Age Appropriate, Common Interests (perseverations split)

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I don't understand what they mean by this. I have seen adult men scouring the hotwheels aisle so they can add to their collection. And other men who die leaving vast landscapes of terrain over which model trains run.

On the other hand, these guys probably don't have a house full of boxes of pen parts, gears, metal and string. And they don't take apart doors to get the doorknobs and lock mechanisms. And they probably don't get hypnotized by something shiny in the middle of the road, such that they have to stop the car and go back to see what it was.

But who is to say these things are not age appropriate even if they are not common?

Common Interest: job, career, raising a family, buying the washing machine the Joneses got so my clothing can be whiter than white? Buying into commercials that tell me I must have something I don't need? Playing with a DVD player instead of toys?

Does anyone else collect "unusual" stuff? I have since I was a child.

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Last edited by acousticvalley on 09 Nov 2005, 2:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I understand what you mean.

I collect nintendo memorabilia and my family sees that as "babyish" (man I hate that word. )

When I was in HS, my step-father would complain that I would play with LEGOs all of the time.

The funny thing is that I still play with LEGOs once in a while. Of course, it helps to have brothers that are young enough for you to get away with it

Have you seen the mini-legos? They're super!

I don't have any kids for excuse, but when I needed excuses I was a kid therapist. I had fifteen virtual pets hung from my belt and in my pockets.

I also have a bunch of RC vehicles - three boats, two trucks and cars ranging in size from one inch long to twelve inches long. I don't like them any bigger than that. I am in the process of acquiring a Rockebok set - RC construction vehicles and LEGO compatible building parts.

I have had a lot of money in my life, which I should have spent on other things. But for me it is like giving a ten year old $800 a month allowance. And in spite of this, I still go into the street and pick up something shiny when I see it. Have done this since childhood.

The only heads or tails I can make out of age appropriate is that it's an interest which is really uncommon for the person's age. But, true, difficult because many nonAspies play with toys/collect toys all their lives as well.

I'm really not sure how much relevance this "age appropriate" thing has. I would find greater relevance just in the uncommoness and to what extent that interest is pursued. "Age appropriate" seems to be too open to opinion.

My interests were not often inordinately unusual as for their utter uncommoness. It was to the extent at which I was interested. (Though a couple were definitely uncommon for my day and age.)

~stuffed animals (I had to have just about every one I saw)
~Religion/Spirituality/Angels
~cats
~musicals (this one was more odd-- my classmates were definitely not into musicals)
~Frank Sinatra (this accompanied my musicals interest)
~collecting stamps/coins/Looney Tunes figurines
~poetry (the writing of it)
~here my obsession switched to a particular teacher for some time
~chess/math
~I became obsessed with a different teacher this time
~art (the making of it)
~back to poetry
~abnormal psychology
~forensic psychology and serial killers (collecting serial killer bio books)
~back to poetry yet again
~back to abnormal psychology with focus on biopsychology
~art (this interest is being renewed though will certainly not lessen my interest in psychology)
~book and movie collecting has been a constant for me for many years. Though I didn't really get interested in books until my teenage years. But I have always loved COLLECTING!! !

*There were many other more minor interests but these were the main ones in chronological order.

Thanks you for this. My former therapist was under the impression it had to be only one lifelong interest. My list is at least this long and includes some things that would be considered inappropriate at any age, unless you were a Gorg....

Example: dried fruit and vegetables (things I forgot about). I had a banana, grapefruit (still have), garlic, peppers, etc. The banana was my prize possession but my then partner objected so the banana had to go...
Others: cat whiskers and single hairs that I miss when shaving that I then pull out by hand and collect on a mirror.

I think "age appropriate" refers to how you play, not the toys you play with. For example, many adults collect dolls. Very few adults have imaginary tea with their dolls the way a young child would. Conversely, many young children like to look through telescopes or stare at the night sky, but very few can name more than a dozen major stars and/or constellations the way a dedicated astronomy student would.

Oh,boy.I like carebears,stuffed animals,dolls(I don't like Barbie or Bratz),Pokemon,Kim Possible,and I still have my special blanket.I always thought that cute and sweet,but my family and some of my friends thinks it's babyish or "uncool".

-SpaceCase

Another difference is the intensity (for me anyway). When I get a toy I like, I become obsessed with them. By the end of the fad I had over 70 virtual pets, and when I discovered pontiki I bought over a hundred of them. I have most of the spirograph sets ever made, including pre-spirograph sets like magic designer (originally called hoot-nanny). I also have some from europe. Most adults I know would not have collected these things, and if they had, they would not have opened them. I open almost everything AND play with it.

Yes, there are certainly some Aspies who have only one or two lifelong interests. But by and large, the majority of Aspies online and off that I've met have had MANY MANY MANY interests.

As for perseveration, the real key to that criterion in the diagnosing is the severity of the interest. Not really the interest, itself-- except for maybe the unusualness of it. Does the person put many things off just to pursue their interest? Does it get in the way of everyday life? Does the person even put off going to the bathroom just to finish what they're doing? That kinda stuff. When it comes to it, the interest or the number of interests have far less relevance. What is important is the amount of perseveration upon it (or them). I mean, for Pete's sake, it's under the REPETITIVE section in the DSM! The repetition is what is supposed to be stressed.

Tell that to your therapist.

I don't think it would do any good to tell her, that's why she's not my therapist anymore. The perseveration is clearly the thing for me. When I discovered computers, I stopped sleeping, became an expert within months, and spent most of my waking life either playing computer games or programming. Given that I was studying for a doctorate at the time, it was not the thing to become obsessed with.
Not realizing I have to go to the bathroom is another common problem. This morning not only did I not realize I needed to go, I didn't realize until I was in distress that some thumping music from next door was irritating me. I got to the bathroom in time, but I got into a state of emergency by the time I realized the music was bothering me.
The obsession? Rokenbok. I am trying not to let it get to the perseveration stage, but failing.
Other things that get compromised: social interaction, eating, sleeping, errands, bill paying, house cleaning, in other words, life in general. I even bring things to work and play with them.