Living With Asperger Syndrome: My Restricted Interests

I revealed in my previous blog post that I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at 21. A common symptom of Asperger Syndrome is having restricted interests in specific topics or objects. That was certainly the case for me.

I had participated in multiple activities as a child, such as piano, karate, aikido, clarinet, and swimming. All of these memories are fading away. But I recall losing interest in every activity that I participated.

I had never participated in an activity that I was passionate about. I didn’t have a lot of interests growing up. Even today, I have very limited interests. So what were my past interests and what do I currently find fascinating today?  

Past Interests: Meteorology

During my early years as an adolescent, the only topic that I had an intense focus on was meteorology. As a child, I was certain that I wanted to be a meteorologist. I didn’t want to be a weather forecaster and have everyone see me on television. Instead, I wanted to work in a more private sector.

I recall reading multiple books on meteorology from my local library and wanted to learn all that I could on the subject. I would even learn to craft homemade weather instruments, such as a making my own barometer.

My interest for meteorology ended entirely by the time I was a junior in high school. When I realized that the profession would require me taking multiple advanced math classes in college, I decided that meteorology was not a career for me. Even though I consistently had good grades in math, it was one of my most disliked subjects in school.  

Video Editing

Shortly after my passion for meteorology ended, I had another short-lived interest. During my junior and senior year in high school, I took interest in video editing. This was during a time where I was using video editing software to make fanvids in a process called vidding.

My interest in editing videos led me to believe that I should be a video editor. However, the college that I attended didn’t have a department that focused on video editing. More importantly, in time, I realized that editing videos was something I would enjoy doing more as a hobby than a career. It wasn’t long until I lost interest and stopped making fanvids entirely.   

Current Interest: Disney & Animation

Although I lost interest in editing animated videos, my fondness for animated films had continued to grow. I’ve been watching Disney and animated films since I was a child.

However, my appreciation for animation, particularly 2D animation, didn’t develop until I was in high school. During that time, I would draw a handful of my favorite characters from animated films, and I would continue doing so in college.

I almost never draw anything these days, but my adoration for animation grew exponentially after college. Currently, I like to watch scenes from my favorite Disney and animated films and TV series. Additionally, I like to watch new animated releases, listen to Disney songs, and looking at Disney memes.

Unlike my previous interests, I don’t see a career path that ties with my interest in Disney or 2D animation. At least, not one I would enjoy doing. If I could make a living income watching or writing about my favorite animated releases, that would be awesome! I’m confident to say that my passion for Disney and animation won’t disappear anytime soon.