Okay, so I'm sitting around, watching YouTube, and suddenly realise it's been three hours since I started this series on creating an incredibly complicated AI. Why is this? (This didn't happen just now, but it's more an example of something that's happened in the past.)
All people have topics they are more interested in than others. Some people love making art, others love writing, and then there's the group of people like me who enjoy torturing ourselves via the medium of coding.
However, many Autistic people can take this to another level, with what is referred to as a "special interest" or focus topic.
Many Autistic people can talk for hours on end about their special interests, social awkwardness be damned. I've had many a long conversation with people about the most random AI work I've been doing, even though moments before I'd been deathly silent and awkward.
Even now, I come off the end of a conversation I was having regarding neural networks (computers attempting to replicate the way the human brain learns. If you can't tell, Computer Science/AI is MY special interest) when literally moments before I'd been sitting in a corner watching a YouTube video.
"I focus too much on my special interest, is this a problem?"
No. You have a special interest, and you should be left to nurture it. This said however, you need to make sure that said special interest doesn't cause you to ignore EVERYTHING else. If you're in school & you're too busy focusing on your special interest and it's causing you to struggle at/fail in your other subjects, you may need to work on slightly reducing your focus.
This does not mean your special interest is a bad thing, just that you may need a better work/life balance.
"how will I know if something is my special interest?"
Honestly, it differs from person to person. You'll probably know when people start telling you how drastically you change when you start talking about said interest. That's how I learned. Mostly though, it's just the one thing you focus on most over everything else.
"what can I do with my special interest?"
If you're still young, nurture it, follow it. Your best natural career path is likely following that interest. Just make sure you don't abandon everything else in its favour (people will quote me from picking my GCSEs as saying "I wanna do computer science" and literally nothing else.) - whatever path your special interest takes you down will be by far your most natural path.
If you're older, make a great hobby out of it. If you're interested in art, make cool art in your spare time, digital or physical. If you're interested in programming, make fun games and software in your spare time.
Enjoy your interest. Not everyone is as lucky as us to have one. Just make the most of it, so long as it doesn't hinder your ability to live your everyday life.
A very short one this time, I don't have much energy at the moment, and with my exams right on the horizon, I have very little time as well.
No promises about a June update, maybe a July one is in the books.
- Josh.