alliecat-person:

karalianne:

rawshocks:

please stop using the terms hyperfixation and special interest interchangeably. they do not mean the same thing. both are used to describe symptoms of learning disabilities, but they are not for the same conditions nor do they mean the same thing.

hyperfixation is a term to describe a (you guessed it) fixation on a topic that isn’t consistent, but does have a very powerful positive feeling associated with it. it comes in waves, but isn’t something you’d be 100% obsessed with over a long period of time. it usually impares your ability to focus on anything else. it’s a symptom of adhd.

special interest is a term used to describe a consistent, long-term fascination and interest with something. you may be able to focus on other things, but the underlying excitement is always there. it’s a symptom of autism.

if you, like myself, have both autism and adhd, it can be SUPER hard to tell them apart, and you probably will never need to.

i’ve been made fun of for having both hyperfixations and for having special interests, but i need people to understand that they are two different experiences.

Before I start, I want to apologize if I get testy; I have an important medical appointment tomorrow afternoon and I’m starting to get really anxious about it. But I had to comment on this because I do every time something like this comes across my dash.

Hi there! It’s great to see that you care about the language people use. Unfortunately, your opinion here is not based in fact. And yes, I have links and information for you on this.

Post about some of my history with the online autism community and more specifically about the history of the word “neurotypical.”

Post about more of my history with the online autism community and more specifically about how it was originally incredibly accepting and open to people who weren’t autistic, and we all used each other’s words.

Post about more of my history with the online autism community and more specifically about the changing language surrounding what are now called “special interests.”

Post about the history of the term “hyperfixation” that includes links to studies where it was used in relation to autism as well as to the discussion in 2015 when it was proposed on Tumblr (which I was a part of).

Post about how excluding people from using terms is actually divisive and against the concept of neurodiversity.

Long reblog chain including lots of information about these terms and how and why people use them, mostly correcting autistic people who are gatekeeping the use of the term “special interest.”

I mean, based on your definition of “special interest,” my DECADE of reading everything about autism that I could get my hands on, to the point where it was one of the few topics I could actually talk about coherently, was a special interest. Except also by your definition, it wasn’t, because I’m not autistic. So which is it?

Sorrynotsorry, I’m going to continue using the words that fit my experiences, and I’m going to continue encouraging other people to do the same thing. Because I know the history. I was there for the history.

And I am so OVER people thinking they own experiences and words.

@karalianne is completely right. See also: this meme.

Over-adherence to diagnostic labels and medicalized language does not serve the interests of neuro-atypical people. I personally don’t really get the distinction drawn here between “special interests” and “hyperfixations,” and I resent having them referred to as symptoms. My experiences are my experiences. They don’t always fit into a neat box described by someone else, even if that person and I happen to share a diagnostic label.

We need to be more welcoming of other people with similar experiences instead of trying to erect barriers around words and concepts. Whom does that really serve?