Deep Dive: Autistic Special Interests and Wellbeing

Happy Disability Pride month! Recently, I’ve been pondering my autistic special interests, what role they play in my life, and how they help support my wellbeing. So I wanted to do a deeper dive into that topic. What role do these interests play in the wellbeing of autistic folks? What does the literature say? What do other people say? 

Much of this post will be in conversation with a study on special interest areas which focused on their role in employment and mental health. This study isn’t perfect, but it has a lot of great factors others don’t. For one, the authors actually consulted autistic people in the planning of their study. Additionally, women are not underrepresented in it, as they are in most autism research. 

However, the study’s respondents were mostly white, and mostly low support needs. So it may not be representative of our entire community. That being said, it had a lot of great takeaways I’d like us to consider. 

What is a special interest? 

This is a difficult thing to define. Oh, I know! Let’s consult our friends over at the DSM-V, criterion B.3. 

“Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).”

Ok, scratch that. Maybe they’re not so much our friends. Let’s think about special interests in a more positive light: they are intense, focused interests on a specific subject matter or practice. Often, a person becomes deeply knowledgeable about that subject/practice and feels a strong desire to share that knowledge with others. Special interests are more than hobbies—the interest runs deeper, the knowledge is stronger, and the commitment is thorough. 

As one participant from the study put it: 

“Our special interests don’t have to be impressive to be worthwhile, and as specific and strong you might think they are, to us they are absolutely everything. I think special interests are necessary for engagement and mental health.”  

I resonate much with this quote; to us, they are absolutely everything. Who would I be without the interests that keep me grounded and moving forward? 

Of course, autistic special interests aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. I’ll talk more about this in the next section, but sometimes the focus and passion can come at the cost of self-care and bodily needs. 

It’s also important to note that, while these interests may seem arbitrary, the ways we’re able to share them, discover them, and explore them heavily depend on our cultural contexts. After all, if other people find our interests taboo, gross, or morbid, we’re going to have a harder time expressing them and feeling safe to explore them. 

I’m part of both the autistic and LGBTQ+ communities. One of my fascinations—the intricacies of human connection—is heavily informed by my queer identity. My queerness gives me insights and ways of relating I wouldn’t otherwise have. 

Understanding special interests as a complex, multifaceted topic is vital to grasping their connection with wellbeing. A person’s expressed interests, and safety in those interests, depends heavily on who is around them and what identities inform their experience. Embracing an intersectional approach to special interests opens up many new pathways of knowledge. 

A nuanced approach 

A traditional medical model of special interests would look like the DSM definition above—based entirely in deficits, painting this natural part of the autistic experience as a challenge to be overcome or nipped in the bud. 

The most commonly accepted alternative to this is a strengths-based approach, something I largely support. This approach would view these interests as an important part of a person and ask: what can my interests do for me? How do I benefit from engaging in these interests? 

Sometimes, when encouraging others to embrace special interests and autism, we can take the strengths-based approach a bit too far. This is how we end up with the “autism is a superpower!” rhetoric, a rhetoric which erases all the real struggles we face. 

To me, my special interests are not a superpower, but they’re not a deficit either. They allow me to do things that most neurotypicals would struggle with. Sometimes, they also make it hard for me to remember to eat and drink, and interfere with my sleep. Both can be true. 

Accordingly, I don’t view these interests as inherently good or bad. They’re a natural part of my human experience—and why do I need to assign a value judgment to nature? 

Autistic special interests and employment 

Capitalism discovers this shocking secret: by embracing special interests, you can make autistic people into more productive employees! 

Jests aside, the aforementioned study did have some important things to say about interests and employment. 

First, it should be noted that in general, autistic people struggle with obtaining and keeping gainful employment. The system just isn’t designed for us. When considering the interplay of interests and employment, it’s critical to keep in mind that other factors are at play.  

Some, mainly those who support autism as a superpower, may have the idea that special interests can provide a sort of “autism advantage” in the workplace. This study, though, found no evidence to support that claim. Just as in the rest of life, autistic special interests can create both strengths and challenges for an autistic worker. 

In the study, only 25% of respondents were currently employed in a job that aligned with their special interest. However, the majority of respondents said they wish they could be in such a job. Why is that? 

Well, the neurodivergent brain seems to thrive on interest. Conversely, we really struggle to force ourselves to do things that aren’t interesting to us. So making yourself pretend to be entertained in an office for eight hours a day can be… taxing. 

If a job were to align with one’s special interest/s, it would make it much easier to engage in that job. The drive to learn more, talk about it, and spend hours diving in is already there. But on the other hand, one still has to adhere to deadlines, meetings, and changes in focus. When engaged in a special interest, this becomes even harder for an autistic person. 

The study recommends that employers capitalize on this potential to match autistic employees to their interests, thus creating more productive employees. In some ways, this is a good sign—they’ve decided we’re profitable instead of shunting us off to the side. But it doesn’t do anything about the core issue of capitalism, which is viewing humans only by their capacity for output. An incredibly dehumanizing concept. 

There is one piece of advice I want to share: 

“Accordingly, focus should shift to providing education and knowledge for neurotypical individuals rather than minimizing the SIAs of autistic individuals.” 

It’s refreshing to see someone recommend that we make changes to society to accommodate autistic folks, rather than the other way around. If more people understood special interests, and were less stigmatizing about them, I think autistic people would have a better time, not just in the workforce, but in general. 

Another danger of having work closely aligned with an autistic special interest is having that interest “tainted” by work. Can this deep, focused passion hold up when you are forced to engage with it 40 hours a week? It’s natural to have ebbs and flows in interest, and sometimes you may want a break. But when it’s your job, getting that break can be challenging. 

Embracing interests to promote wellbeing 

“Survey respondents overwhelmingly described how their SIA enhances their life in a variety of positive ways.” 

On average, respondents to the study spent 39.43 hours per week engaging with their special interest. That’s a full-time job. I have some measure of faith in our brains knowing what is best for us. As such, I struggle to believe that something we would willingly put so much time into—without outside pressure—is bad for us. 

And the study would agree. Overall, they found that special interests played a key role in autistic wellbeing. Those with more positive engagement in their interests had less depression and anxiety, and more satisfaction. 

But it wasn’t just engaging with the interests that was so beneficial. It was also important that autistic people had others who supported and encouraged their interests. This helped foster a feeling of safety and care, leading to even more positive outcomes. 

It’s clear that when we embrace our interest-based brains, we can find plenty of strengths and improvement in our lives. For many of us, these interests give us a sense of drive and purpose. Being supported in that space helps us to flourish. 

Example: Comfort and the Halo franchise 

I’d like to wrap up by providing an example from my own personal experience. One of my long-running special interests is with gaming, which can be quite broad. But there are some franchises that have really captured my attention—ones where I know so much of the lore, the history, the stories, and more. Halo: Combat Evolved, and the franchise it spawned, was the first one for me. 

One of my favorite things about my special interests is they provide a sense of familiarity and comfort when the rest of the world feels topsy-turvy. (And let’s be honest, when doesn’t it?) I know what to expect, and that predictability is something I take solace in. 

Anyone who knows me knows that asking a question about Halo is going to get you a very long answer that will tell you so much more than what you asked. I simply can’t shut up about it. And honestly? That’s a beautiful thing. 

When I was younger, I was bullied for wanting to talk about a video game so much. I was told it was weird and I should learn to be less excited about it. (Spoiler alert: that didn’t work.) 

Now, I take pride in how much I know. I don’t enjoy sharing to make myself seem smart or cool—I get legitimate enjoyment out of just sharing this thing I adore with someone else. I will yap for 30 minutes about the creation of the Flood so you can yap for 30 minutes about the reproductive cycle of termites. 

Being surrounded by people who acknowledge and support this interest, and others, has made a major impact on me. One habit of Rachel’s has stuck with me. When they talk for a while about something interesting, they don’t apologize. Instead, they say, “thank you for listening to that.” 

They’re not ashamed to take up space, and I shouldn’t be either. So, reader: thank you for reading all this. 

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Do you have other thoughts on autistic special interests? Want to know more? Let me know in the comments on this post if you’re so inclined.

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