There’s a weird thing that happens with autistic people’s interests.
They get called “special interests”.
People get really concerned about autistic people engaging in these “special interests”. Things that any other neurotypical person would call a hobby or a passion.
They are labelled as “too obsessive” and “too restrictive”. People intentionally try to interrupt them, or seek to train caregivers to do this in their place. To stop the person from engaging in them so they can that something else “more socially acceptable” can be found to engage in. In the worst cases, these interests are targeted for extinction or exploitation.
I can tell you from first hand, neurodivergent experience, these passions are key.
Build them, explore them, resource them.
Spend time together doing them.
Learn about them. Examine them. Find joy in them.
Build trust through them. Foster connection through them.
Don’t extinguish them. Don’t try to change them.
Accept them and celebrate them.
Your young person doesn’t need changing. They are incredible just the way they are…and so are their interests 
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Image Description: A “robot clock” made out of magnetic tiles, an adaptation co-constructed through playing together around our interests.
