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RockyMtnAspieMom
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Nov 13, 2007
Posts: 67
Location: Colorado
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 Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject: Particular interests of Aspies |
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Hi all,
At what age do you normally see the "topic of interest" come into an Aspie's life? They say that an Aspie will choose a subject of particular interest that will overpower all other interests etc., etc. and that particular interest may develop in to a very successful career, etc., etc. and it might be all they seem to talk about...
When do we start seeing this? Right now my son is 6, almost 7, and his interests include video games and Sponge Bob. Even better...SpongeBob video games! And he does seem to talk about them quite a bit!
However, I do catch him watch the weather sometimes, and even the History Channel. So, I am wondering if there is an average age at which we start to see this interest develop.
Thanks. |
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ster
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 2305
Location: new england
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| Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| my son's interests have changed over the years...........when he was really little, he was obsessed with rhyming words. would read books with words that rhyme, talk in rhymes, sing in rhymes...........as he got older, his interests changed to : dinosaurs, then pokemon, then magic cards, most recently he's interested in all things mechanical and technical~how do things work? how can he create something that works the way he wants it to?.....he's tried making all sorts of things..............one really good magazine is Make. has lots of ideas for inventing crazy inventions. |
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rachel46
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: May 07, 2007
Posts: 178
Location: Midwest US
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| Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:59 am Post subject: |
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Don't think there is an "average" age for anything with Aspies (or even NT kids for that matter) is there? My son is now 11 and he over the years has been preoccupied (sometimes obsessed) with so many idfferent things I started to try to list them but couldn't. Just when you think this is "the one", this is the interest that is going to stick, the one that he will study in college and make a good living with - he just stops and is done with it. Of course, at that point you give yourself a reality check and repeat to yourself "He's only 6, he's only 6, he's only 6"
Currently, my son is into 24 (the TV show), time travel, cartoons (he likes to watch them and read about certain ones) and many others I can't even list. It seems like as he gets older he can "juggle" more interests at once whereas when he was young is was only 1 thing at a time.
My advicei s, whatever it is worth, let him be with his interests- he is picking it for a reason. and don't worry, it will change. |
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Number_2
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Mar 21, 2008
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:33 am Post subject: |
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My son picked up Lego bricks (Duplo, to be specific) at age 3, and has never put them down.
He is now using the regular bricks, the specialized pieces, and the computer and robot programs. He has entered building contests, and subsequently seen aspects of his work in new designs. He is 14.
He just discovered that he can get a job at either a Lego store or a "Lego Land" when he turns 16, and he is very excited about that prospect.
Who knows? Besides Lego, the "interest of the month" really has been the "interest of the month"
2 |
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EvilTeach
Sea Gull
Joined: Mar 15, 2007
Age: 48
Posts: 208
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| Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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As soon as he can sit up and move around and manipulate objects,
He will gravitate toward interests. They will change over time.
My boys chain looks something like this.
blocks
legos
connecx
computer games
{
rollercoaster tycoon
reailroad tycoon.
the sims
zoo tycoon
runescape
warcraft 3
bots
}
pokemon
computer programming
HTML
Harry Potter
animorphs
inuasha
So basically, you should expect an aspy to move from one obsessive level interest to another over time. Some of them are of short duration, some are very long.
You can use this to your advantage. If legos have become a lower priority interest,
move them into the attic, and pull them back out, 6 months later. They may be of interest again.
In my case, i was very lucky. In 10th grade, my math teacher arranged a computer for me to learn programming. It turned into an aspy obsession, which helped me get through college, and into a steady job since then.
Obsessive interests are a part of being aspy. You can't just turn them on or off. It is something that as a parent, you need to accept.
Learn to roll with the changes, and work hard to encourage good ones. |
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sinsboldly
Free Range Aspie
Joined: Nov 22, 2006
Age: 57
Posts: 7552
Location: Oregon, USA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:42 am Post subject: Re: Particular interests of Aspies |
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| RockyMtnAspieMom wrote: | Hi all,
At what age do you normally see the "topic of interest" come into an Aspie's life? They say that an Aspie will choose a subject of particular interest that will overpower all other interests etc., etc. and that particular interest may develop in to a very successful career, etc., etc. and it might be all they seem to talk about...
When do we start seeing this? Right now my son is 6, almost 7, and his interests include video games and Sponge Bob. Even better...SpongeBob video games! And he does seem to talk about them quite a bit!
However, I do catch him watch the weather sometimes, and even the History Channel. So, I am wondering if there is an average age at which we start to see this interest develop.
Thanks. |
he can have a multitude of passions, it isn't just one specific one. And they aren't allways long lasting either. He can be almost on his Eagle Badge and one day just not care about it any more. Our passions come and go of their own accord, actually.
Merle |
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Ana54
International Incident Initiator
Joined: Dec 27, 2005
Age: 20
Posts: 6474
Location: Channelview, Texas, USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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| I think I had hundreds obsessions from infancy to now but my hugest ones were America's Most Wanted when I was 11, Myst when I was 13 to 16, airport security when I was 17, medical things in grades 2, 4, 6, and 8... and another huge one or two, but I forget what they are; how could I? |
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Nikki03
Hummingbird
Joined: Mar 27, 2008
Age: 26
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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My sons main obsession has been dinosaurs since he was 2 years old (hes almost 5) ever since he saw disneys "Dinosaur". He actually was afraid of it but fascinated at the same time and watched it while peeking over the recliner in the beginning then that led to a full on obsession and watching the movies all day long and stomping around like a dinosaur with no end in sight! Hes had other obsessions come and go like peter pan was a pretty big one, feathers, eggs, rocks and godzilla but dinosaurs has been a constant in his life.
O and actually I cant believe i forgot, right before dinosaurs he was totally obsessed with Finding Nemo and would throw a fit if he didnt get to watch it a hundred times a day and this was before he could really talk and hed just go around saying "Memo" all day long.  |
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ster
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 2305
Location: new england
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:40 am Post subject: |
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| oh...how could i have forgotten The Lion King???...........son HAD to watch it every day. at least once. he could recite lines, songs,....but always hid during the scene where the dad dies...... |
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LynnInVa
Blue Jay
Joined: Dec 05, 2007
Posts: 84
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| ster wrote: | | oh...how could i have forgotten The Lion King???...........son HAD to watch it every day. at least once. he could recite lines, songs,....but always hid during the scene where the dad dies...... |
LOL that brings back memories! She's too old for the cartoon version now but E was OBSESSED with the Lion King. I took her to see the Broadway version twice - she knows all the words to every song on the CD. Then there's LK2 - Timon and Pumba...and even now she knows anything and everything about any big cat from how fast they run, to how they kill their prey. She is a big cat and domestic cat encyclopedia! |
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kd
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Dec 12, 2007
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Mine will be 9 in a couple of months and so far I don't think we are there yet. He has a huge obsession with video games (especially Pokemon right now) that has been going on for a few years, but all of his other obsessions change. He also tends to have different obsessions at home and school.
Lately he has been focused at school on drawing cartoon characters (mostly Pokemon), computers, and and science-related topics. The last big science topics were astronomy and geology. He won't discuss them at home though. |
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SilverProteus
The years, no doubt, have changed me.
Joined: Jul 21, 2007
Posts: 7154
Location: Fleet Street.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: |
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In kindergarten mine was dinosaurs. I would memorise their names, the era they would live in and whether they were carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. Deinonycus was a particular favourite.
Shortly after it was astronomy. I would also memorise facts on distances between bodies, average speeds and, after watching a kiddie's show on how long it would take an astronaut to travel to each planet in the solar system, I memorised that too.
Then came animals, dogs in particular.
All of this from ages 4 (more or less) to 9.
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"How about a shave?"
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Jennyfoo
Velociraptor
Joined: Oct 06, 2006
Posts: 461
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:56 am Post subject: |
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AS DD will be 10 soon. She's been obsessed with cats since she was 3. She has quite an impressive stuffed animal collection! From the time she could write, she'd write stories about cats. Her interests have changed and developed, but cats always remain at the center of it. She plays Warcraft and that bleeds over into her other play, her artwork, her stories, her schoolwork, and her cats obsession.
My 5 y/o MMR son with a LOT of autistic traits was stuck on Buzz Lightyear from age 2-5. It was a very obsessive obsession. LOL! He still plays with his plethora of Buzz toys, but he's moved on to Disney Cars and now Transformers. He will insist on the same movie over and over and over again for months- it was CArs for about 6 months, then Transformers since November, and now Scooby Doo movies and cartoons. He only seems to really be in to one or two things at a time and they bleed over into all his play, school etc. |
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CockneyRebel
Sid The Love Rat :O)
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 33
Posts: 20855
Location: Out in the evening, with me two best Rat Mates, somewhere in Canada :O)
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:44 am Post subject: |
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I was obsessed with Routemaster buses, since I was five. I'm thirty three, now. That doesn't bother me, because my other obsessions have changed, over the years. I've been obsessed with London, since I was eleven. It's just a part of my personality.
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Sid The Rat is everything that I stand for. We're both large, proud Punkers with Cockney accents. We both have the same issues, as well. I don't see anything wrong, with that. I was put on this planet, to make myself happy. Sid :O) |
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