Question if you can have ASD without restricted interests

Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 

FranzOren
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 10 Jun 2019
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,311

31 Aug 2020, 12:49 pm

Can you have ASD without a history of restricted interests?

For example, you can just have repetitive behaviors or sensory issues that caused you great distress from early childhood to adulthood.



magz
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator

User avatar

Joined: 1 Jun 2017
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 16,283
Location: Poland

31 Aug 2020, 1:13 pm

ASD is a spectrum. There are many dimensions of it.


_________________
Let's not confuse being normal with being mentally healthy.

<not moderating PPR stuff concerning East Europe>


Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

31 Aug 2020, 1:19 pm

My brother has ASD but he's never had restricted interests, even when he was a child.

I didn't have any restricted interests until I was 11, and even then my restricted interests were about certain people, not objects or facts or anything like that.

Now I don't have any restricted interests. I have casual interests, but after having experienced "special/restricted interests" or "obsessions", I can differentiate what a casual interest is compared to a restricted interest (obsession).


_________________
Female


Pieplup
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Dec 2015
Age: 21
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 2,658
Location: Maine

31 Aug 2020, 11:22 pm

FranzOren wrote:
Can you have ASD without a history of restricted interests?

For example, you can just have repetitive behaviors or sensory issues that caused you great distress from early childhood to adulthood.
My brother has ASD and he doesn't seem to have a special interest. I don't see why not however it's also possible that your restricted interests are presenting themselves in ways you aren't recognizing.


_________________
ever changing evolving and growing
I am pieplup i have level 3 autism and a number of severe mental illnesses. I am rarely active on here anymore.
I run a discord for moderate-severely autistic people if anyone would like to join. You can also contact me on discord @Pieplup or by email at [email protected]


League_Girl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 27,254
Location: Pacific Northwest

31 Aug 2020, 11:38 pm

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

Quote:
B: Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).

2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day).

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).

4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g. apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).


Doesn't seem like it just as long as you meet at least two in this part of the criteria.

I have not had any string interests in a while unless my game counts.


_________________
Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed and ASD lv 1.

Daughter: NT, no diagnoses. Possibly OCD. Is very private about herself.


FranzOren
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 10 Jun 2019
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,311

01 Sep 2020, 12:36 am

Thank you