Joined a discord server that was supposed to be a place for talking about special interests and to my utter bemusement, all of the infodump channels were about different media. Shows, movies etc. That was it! No other options.
Listen… y’all know “special interest” is not a synonym for “show I’m obsessed with,” right? I mean, it can be about media. But that is not all it is.
I collect wooden wands and fabric samples. Some autistic people collect figurines. Or stamps, or cards, or catalogs. Or doorknobs. Collecting certain items is a hugely common special interest. So is collecting information, be it about a specific animal, a historical period, a specific type of technology, etc. I’ve read of a kid whose special interest was washing machines.
It is well known that special interests are a way for autistic people to interpret/understand/make sense of the world, to find order in chaos, to create a sense of security by making ourselves “experts” on that topic.
Well, that is not just true for special interests with a Blorbo you can project on!!!
The weird kid in your class whose special interest is collecting gum wrappers? His special interest is as profoundly meaningful to him as your show is to you.
Don’t leave us out of autistic spaces because our special interests are seemingly uncommon or weird or not meaningful. Don’t make the same mistake allistics do when they characterize an autistic person as robotic or subhuman for being obsessed with a specific mundane item or category.
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