Paul, an Autistic

A blog by an adult autistic who is relatively well adapted to a neurotypical world (diagnosed with ASD in my 30s). Thoughts on autism & such, generally from a neurodiversity perspective.

[growingupautie]

Looking for Autism Acceptance in lieu of Awareness? *Clears throat*

(Movie Trailer Voice) This Autism “Awareness” month…BEWARE wait…BE(A)WARE…wait…Be Aware! of Autism’s Most Wanted. There are many more of us out there, and it’s time for us to band together and fight. So this April…If you must “be aware” of Autism, be aware of Autistics, and understand that what we really want…is acceptance.

Starring: Growing Up Aspie - A Comic By Nathan McConnell and The Daily Spectrum Life Asper Margo Twainbow and Autistic Executive It’s An Autism Thing. I’ll Help You Understand It. By Emma Dalmayne Michael McCreary - AspieComic Agony Autie Conspiracy of Birds and Neurodivergent Rebel

[Growing Up Aspie] presents… Autism’s Most Wanted.

Rated R.

Kidding. Can you imagine?

——— To help fund my work you can support me at PATREON.COM/[email protected]

[superlinguo]

Top five linguist pregnancy announcements

I’ve been using these over the last few months. There will be a mini-Superlinguo around some time in January!

1. I’m beginning my own longitudinal child language acquisition project

No, we’re not sending them to space.

2. I’m temporarily plural

It’s a pity that English doesn’t have a standard dual form to mark two people, which is common in other language.

3. I’m currently demonstrating an unusual form of noun incorporation

It’s 9 months of moving from inalienable to alienable possession.

4. I’m building my own language acquisition device

I apologise in advance for the poverty of the stimulus.

5. I’m taking a novel approach to illustrating the human capacity for recursion

It’s humans all the way down.

[allthingslinguistic]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Linguist Parent Social Media is the best social media.

[cllynchauthor]

Puppetgate

Those of you who aren’t on autistic twitter are missing out on Puppetgate.

Hold onto your pants because this is going to get UNREAL.

1. A London playhouse reveals that it will be doing a play about a family whose non-verbal autistic child is being sent to an institution.

The autistic child will be represented by a puppet.

2. Autistic Twitter: “A puppet? What the fuck? Like we already feel like we are treated as inhuman things with no voice.”

3. Play supporters: “but Julia from Sesame Street is okay right?”

4. Autistic twitter: “…true but why a puppet?”

5. Playhouse: “because of child labour laws. You can’t ask a non verbal autistic child to perform in a play day after day.”

6. Autistic Twitter: “but why couldn’t a small adult actor just…”

7. Playhouse: “okay and here is the puppet!”

8. Autistic Twitter: “Oh dear god what is that unholy abomination?”

9. Playhouse: “it’s great right? This puppet is going to be SO MUCH more like an autistic child than a human could ever be!”

(Seriously)

https://twitter.com/allinarowplay/status/1092410318960148481?s=21

10. Autistic Twitter: “how could that creepy goblin represent an autistic child better than an actor could?”

11. Playhouse: “Well you see because he’s a non verbal autistic and aggressive so things get pretty physical and also it would be stereotypical and insulting to make a human play an autistic person but if we use an inanimate object it’s fine.”

12. Autistic Twitter: “We are NOT okay with this.”

13. Playhouse: “You haven’t even seen the play. We consulted with so many autistic people.”

14. National Autism Society: “Yeah you consulted us and we told you that this play was problematic and that you should make some major changes including dumping the puppet.”

15. Playhouse: “And we took those notes under advisement.”

16. NAS: “But you didn’t make the changes.”

17. Playhouse: “No. Because you just a read a script and we know you’ll all feel differently when you see it.

18. Autistic Twitter: “So… can autistic theatre critics get free tickets so we can see if?”

19. Playhouse: “No we can’t afford to give out free tickets to critics.”

20. Non-Autistic Critic: “Actually you offered ME free tickets and I turned them down saying you should give them to an autistic critic.”

21. Playhouse: “…Hey look, opening night!”

22. Non-Autistic Critic: “So I went to see it and… it’s really weird. The parents are terrible people and I cannot for the life of me understand why they thought an adult man with a grey faced goblin sprouting from his groin making autistic noises was more realistic than an autistic actor playing the child themself.”

23. Non-Autistic Autism Advocate: “I went to see it and it was SO GOOD. I totally forgot that Laurence was a puppet he seemed so much like a real autistic child in that he was not human and he didn’t even feature that much in the play.

The heartbreak of the family dealing with the tragedy of autism was so real and honest and I have NO idea why people are offended by this wonderful play that portrays autism as a family-destroying evil.

24. #ActuallyAutistic Critic: “GUYS I WENT TO SEE IT AND OMG. Theatre isn’t sensory friendly, non sensory friendly performances, no trigger warnings on anything even though it’s full of ableism and screaming people.

Plot of the play is that the kid is being taken by social services to go to an institution.

Big plot twist is that the mom called them herself because she couldn’t handle the autism anymore.

Puppet just flaps around and occasionally attacks people. I actually really love puppetry but this was messed up and not well done AT ALL.

These people are all terrible. Dad has been taking shits on the Mom’s pillow and blaming it on his non-verbal son.

Puppet gets pinned to the ground in that move that can kill people.

The puppet’s care worker says that autistic people are animals who have reincarnated as people, and he’s still the best human being in this play.

This is play is an ableist shitfest written by allistics for allistics about the tragedy of autism and how it destroys families.”

25. Autistic Twitter: “Sorry, did you say the Dad SHITS ON HIS WIFE’S PILLOW AND BLAMES HIS SON??”

26. Allistic Twitter: “This play was SO brave to be so honest about how awful autistic children are! So refreshing to see a play showing the PARENTS’ viewpoint for once!

(SERIOUSLY)

So that’s where we are right about now. If you want to go be angry the hashtag on twitter is #puppetgate

Here is a link to Shaun May’s amazing and horrifying review of this tire fire of a play.

https://shaunmay.co.uk/allinarow/

All in a Row Review

This review responds to Alex Oates’ play All in a Row, which I saw on 15th February 2019 and has been heavily criticized by the autistic c

[paultheaspie]

I hate to be cynical, but I fear that this party is one of those that isn't really that good but creates controversy so they can sell tickets. That's sad.

[klapollo]

An ad about understanding autism that changes as you move

[klapollo]

I looked into the organization that made this ad (national autistic society) and found out that their website actually features posts written by autistic people to persuade people that rather than “curing” autism, the differences among people should be celebrated and theyre primarily recommended to parents learning with new diagnoses :^)

[itsamysterysystem]

“I’m not naughty, I’m autistic” would’ve changed my life as a kid.

[erikisafail-blog]

okay but can we also just appreciate how accurately they managed to visually represent what overstimulation feels like?

[stonerjpeg-deactivated20260421]

This ad is 11/10 👌🏼

[cavernario-galindo]

😳😳 😫😫😢😢🤧

[cavernariog]

[paultheaspie]

Amazing. I'm not that sensitive to texture but can't stand some like the plastic texture of kale or meat that is tough & stringy.

[aspergersissues]

[paultheaspie]

Autistic language & humor

I'm going through a workbook & it asks for a concrete noun so I say "concrete" & think it's funny ➡️ it's like the perfect embodiment of how we take language literally.

Neurotypicals didn't seem to get why this is funny.

[autism-asks]

Resources

Hello lovely followers! This page is a collection of resources to help you with your questions. These are all resources that are frequently referenced on this blog. They are broken down into categories based on the subject matter. As always, if you have any questions, send us an ask!

General Autism Resources

What is Autism?

Another What is Autism?

What is Autism? (ASAN)

What is Autism? In Plain Language

Dictionary of Autism-related Concepts

Inclusive Autistic Traits

Myths About Autism

Autism FAQ

ASAN’s About Autism

Ask an Autistic (videos about autism by an autistic)

Don’t Mourn For Us

Autism Resources

Autism Masterpost

Autism 101

Self-Diagnosis Resources

DSM-V Criteria

ICD-10 Criteria

A Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

Autism Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

A Diagnosis Checklist Masterpost (contains checklists for many neurodivergencies not just autism)

Autism Does Not Reside in a Medical Report

My Stance On Self-Diagnosis

Positively Autistic: A List of (Positive) Autistic Traits

Adult Diagnosis

DSM Criteria for Autism Explained

Simplified Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Quizzes

Adult Diagnosis Series

ASD Paper Diagnosis vs. Self-Diagnosis

I Think I’m Autistic

Autism versus…

Autism vs. PTSD

Autism vs. BPD

Autism vs. ASPD

Autism vs. StPD

Autism vs. SzPD (follow-up)

Autism vs. Schizophrenia

Autism vs. Psychosis

Autism vs Social Anxiety

Shutdown/Meltdown vs. Sensory Overload vs. Panic Attack

Autism and ADHD

What is the differences between autism and ADD/ADHD?

Autism With a Side of ADHD

Differences between autism and ADHD

ADHD Self Diagnosis

Sensory Processing Topics

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? (video)

SPD Checklist

SPD Resource Center

Understanding Sensory Processing Issues

Masterpost Sensory Differences

Sensory Sensitivities and Atypical Sensory Processing

How to Reduce Sensory Overload

Processing a Sensory Overload

Autism A-Z: I is for Interoception

Sensory Processing Disorder Resource List

Meltdowns and Shutdowns

What Does a Meltdown Feel Like?

“Shutdown” What It Is and What It Isn’t

Where I Go When I Shutdown

Anatomy of a Meltdown

Shutdown: A Specific Type of Meltdown

Autism A-Z: M is for Meltdowns

Autistic Burnout

Autistic Regression and Fluid Adaptation

“Help! I Seem to Be Getting More Autistic!”

Autistic Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout?

Autism A-Z: B is for Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout? Infograph

Echolalia

The Naked Mechanisms of Echolalia

Echolalia: That’s What She Said

Alexithymia

What is Alexithymia? (video)

Alexithymia Question

Emotional Dysfunction: Alexithymia and ASD

What Alexithymia Feels Like for This Autistic

Hyper-Empathy

Hyper-Empathy In Autistic Individuals

On Emotions, Hyperempathy, and Hypersensitivity

Hyperempathy Feels FAQ

The Intense World Syndrome- An Alternative Hypothesis for Autism

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Function Series

The “Joys” of Executive Dysfunction

So What Is Executive Dysfunction?

How to Live Better With Executive Dysfunction

Special Interests

What’s So Special About a Special Interest?

Special Interests

How Do I Know for Sure What My Special Interests Are?

Autism A-Z: S is for Special Interests

Stimming

Stimming 101, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stim

What Is Stimming?

Types of Stimming

What is Stimming?

The Stimming Checklist

The High Cost of Self-Censoring (Or Why Stimming Is a Good Thing)

Where to Buy Stim Toys

Stimtastic

A Sense of Self

Office Playground

Fuzzwumpet

Weird Faeles

SpacerobotStudio

Ruthdoodle

Autistic Rabbit (weighted blankets)

Fidgetopia

The Fidget Shop

Fat Brain Toys

Neurodivergent Creators

The following are people from our community who create products that are helpful for autistic people such as stim toys, communication tools, and more! Check out their shops as a way to support neurodivergent creators!

PangeaMea by Francis Mark (autism, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression) sells stim toys, sensory friendly clothing, noise muffling beanies and headbands, padded arm protectors, and skin picking simulators.

StimForTheWin by Exo (autism and ADHD) sells tangles and fidget cubes with silicone spikes on them for maximum stimming, communication necklaces (also with silicone spikes), and marble mazes/ donuts.

StrangerDarkerBetter by Mod Sabrina (autism, ADHD, schizoaffective, PTSD, depression, anxiety) sells visual schedules and communication cards.

PieFanArt by Pie (autistic) sells mostly plush toys, art and jewelry but also weighted plushies and scented plushies!

WagglesStudio by Dailyspeal sells stim toys

Identity First Language

Identity First Language

I Am Disabled: On Identity-First Versus People-First Language

I is For Identity First Language

Why I Dislike “Person First” Language

Autism A-Z: P is for Person First

Autistic In the Workplace

Autistic in the Workplace Inforgraph

Autistic in the Workplace: Autism and Interviews

Autistic in the Workplace: Change

Autistic in the Workplace: Professional Dress

Autistic in the Workplace: Hallway Conversations

Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance

Why Acceptance

Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions

Autistic Pride and What You Need to Know

Autistic Community

Welcome to the Autistic Community

Autistic Culture

A Love Letter to the Autistic Community

Defending and (Re)defining Self-Advocacy

The Social Model of Disability

Disabled Not Disordered: Autism and the Social Model

Social Model of Disability Animation (video)

Understanding Disability Models

A Social Model of Disability Analogy

What’s Wrong With Functioning Labels?

Functioning Labels Masterpost

Functioning Labels 101

Decoding the High Functioning Label

Functioning Labels Comic

On Functioning and “Functioning”

F*%$ Your Functioning Labels

More Problems With Functioning Labels

Fluctuating Functionality

Asperger’s and Autism

Why Autism $peaks is Bad

What’s Wrong With Autism Speaks

Why I am Against Autism Speaks (and you should be, too)

Updated Autism Speaks Masterpost

Boycott Autism Speaks

I Resign My Roles With Autism Speaks

A Few Selected Autism Speaks Quotes

How the “Autism Speaks” Charity Failed the Community It Set Out to Serve

What’s Wrong With ABA?

ABA Masterpost

Why I Oppose ABA as a Method of Instruction

ABA 101

Trauma and Autism

What ABA Is Like From the Point of View of a Former Therapist

Why I Left ABA

Anti-Anti-Vaccination

On Vaccines, Autism and Systemic Bigotry (masterpost)

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but That’s Not the Point

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but So What if They Did?

Everything Wrong With Vaxxed (video)

[paultheaspie]

Reblogging fur reference to read later.

[disneylauratot-deactivated20200]

I REALLY hope this isn’t genuine, if it is I don’t know whether to laugh or call them a stupid twat…

[awesomlyautistic]

Sorry, I think my brain just shut down from reading such raw stupidity. I’m trying to figure out what sort of insane logic this person is going off of, so because autistics “have the mind of a child”, anyone who has sex with us is a pedophile? What kind of bunk logic is that? Well, I don’t care for Pokémon or Harry Potter, but I DO have a job, so neigh to the poster!🤪

“Courted my autistic son”, pfft, she doesn’t even know about autistic mating displays, everyone knows autistics woo the opposite sex with hand flapping and saucy infodumps.

“There are people with autism having sex!” Well, duh! We are people too ya know, how else do you think autistics are made, by budding?

Its 7 am, it’s too early to be dealing with this right now… ugh.

[paultheaspie]

Not only do me autistic people do such things. Some get married & have kids. 🤯

[whitepeopletwitter]

[deadgodjess]

Yes.

[ariellevictoriawood]

I mean that was the plan

[awesomlyautistic]

Talk to me about something meaningful or don’t talk to me at all.

[paultheaspie]

True but it doesn't have to be THAT deep. What should football team (this football 🏈) do to adjust their offense considering their opponent this week likes to play cover 2 zone & the last time they faced that defensive look they got killed?

[awildmikeyappears-blog]

Just a friendly reminder that just because I am on the autism spectrum, it does NOT mean that I am “ill”.

It simply means my brain is wired a little differently and I might not understand things as readily as some people who are not on the spectrum.

This has been a PSA from your friendly (and fabulous) queen with autism.

[paultheaspie]

So true. I'm autistic but most of the time only have minor issues while I can do some things better than most (i.e. Neurotypicals) because I'm autistic.

[dankouu-blog-deactivated2020112]

[truthdoesnotleadtofreedom-deact]

Bless whoever made this.

[deathclawpussy-blog]

Also a huge mood

[paultheaspie]

We autistics struggle to know what people's reactions are. This is the biggest struggle for those of us who can live without much support.

[cllynchauthor]

I can summarize dense text for you.

So it turns out one of my somewhat useless superpowers is I can read dense academic science stuff and summarize it in easy-to-understand synopses. 

If there’s a research study out there that you’d like to understand better hit me up and I’ll read it for you and spit out a cliff notes for you.  Especially for fellow autistic folk who might be trying to understand recent autism research but struggle with reading and understanding the language used in the published studies.

[paultheaspie]

I think this is a bit of my super power too. I'm in grad studies in my field & can easily read the most complex texts & bring them to a level that the rest of my family - with no formal studies in the field - can understand.

[mooniicorn]

“If autism isn’t caused by environmental factors and is natural why didn’t we ever see it in the past?”

We did, except it wasn’t called autism it was called “Little Jonathan is a r*tarded halfwit who bangs his head on things and can’t speak so we’re taking him into the middle of the cold dark forest and leaving him there to die.”

[iamthethunder]

Or “little Jonathan doesn’t talk but does a good job herding the sheep, contributes to the community in his own way, and is, all around, a decent guy.” That happened a lot, too, especially before the 19th century.

[rosslynpaladin]

Or, backing up FURTHER

and lots of people think this very likely,

“Oh little Sionnat has obviously been taken by the fairies and they’ve left us a Changeling Child who knows too much, and asks strange questions, and uses words she shouldn’t know, and watches everything with her big dark eyes, clearly a Fairy Child and not a Human Like Us.”

The Myth of the Changeling child, a human baby apparently replaced at a young age by a toddler who “suddenly” acts “strange and fey” is an almost textbook depiction of autistic children.

To this day, “autism warrior mommies” talk about autism “stealing” their “sweet normal child” and have this idea of “getting their real baby back” which (in the face of modern science)  indicates how the human psyche actually does deal with finding out their kid acts unlike what they expected.

Given this evidence, and how common we now know autism actually is, the Changeling myth is almost definitely the result of people’s confusion at the development of autistic children.

[vicecommanderhijikata]

Weirdly enough, that legend is now comforting to me.

[neddythestylish]

I think it’s worth noting that many like me, who are diagnosed with ASD now, would probably have been seen as just a bit odd in centuries past. I’m only a little bit autistic; I can pass for neurotypical for short periods if I work really hard at it. I have a lack of talent in social situations, and I’m prone to sensory overload or you might notice me stimming.

But here’s the thing: life is louder, brighter and more intense and confusing than it has ever been. I live on the edge of London and I rarely go into the centre of town because it’s too overwhelming. If I went back in time and lived on a farm somewhere, would anyone even notice there was anything odd about me? No police sirens, no crowded streets that go on for miles and miles, no flickery electric lights. Working on a farm has a clear routine. I’d be a badass at spinning cloth or churning butter because I find endless repetition soothing rather than boring.

I’m not trying to romanticise the past because I know it was hard, dirty work with a constant risk of premature death. I don’t actually want to be a 16th century farmer! What I’m saying is that disability exists in the context of the environment. Our environment isn’t making people autistic in the sense of some chemical causing brain damage. But we have created a modern environment which is hostile to autistic people in many ways, which effectively makes us more disabled. When you make people more disabled, you start to see more people struggling, failing at school because they’re overwhelmed, freaking out at the sound of electric hand dryers and so on. And suddenly it looks like there’s millions more autistic people than existed before.

[paultheaspie]

Very valuable to think about. Autism can be made worse by overwhelming environments as we often have now.

[awesomlyautistic]

An important PSA:

If someone tells you they are autistic, you are not, under any circumstances, to say “but you don’t LOOK autistic”. They told you they are autistic, that’s all the proof you need.

Carry on.

[snakedance]

That tells you immediately that the person knows diddly-squat about Autism. Because I bloody well do look Autistic to people who know what Autism *actually* looks like.

[paultheaspie]

Looking autistic isn't that we have curved noses or anything but you can often grasp our social awkwardness, etc.

[grungegoths]

Whoa

[paultheaspie]

Guys are told what facial hair they have a face for all the time especially if they choose "incorrectly"...

Such ideas are all over for both men and women. 🚹🚺

[myautisticpov]

Diagnostic criteria for autism are always so badly written.

Like, the trains thing.

I’m going to keep coming back to the trains thing because it baffles me.

So, the example used for special interests in a lot of diagnostic criteria is trains.

“Has an unusually strong interest in something - for example, trains”

And, like, sure. Okay. Special interests can be anything. Trains are a possibility.

But, like, special interests don’t appear out of nowhere. You generally have to be exposed to something first to get a special interest in it.

So, like, I know a lot of autistic people, and I know no one with a special interest in trains.

You know what the most common special interest is, in my experience?

Star Wars.

Yeah, go fucking figure, the ubiquitous movie franchise that almost everyone has seen at least one movie of is the most common special interest, in my experience.

Now, I do kind of understand the trains thing. The line between special interest and regular interest isn’t always super obvious.

Like, collecting Star Wars toys, or writing Star Wars fanfic, or marathoning the movies a bunch of times doesn’t necessarily make it a special interest.

And since it’s socially acceptable (especially in modern day nerd culture) to do all of those things, it’s not a glaring indicator of autism to outsiders.

If someone’s really into something obscure - like trains - however, it can make the fact that it’s a special interest super obvious.

But it’s still bad to have it be the go-to special interest example because it’s just not that common.

Plenty of autistic people don’t have obscure special interests. Their SIs are in the Marvel movies or Star Wars or Star Trek or Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Hell, part of the problem with women and girls not getting diagnosed is because no one notices their special interests in, like, makeup or boy bands.

When you use “trains” as the example, you’re sending the implicit message that special interests have to be obscure and out of the social norm, and that’s just not the case for most people - especially now that a lot of geek culture has gone mainstream and there’s a huge nostalgia cash-in.

Having a special interest in Power Rangers was weird for me when I was 14. It’s not now that it’s a big blockbuster movie and most people exposed to the internet review-sphere are at least aware of Linkara’s History of Power Rangers.

Special interests don’t have to be outside the social norm to be special interests. It’s how the autistic person feels about them and engages with them that defines it.

[heyqxi]

The author seems to be missing a point here. The diagnostic criteria are based on children subjects. The train interests come from the cartoon Thomas the Tank Engine. A widely popular cartoon/kids TV show in English speaking countries. Kids watch it on TV, they are exposed to it by a normal activity like watching TV. I remember watching it myself when I was little but I didn’t really like it. An interest in trains grows from Thomas the damn tank engine as it becomes a special interest. Thomas the tank engine is mainstream for children. Or at least was for the past 30 years since it aired in 1984. Now a more popular alternative would be Paw Patrol. Or Bob the builder. It’s mainstream. There is nothing unusual about an interest in trains being an example, the TV show was just so popular it captured a large number of autistic kids leading to trains being put as an example. I know of at least one autistic 18 year old at the moment boy who loves trains and it started with the cartoon. I heard about a boy who loved London underground and it started with Thomas the tank engine. I heard about a boy who liked purely Tomas the tank engine at 6 years old and his mum wanted to collect some figure toys from the show on Facebook because they weren’t sold anymore.

[myautisticpov]

Yeah, so, I know that Thomas the Tank Engine exists. I had a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake.

When I was two.

The argument “trains” are a thing babies were exposed to in the 90s doesn’t really add to or invalidate my argument that applying an interest common in babies to all autistic people ever is a bad idea. Especially when many have multiple special interests, and grow out of some, so the older you get, the more likely it is that the majority of your interests were acquired when you were older.

Again, fine, that you know a lot of boys who carried that interest on. I have plenty of “stereotypical” special interests that I carried on from young childhood. It does happen. It still doesn’t invalidate or add to what I was saying about how it’s seen as an odd interest in teens/adults and the fixation on it in diagnostic criteria focuses on “odd” interests over what makes them different from “regular” interests, which leads to people being missed by the diagnostic process because “everyone is into Star Wars” or “all girls like make up”.

The point of this post wasn’t “no one has ever had an SpIn in trains”, it was “the fixation on trains in diagnostic criteria is bad because most NTs aren’t really into trains so it sets a precedent that SpIns are identified as being socially inappropriate topics of interest, not interests that are engaged in in non-neurotypical ways”.

(And yes, as some people have pointed out in the reblogs, of course *some* NT people are into trains. We’re talking broad-strokes here.) 

It coming from research being primarily done on young boys is, yes, probably the answer, but it’s also the answer to, like, 80% of why autism research is bad and I get tired of repeating that on posts that aren’t really about that.

[paultheaspie]

I think @heyqxi has a point. Even as someone who's adult diagnosed, I understand the default would be a childhood diagnosis. (I was a totally autistic kid but the diagnostic criteria didn't include the "nutty professor" end of the spectrum back then.) For kids, trains are pretty normal - even without Thomas, there are wooden & electric trains that kids often play with. On top of that, one person I know flew to another city for vacation, primarily to ride their new metro train 🚇 & was a top poster on a discussion board on public transit discussing things like which systems were buying which models of bus (he's about as autistic as me but went into IT so never got formally diagnosed - however, I think that is a classic example of a special interest).