this easy to talk about, because I can awkwardly list things I did/must do, and it doesn't come across as weird, just "socializing"

Glad you enjoyed the list!

In Northeast Ohio, NTs attend the "Home and Garden Show" the same way I attend science fiction conventions and comic cons. I went to the Home and Garden Show once and nearly fainted ... literally ... because of all the people. Started blacking out and had to sit down.

Good for you that you can socialize when it comes to the topic of what you're busy with. When the dreaded question comes up, "So, what are you doing this weekend?" I've learned that talking about art can make people jealous, so I fall back on ... * drumroll please * ... "not much that I can think of right now, what about you" ... but when prodded further and told how rude I am for being private, a lot of times I tell them about whatever Star Trek event is on the agenda for that weekend. People don't seem to like it if you have too many "quiet weekends" in a row. But then they also don't seem to like it if your weekend is more glamorous than theirs is. Even if you do a perfectly normal NT activity like go to a party at somebody's house hosted by people they don't know.

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Before he (allegedly) killed Nicole, I used to be a big fan of O.J. Simpson, who played most of his career for the Buffalo Bills. I used to like him even when he was at USC, before he came to the pros.

If the Jets and Giants don't do well, I might rule for the Bills, because they are a New York team.

Yeah, way back in the old days, I got O.J. Simpson's autograph when he went into the Hall of Fame or something. The murder of Nicole came as quite a shock.

As a Jets fan, I think it's very generous that you would even consider rooting for the Bills, considering the age-old rivalry between them.

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If they don't act like jerks, I might root for the Bills (if the Jets and Giants don't make the playoffs).

Wow, this is SO true- can't have too many quiet weekends in a row!! Yes, I have been told that is strange.
I actually scored really well on my "socially-acceptable" meter as far as I'm concerned, one weekend I did errands, and then the NEXT weekend I had a friend come over and ALMOST went to a party, but got food-poisoning, which is a socially-acceptable reason for not attending an event! So, then I had fodder for the "water-cooler small chat" that monday XD!! !! I was happy about that

The fact that you have CHARTS at all is proof you're going about your interest in the autistic fashion, rather than the neurotypical.