#neuroexpansive

[maiasparx]

ig & twitter - @virgosass

[autismdoll]

tw: brief mention of abuse

i look back at my childhood with deep sadness

ableism and other forms of abuse resulted warped my sense of self and a mood disorder (with the help my genetics of course)

[autismdoll]

differentiating special interest vs hyper fixation vs typical interest

so i saw this post in an autism subreddit complaining about people misunderstanding dynamics of autistic special interests in a way that involved a lot of projecting and very little nuance.

i agree that there is a lot of sensationalism and unnecessary taking up of space within conversations of autism but this post is missing some nuance like i said before. below are my thoughts on that from my personal experience.

there seems to be an often blurred line between hyper-fixation and special interest. i will say tho that an adhd comorbidity along with autism can and might allow for an individual to have more than one special interest that may shift more into focus at different times. even still there is usually always one that is overarching or ongoing and maybe more intense than others.

i like the concept of sub special interest as a way to explain intense interest in different areas relating to a main special interest. it’s even more nuanced than explaining it as fixations because these sub special interests stick with me, never really bore me and become a part of my personality as well as a part of how i understand and navigate my life experience.

adhd hyper fixation can affect all of this. for example my over arching special interest is music exploration, my adhd comorbidity allows me to hyper-fixate on different facets of this, such as different artists or sounds for extended periods of time. but there will always be a select few artists that i am very ridged in my interest and engagement with that will not shift.

in summation i understand n mainly agree with the perspective that different dynamics of neurodivergence are often conflated or misconstrued ie special interest vs hyper fixation vs typical interest.

However it’s often times not helpful to project ones own personal experience onto others especially when others are talking about their own personal experiences. as it can and will often times be received as dismissive and generalizing.

and in most cases it actually is dismissive and generalizing. clouded by personal bias and misdirected resentment towards the overall conditions that render autistic peoples realities an afterthought.