Question about Aspergean obsessive interests

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I was discussing this subject with a friend the other day and he said that the only reason aspies acquire encyclopedic knowledge of their narrow fields of interest is because deep inside they know they are defective, so they learn a few 'parlor tricks' to compensate for their deficiencies.

As an aspie with obsessive interests, do you agree with what my friend said?

Hi,
I can only answer as a parent of two on the spectrum, but for my oldest I say no way. I don't know how he could of figured out parlor tricks under the age of 2 lol.

Lainie

I'd say no, IMHO.
I find myself drawn to a particular subject, and its almost like I get this thirst and i want to drink up as much information as I can, then I usually move on to the next thing.
I have no desire to talk to people about these interests unless they ask me, and THATS when I won't shut up!
I do not see why anyone would go to that much effort just for the sake of trying to impress somebody.
I obsess over things because I am obsessive. I'm not really sure why that is. Its certainly not to compensate for anything. Its about my own personal satisfaction, nothing more.

In order for us to do something that obsessive and ridiculous for the sole purpose of pleasing others, we would all have to be NT. Many of them seem to have the special interest to please everyone else.

I obsess because I can not help but to become immensely interested in. I resent people who think I am defective, I am not defective, I just do things different. I love knowledge, and I love learning things about what I am interested in. To me, it does not matter what others think. I am obsessed with things that some people do not know I am interested in because they do not need to know.

I like something, think its the greatest thing in the world and have to know everything about it.

The obsessions are endorphin releasers. I feel happiest when I am very obsessed with something and even better when I tell someone else what I know.

My hope is that they view me as a know-it-all-type. My desire is to woo them with my knowledge, wow them with my intellectual prowess, shock them with my abilities.

It's like being an intellectual athlete.

I'd say no. I'm interested in a vast range of subjects and have been since I was a child. I don't have the narrow obsessions that seem to be common to a lot of aspies. I don't research cetacean intelligence or the history of Venice for anyone else's benefit or to compensate for any deficits I may have. I do it because I enjoy learning, it gives me intense and lasting pleasure to learn new things.

To all the good responses, I'll add, your friends theory very much does not fit with what I've read about autism as Asperger's.

OK, my parlor tricks have been pretty profitable! Two of my interests are electronics and COMPUTERS! I started looking at computers around 1971. I later saw the Mark-8 come out which was the cover product on radio electronics around 1974. I read the WHOLE SCHEMATIC! Oh yeah, did I mention that I was only about 11 when that magazine hit the stands?

So how old is your friend? Could HE read schematics when he was like 5, and has HE read computer schematics? Does HE program computers well, etc....

Yep, that is some parlor trick! I doubt any of us thought about them as such.

I completely disagree with that. I have obsessions over birthdays and dates. I think aspies normally have obsessions to deal with the stress they undergo. This side tracks them from what they don't really want to believe.