Obsessions that change a lot

[Clintos]

An excellent book to become obsessed by!

The other book I am reading about is: the complete guide to aspergers syndrome by Tony Attwood.

 

[Chris Russell]

Beautiful use of English there.

I seem to be seeing great word play on this forum. Is that an aspie trait?

I love clever use of words, but most people seem unaware an unappreciative.

The ability to think visually is often associated with Aspies. (Just read about Temple Grandin) So, I suppose the use of words as a way of visualising is second nature to many Aspies. (I too have noticed and commented on the quality of writing displayed in posts on this site.) I'm also pleased to see grammar and punctuation alive and well here, but Aspies are sticklers for detail, accuracy and function. It's a well known trait, in fact. The layman need look no further than the 'Big Bang Theory' TV comedy to see it in full comedic use. I have been a laughing stock for years, because of my inability to control my passion for correct grammar, together with my inability to avoid correcting it. (And I don't think my grammar is that great to start with!)

 

[Chris Russell]

The other book I am reading about is: the complete guide to aspergers syndrome by Tony Attwood.

Another good one... Not everything that has been written about ASDs is necessarily any good, but wherever you're getting your recommendations - keep going! (Nice quotes, too!)

 

[Clintos]

Another good one... Not everything that has been written about ASDs is necessarily any good, but wherever you're getting your recommendations - keep going! (Nice quotes, too!)

I get my recommendations from this site and others like it. A few i have on order from amazon are my christmas gifts to myself, lol:

Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism
Temple Grandin

The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed
Grandin, Temple

The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles
Bruce H. Lipton

The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain (published in hardcover as Neurodiversity)
Armstrong, Thomas

Emotional Mastery For Adults With Aspergers: practical techniques to work with anger, anxiety and depression
Burby, Leslie


Asperger's Syndrome For Dummies, UK Edition
Gomez de la Cuesta, Georgina

 

[Chris Russell]

I wondered about this insistence that Aspies had very narrow obsessions (as was the case in much of what was written about Aspergers until recently.) I have had one or two interests which have stayed with me since early childhood: Dinosaurs (big surprise!), Birds (initially just feathers) and words. Interestingly, all three of these have morphed into one in recent years, with the discovery of feathered dinosaurs and the evolution of their taxonomy and genealogy (dinosaurs were ancestors to birds).

However, I have had numerous interests that have all been pursued with equal vigor for varying lengths of time. I realise now, that the factor that seems to influence the length of obsession, is merely the potential for researching it. It appears that it is not necessarily the subject that attracts, but the possibilities for absorbing facts. How easy it is to collect information? How many different sources are there? How pleasing/visual/accurate/surprising are the forms of information/facts?

It seems that the quality of the experience of absorbing the information is the thing that floats my boat, and not the subject matter itself. Oddly, the only things I have been unable to generate any enthusiasm in are in the form of pure number tables. The worst prospect seems to be anything listing mobile phone tariffs. The mere mention of these actually has a soporific effect on me!

 

[Full Steam]

However, I have had numerous interests that have all been pursued with equal vigor for varying lengths of time. I realise now, that the factor that seems to influence the length of obsession, is merely the potential for researching it. It appears that it is not necessarily the subject that attracts, but the possibilities for absorbing facts. How easy it is to collect information? How many different sources are there? How pleasing/visual/accurate/surprising are the forms of information/facts?

It seems that the quality of the experience of absorbing the information is the thing that floats my boat, and not the subject matter itself.

That may explain why my interests have expanded with the internet.,more possibility for good research.

Just like getting a kindle had me go from two books on the go at a time to many books on the go, and most never finished.

Kid in a candy store

 

[NLD?]

As for people mentioning great word play and writing amongst Aspies, while I will probably have to frequently mention that I have Non Verbal Learning Disability which is very closely related to Aspergers but no the same thing, English has always been my strong suit.

I tutor English as a Second Language and writing is really where I excel.

Actually, that's what NLD is really largely about: a large discrepancy between skills in language/writing/reading, which I'm very good at, and Math/Spatial orientation/sciences, which I am very bad at.

I think it's become a stereotype, which is probably only loosely based on certain Aspies and not true for many of them, that they tend to excel in math and sciences, but less so in the humanities and language.

I remember an Aspie who I graduated from highschool with and he was like this, and when we graduated I got the award for best English student and he got the awards for best Math and Science student: two sides to the same coin, he the Aspie and me the NLD-er.

I'm still trying to find out if there are any people with Nonverbal Learning Disability/Disorder here.

Are there???

It seems to be criminally under-recognized in comparison to Aspergers and these other diagnoses and I don't think it's in the DSM yet but there is a website called NLD-line devoted to it and I was told by my therapist he believes I have it.

I would really like if it could become more known and when I refer to myself as having it I wouldn't just get blank stares anymore...

 

[WolfSpirit]

I've read a lot about obsessions and it's seems that most people report a small number that stay relatively consistent for years.

For me I can get a new obsession at any time that will start draining focus and attention away from whatever else it is I'm doing.

I can sometimes focus this into a mini obsession around a customer project which is great. (mini obsession is probably not a true obsession, but more like a deep focus and deeper than NT would likely do).

But then along comes an idea for a new business, or a (self) diagnosis of ASD, and I'm off down a deep rabbit hole with everything else behind me.

Does that fit any one else's experiences?

I've had a number of short-lived intense focused activities/obsessions in the last several months. I don't know if I have any long term ones anymore. it's been that way for quite a while now.

 

[Booknerd515]

I've had changing obsessions for years. They generally rotate around certain books, fandoms, fictional characters, and animals. They change every so often and can last from months to years. I don't recall ever getting obsessions that lasted for a short amount of time.

 

[Nightingale121]

It seems that the quality of the experience of absorbing the information is the thing that floats my boat, and not the subject matter itself.

I can relate to this. From time to time I think that maybe my main obsession is to learn more about random stuff. I love learning and reading about all those new topics when I come across them.

I wrote some more about my own experiences with changing obsessions in this thread:
https://www.autismforums.com/threads/the-contradictions-of-aspergers.16397/#post-322019

I also found another thread about the topic:
Periodic Obsessions My Whole Life