Special interests , or topics of intense fascination, can cause me to highly value others’ happiness, presence, or mere existence, sometimes even more than my own wellbeing. I’ve read that for autistic women and girls, special interests often include people or characters. This explains my desire to learn as much as possible about those I love, and also why rejection strikes so deeply. I wish I’d known that my awe is caused as much by my own neurology as it is by another person’s admirable characteristics.
