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Post by Tealraven on Jan 1, 2022 19:54:40 GMT -5
 welcome
Hi there! Welcome to our cozy lil thread! <3 I was inspired to make this after noticing that there are quite a few autistic/neurodivergent people on the forums, some of whom expressed an interest in having a dedicated chat thread. So, without further ado, here is a stress-free, no-judgment zone where we can chat, vent, share resources, and support one another. This is a safe space to talk about hyperfixations and special interests, info-dump, or just post memes. Neurotypicals are welcome too as long as you’re kind and respectful!
thread rules
1) Follow the forum rules.
2) Treat others with kindness and respect; we each have different challenges and different experiences.
3) Don't come here seeking to start conflict or drama. Spamming and trolling will not be tolerated.
join us It's simple: just stop by and say hello! Not sure how to jump in? Introduce yourself and share your interests! And please, don't be discouraged by the page count or if nobody's posted recently. We're a pretty laidback thread and we have a few regulars, but we're always happy to see new faces! I don’t consider myself to be “in charge” here, I’m just the one who happened to make the thread. I will not be maintaining an active members list either because I feel that it defeats the purpose of a casual chatroom. People will come and go, and that's fine. This safe space will always be here for those who need it <3 |
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Post by downfalls on Jan 2, 2022 0:40:49 GMT -5
hi, uh, im alfred or astor but idm being called alfie or my user. i have autism and am diagnosed with it (by a therapist). my current hyperfixations are world war history, cookie run and hamilton (which i really love talking about and sometimes annoy my parents/friends by doing so)
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jan 2, 2022 0:46:29 GMT -5
Boo!
I'm the friendly neighborhood mod. Most call me Mint or Minty. I'm officially diagnosed, but knew I was autistic since ... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. According to my mother, she knew since I was 6 months.
But anyway, my special interests are ... //waves at forums// Warriors and WCRP have been my special interest for yeeeeeears.
Additionally, a non-existent comic called Vampirony. e.g. it's made by one of my best friends, only it isn't made yet. WIP. She makes art for it on dA though.
Aaaaaaand I'd say I probably have a hyperfixation on moving out. Remains to be seen if it's a special interest. It's just something I constantly research and think about. And I can never really tell the difference between the two.
Special interest in Arthur Dee and John Dee as well, which are two historical figures. I lore dump about them in one of my OTD topics. ^^
So ye. That's to start. I love hearing about other people's interests.
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Post by Shrike on Jan 2, 2022 2:31:26 GMT -5
Ooooo hihihi!! I like this thread a lot already!! C:
I’m Shrikey and I’m autistic! I was diagnosed at… 16 I believe? Which would be about 6 years ago now OTL (Oof… I’m getting old) I had never really known/heard a lot about autism before my diagnosis, so it really opened my eyes to a lot more about the world and myself.
My special interests are writing, drawing and thinking about my original story and characters—and my two favorite book series: the Underland chronicles by Suzanne collins and the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness! My story began development in 2018, I first read the Underland Chronicles in 2011, and I found chaos walking more recently in 2020! C: Pls talk to me about them if you ever read them!
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Post by Skypaw13 on Jan 2, 2022 2:50:09 GMT -5
I'm Skypaw and no one knows what the f is wrong with me, lol
I do get very fixated on seemingly minor things, I have low empathy and struggle socially, and have sensory issues. But none of those things are *quite* enough to warrant a diagnosis of autism. My therapist did throw ADHD at me after our first appointment, but six weeks later she seems hesitant about confirming it.
In her words: "there's definitely something up with you, but I don't know what it is".
Right now my treatment is for severe anxiety and trauma recovery, but my therapist is still hunting around and having me telephone-game psychologists/psychiatrists and get blood panels done.
Anyway, my current interest that I'm investing far too much energy into is Python coding.
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Aroace
#ffa100
Name Colour
𝕱𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑
Villain Enjoyer
Arcane Season 2 has got me in a chokehold once again (do not send help)
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Post by 𝕱𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑 on Jan 2, 2022 13:14:44 GMT -5
Hello there, my username on here is Dreamcloud but currently Forestdawn (I frequently change my name based on various battle cat OCs of mine). I was diagnosed with autism by one of my at least four different therapists I had as a child/teen (getting diagnosed by therapists seems to be a pattern). This was quite some time ago though when I was around fifteen to sixteen years old and I haven't seen the actual diagnosis papers in a while because my mother is the one with all of mine, her and my dad's douments stored away somewhere in her office. Now I'm getting interested again to read through them intently after a few years of not seeing them or even knowing where they were.
Anyways, I'm getting off topic there, sorry about that. I also have anxiety/panic attacks (fun), depression (very fun) and OCD (so much fun). Two things I also got "diagnosed" with but which are not classified or recognized as such is an Arithmetic Weakness (Math triggers me. And no, I'm not joking.) and as an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person). The latter includes frequent sensory overloads and emotional overstimulation.
My long term interest with a long break in between from 2015 to 2020 has been the Warriors series while my current hyperfixation is watching a lot of various horror movies despite me being terrified of them as a child/teen. Especially so called deep sea horror has grabbed my attention even though I'm scared of open water and have almost drowned three times (Once in an indoor swimming pool only simulating storm waves. How embarrassing is that?). Where was I? Oh yeah, deep sea horror movies. Well, watching them as an adult has made me realize that they are not as bad as I thought they were as long as I don't turn the volume up too high (music really does create some tension after all).
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Post by Tealraven on Jan 2, 2022 15:47:37 GMT -5
Hey guys! Hope you're all having a nice, relaxing sunday. I'm happy to see you all here <3 I see I'm not alone in my love of writing and developing characters o: That's pretty nice. I look forward to (and enjoy!) reading about your OCs and your other interests c: downfalls I enjoy world history, too! Actually, I've been wanting to study the world wars in greater depth, since the historical fiction comic? thingy?? I've been slowly developing over the last 5 years is set during WWII. But, ack! There's so much going on I just don't even know where to start! Anything you'd recommend for someone looking to get more into WWII history? Shrike I never thought I'd meet another person who's read the Underland Chronicles! o: I was obsessed with that book series when I was younger. I remember desperately wanting to join an UC roleplay, yet I was never able to find one, haha. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2022 16:15:34 GMT -5
My name is Quill and I was diagnosed with autism last year. It never occurred to me that I was autistic because I thought that it was one of those things people knew when they were a young child. Personally, I feel like my autism is more a strength than a weakness because my strong autistic traits are usually rewarded by society (organization, focus, clear communication, honesty), while my less socially desirable traits are either mild or easy to mask.
Warriors is a longstanding special interest.
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Post by downfalls on Jan 2, 2022 16:27:12 GMT -5
Tealraven if you're looking for online/tv media, id suggest watching the movie downfall or the movie letters from iwo jima depending on which part of ww2 you like, if you prefer actual footage theres loads of footage online
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jan 2, 2022 16:36:46 GMT -5
hello! been referred to this thread by two separate people now so here I am KSDHJKSDKDHJ i'm rain, late diagnosed autism level 1 as of 2020 ^^ special interests are animals and anthropology/sociology in general with a specific focus on autism(ironically enough) and reptiles. I prefer identity first language over person first language  |
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Jan 2, 2022 16:42:02 GMT -5
hello! i have a question about autism, if that is okay whats the difference between a hyperfixation and a special interest? |
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jan 2, 2022 16:54:47 GMT -5
hyperfixations are an adhd symptom, special interests are an autism symptom ^^
there is definitely a lot of overlap especially if you're autistic and have adhd, but hyperfixations tend to be a faster cycle - obsession with the thing where you can't think about anything else, you spend all your time thinking about and working on it, etc etc, but then it might sputter out and go dormant for a while or disappear entirely
special interests tend to be much longer lived and identity based - you can get new ones as you age, but they tend to root very deeply and while they tend to be "milder", they are much longer lived in general. Hyperfixations tend to last a few days to a few months(or a year, even), but special interests can start in childhood and be lifelong, it's common for them to become careers and such
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Jan 2, 2022 18:36:42 GMT -5
hyperfixations are an adhd symptom, special interests are an autism symptom ^^ there is definitely a lot of overlap especially if you're autistic and have adhd, but hyperfixations tend to be a faster cycle - obsession with the thing where you can't think about anything else, you spend all your time thinking about and working on it, etc etc, but then it might sputter out and go dormant for a while or disappear entirely special interests tend to be much longer lived and identity based - you can get new ones as you age, but they tend to root very deeply and while they tend to be "milder", they are much longer lived in general. Hyperfixations tend to last a few days to a few months(or a year, even), but special interests can start in childhood and be lifelong, it's common for them to become careers and such oh okay, i see! what is the difference between an autistic person's special interest versus a neurotypical (or non-autistic) person's prevailing interest in something? like do they treat it differently? just curious! |
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jan 2, 2022 18:48:46 GMT -5
Special interests are much stronger and tend to be extremely specific and fact focused. So, while a neurotypical might have a favorite tv show and enjoy consuming content related to it, an autistic person with a special interest in a certain tv show would be likely to know EVERYTHING about it - episode dates and names, every existing piece of character trivia, etc, and consume massive amounts of content related to it - reading every book in the series, then every piece of fanfiction, then every non-canon work published on it, etc etc until there's nothing left.
Autistic people are also likely to recite these facts in conversation if asked - if a neurotypical people would answer an inquiry into a favorite show like "oh yeah I love that show! who is your favorite character?" an autistic person might respond with "did you know that the first book in the series was published on monday january 8th 1997 by a person named x name who then went on to publish seven other works in his lifetime, contributing a significant amount of the information we have on x character", and so on.
Basically, it's much more intense than a neurotypical interest, and often very focused on fact collection.
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Post by Skypaw13 on Jan 2, 2022 19:14:27 GMT -5
</div></div> wait this is probably why my therapist said I have ADHD, lol I don't have any long term interests. Part of why I'm in therapy is because I'm a 5th year senior in college and still have no life goals or career plans. I told that to my therapist and she said "what are your interests?" and my brain was like "traceback error: variable 'interests' does not exist." I do, however, BURN through hobbies so ridiculously fast. I knit a fitting cat sweater two weeks after picking up needles and now I don't touch yarn at all. I can play "Time of Your Life" super well on guitar (string picking and everything), but literally nothing else and I haven't played in months. Currently I'm obsessed with learning Python and my dad said I learned in one week what it took him literal months to teach his coworkers, but I just KNOW that's going to burn out here in a week or two. Anyway, you didn't ask for any of that info about me, but I'm just shocked that yet another ADHD symptom applies to me, lol Now if only my hospital would actually let me see a psychiatrist, lol |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jan 2, 2022 20:56:35 GMT -5
Yeah. XD A lot of that is why I don't always know if something is a hyperfixation or a special interest. I seem to get the latter far more often than the former, and even then my response to both are the same.
Like, for example, getting an interest in a new video game. I consume things down to fan fiction and obscure trivia ... and then poof, fizzles out within a year.
Or not.
I never get short hyperfixations at least. Usually 1+ years.
Special interests though are more common. God, I could recite the ... vast details of Warriors lore. And yes, it's partly my career. XD And then I consumed all cat-related media too.
And please, I've already regaled the full John Dee to Arthur Dee history to my coworker on my, like, third day talking to her.
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Post by Tealraven on Jan 2, 2022 21:01:35 GMT -5
well said, Rain! unrelated, but I'm also planning to major in anthropology due to my special interest in history and archeology. how has that worked out for you so far? what are the courses like? Tealraven if you're looking for online/tv media, id suggest watching the movie downfall or the movie letters from iwo jima depending on which part of ww2 you like, if you prefer actual footage theres loads of footage online Downfall and Letters from Iwo Jima? I'll have to write those down. I really should start keeping a list of WWII books and other media to read or watch. My high school did not teach either of the World Wars, so I literally know nothing about them aside from the most basic information. It'll be a daunting task to teach myself. o.o' If you know of anything geared towards a beginner, give me a holler! |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jan 2, 2022 21:04:26 GMT -5
Oooo! Are we talking about WW1 and 2? I used to have a special interest in that too. It only recently went dormant. I'm always interested in new info. |
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Jan 2, 2022 21:12:24 GMT -5
thanks for answering my question!!
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Post by downfalls on Jan 2, 2022 21:50:40 GMT -5
Oooo! Are we talking about WW1 and 2? I used to have a special interest in that too. It only recently went dormant. I'm always interested in new info. in history class we're currently learning abt ww2, which is...interesting but the amount of times people have asked me to team up with them when the teacher says to do so is insane |
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Post by Tealraven on Jan 2, 2022 22:20:11 GMT -5
That's pretty cool! Unless you don't like doing group projects, which is totally understandable. It sucks when you're the one who has to do all the work.
I took a dual-credit US History class in my junior year (it was actually APUSH, but the teacher was accredited through the college that was offering it, so we got straight credit for it w/o having to take the AP test) and we barely touched on WWII at all. I remember that we each had to pair up with someone and then sign up for a topic related to WWII. Then we had to record and digitally submit a radio-style broadcast on it. I did mine on victory gardens and what to do during an air raid. (it was first come, first serve and those were the only two topics left)
aaand that's the extent of what I learned from a supposedly college-level class in hs ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
idk if that's normal or not. maybe high schools don't really cover the world wars in-depth?
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Post by downfalls on Jan 2, 2022 22:33:58 GMT -5
i usually ask to work by myself and the teacher usually says i can, or she warns me about it and asks me if i want to work in a group and most of the time my answer is no
there was one time we were doing a group thing on the interwar units and all of my classmates looked at me like 'youre smart so you can obviously do this' and i actually forgot the answer to the question bc they were staring at me, but during the finals i got maybe a 90-95?? and the person next to me was like 'obviously you'd get a high grade'
yeah, not really easy being the world war history smart kid but otherwise i do better on group projects anyways
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Post by Tealraven on Jan 2, 2022 23:00:56 GMT -5
I used to do that, too. I would always ask to work on a project independently because I could work more efficiently, get it done faster, and get a better grade. That way I only had to rely on myself. Plus, as the "smart kid," whenever I got thrown in with group projects, I was the one who had to do all the work. Then the numbskulls who did nothing but screw around on snapchat the whole period got the high grade I earned for them :/
It got better when I started taking higher-level classes with my academic peers. It was nice to work with people who actually put in the same amount of quality and effort.
Is there a specific area of WWII history (military, espionage, politics, etc.) that you are especially knowledgeable in or that really interests you? Or is it just the whole era in general?
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Post by downfalls on Jan 2, 2022 23:03:24 GMT -5
yes, actually, the political side.
its mostly that, but some parts of the military interest me too
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Agender
#000000
Name Colour
Leapkit
Finder of Rare Friend Error
Derealizing for the forseeable future
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Post by Leapkit on Jan 3, 2022 0:48:28 GMT -5
I have diagnosed ADHD, but not diagnosed autism. But I hope that's still ok here! I've had a historically bad time being diagnosed at all or even properly diagnosed because I seem to get a new diagnosis or have them change around almost every time I see a new doctor or therapist. ADHD has been the only constant thing among all of them from when I was a child. I pretty much just self-diagnose with what I think I have from what I've been evaluated for at this point because I'm tired of being bounced around and no one agreeing. So other than ADHD I also very likely have ptsd from childhood abuse and likely some form of personality or dissociative thing going on. People on the forums who have known me long enough know that I was diagnosed with Borderline, and on paper I still am but lately I'm not sure BPD was an accurate diagnosis. Meanwhile I was diagnosed with ptsd by one therapist, and then the following one I saw was like, you don't have ptsd. For no real reason because she didn't even double check me for it or anything, just decided I didn't and took it off? So yeah I hate doctors lol. I manage well enough these days though.
As I said on the other thread I have a lot of symptom overlap or like, questionable things that just make me go HMM if I may fall somewhere on the spectrum or not because then there's also stuff that doesn't match up either. For example I have what I'd consider probably a neurotypical grasp of language and metaphors, in fact I'm quite good at it. Though I have hangups on some ways people come across, like saying one thing and meaning another and then just getting mad at me for taking them at their word and not making assumptions, but at the same time maybe that's just other people being shit at communicating, who knows?
I also struggle a lot with feeling empathy. Not that I don't still like want to help people but if someone were to tell me something that happened that made them feel a certain way but if I were in their shoes it wouldn't bother me I literally can't grasp why it would bother someone else and I find myself thinking "I've been through worse and gotten worked up way less, why can't you?" Of course I don't say this because I also know logically people feel however they feel and it's valid and not all hurts are equal, especially when someone hasn't been through all I have but just for the sake of honesty that is how I feel about quite a lot of things people wind up telling me. I can't control that, but I do control my reaction and do my best to show sympathy even when I'm not feeling it. This, however may also just be Trauma Brain shit. Which is yet again why I am on the fence of whether or not it's autism or something else.
As far as the hyperfixations vs special interest thing: I had no idea! I'd been using them as interchangeable this whole time. I think I might have some of both though. My long-term interests have been the Binding of Isaac, the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Ball, Animal Jam (Though that one I am honestly trying to kill off simply because I've come to hate WildWorks, but I can't seem to break away completely.), and the most recent addition that I feel like is probably long term is Hellraiser. These ones do have a habit of rotating but always come back sooner or later. I think my own book ideas and characters might also count as a special interest?
Shorter term hyperfixations that I either am or have been into or have much much larger gaps between when I am interested in them are Warrior cats, Fallout, Dragon Age, Zizzles IZ, UB Funkeys, Homestuck, OFF, My Little Pony, other various anime/manga, hunting down increasingly obscure subgenres of hardcore music, watching terrible so-bad-they-re-good horror and action movies (From the 80s especially), misc. religious/spiritual/witchcraft topics especially ones surrounding historical context, aphotism, theistic satanism, gnosticism, and demonology/angelology.
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Post by MadameDelune on Jan 3, 2022 1:00:25 GMT -5
Hey I guess. I’m diagnosed with ADHD, used to take meds for it but stopped when it led to anger issues. My hyperfixation at the moment is Jekyll and Hyde.
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Bleak
RN does not stand for Refreshments and Narcotics
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Post by Bleak on Jan 3, 2022 13:33:19 GMT -5
</div></div>I've been staring at this for much longer than I should be. My interests overlap with both of these definitions. I don't have all of of one only, but I have about half of the characteristics of both definitions. Anyone who's known me for a few years knows that my longest "fixation" (besides Warriors, that is) is actually Phantom of the Opera. I'm a bit rusty on the facts but I can still pump out names, dates, random trivia on just about every Phantom related work. (Did you know there was apparently a 1916 film that is completely lost? All we know of it is that it existed, not a whole lot....for a random example). I have not met with any specialist nor a therapist, so I have no idea. My sister who is diagnosed with ADHD and works in the Psychic fraction of the medical field, suspects I have both autism and ADHD. Sorry for the mind dump, just trying to figure out stuff. Edit: well sugar, the computer of mine didn't wanna quote properly. This is Rain's first explanation of the hyperfixations |
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jan 3, 2022 19:05:14 GMT -5
oooh so many good answers here!! I will try my best to answer what everyone said, apologies for the delay I've been a bit sick @anotherwfcaccount OH sorry for the misunderstanding! I do have special interest in anthropology but I'm not in school for it. My career is in animals though, and that special interest has been present from birth, so I probably have a lot more information about that lol Bleak yeah they are an EXTREMELY common comorbidity - a ton of people who have one also have the other! I only have autism though, so I only know stuff about adhd from study/anecdotally from people who have it. Also no worries about the quote, the carets in my user break the quote coding R IP Skypaw13 BIG mood with needing to see a psych and get diagnosed. It's such a pain in the ass - I had to fight tooth and nail to get my dx and it took months. I hope your process is relatively easy! |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jan 3, 2022 20:59:41 GMT -5
Rain the quote breaker strikes again.
I still don't know Ice's magic for making sure they don't break.
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Post by xєяσ єємαι zσηтαησѕ ♬ on Jan 3, 2022 22:29:03 GMT -5
Hey hi hello!
I was diagnosed with autism at around age 7 (I think). I graduated community college in 2020 (except sadly didn't get an actual graduation due to Covid) with a degree in early childhood education, and I currently work part time at an elementary after school program.
My biggest special interests are choir and Broadway/musical theatre - my all time favorite show is a tie between Come From Away and Hadestown. I've seen both live (Come From Away in Toronto and the US tour and Hadestown on Broadway) and they were absolutely incredible and I also saw Hamilton live for the first time (the tour) just a few days ago on New Years Eve!
Some of my other current/former special interests include Warriors, historical fiction books/period drama TV and movies, making jewelry, Disney (favorite movie is Frozen 2), and animals!
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