Communication & senses · England
Enjoying your interests
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Your interests can be important to you.
You can choose what you enjoy.
Your own interests
You may enjoy learning a lot about something.
You may enjoy doing the same favourite activity.
Choose your words
Some people say special interest.
Use the words you prefer.
Enjoyment matters
Your interest may help you relax or feel happy.
It does not have to become a job.
Keep your choice
People should respect harmless interests.
You can say whether you want an interest used in learning.
Ask for practical help
You might need transport, materials or a quieter place.
Tell someone what would help.
Plan helpful reminders
You may want reminders for meals, sleep or appointments.
Agree reminders and stopping points that work for you.
Choose whether to share
You can enjoy an interest with other people.
You can also choose time on your own.
Talk about distress
Ask for help if an activity becomes upsetting or feels impossible to stop.
A professional can help understand why.
Plan around your life
Include things you enjoy in your support plan.
Review whether the support is helping you.
What you can do next
Ask people to respect your interests and support your choices.
Read about focused and dedicated interests Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- National Autistic Society: focused and dedicated interests Web page
Interests, their benefits and situations where support may help.
- Royal College of Psychiatrists: ADHD in adults Web page
Strengths, deep absorption in activities and practical support.
- NICE: support for autistic adults Web page
Choice, accessible support and leisure based on the person’s interests.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Special interests and focused interests
Respect interests as enjoyment and strengths, with practical support for choice, access and balance.
Adults · England · Individual needs and assessment matter
What a special interest can mean
Some autistic people engage very deeply with a subject or activity. Interests may last briefly or for many years and can be about almost anything. Some people use the term special interest; others prefer focused interest or simply interest. Ask which wording they like. An intense interest alone does not establish an autism diagnosis.
Enjoyment and strengths matter
An interest may offer relaxation, learning, identity or a sense of achievement. Research with autistic adults links personally meaningful engagement with aspects of wellbeing, although this does not prove a particular activity will help everyone. Interests can be valuable even when they do not lead to work, qualifications or social contact.
Respect choice and harmless enjoyment
Avoid mocking an interest because it seems unusual or younger than the person’s age. Do not make access to a valued, harmless interest depend on pleasing staff or completing unrelated tasks. Ask before bringing it into learning or therapy. Enjoyment can remain a chosen activity in its own right.
Make access practical
Ask what would help: accessible materials, a quieter venue, transport, affordable options or someone to go with. A group can be helpful when wanted; individual activities are equally valid. Plan around communication and sensory needs. Do not assume everyone wants to explain their interest to others.
Support time and transitions
Agree reminders or predictable stopping points if the person wants help with meals, sleep, appointments or changing activity. Give notice instead of abruptly taking things away. People with ADHD may also become deeply absorbed in preferred activities; planning support can help. Choose prompts that support the person rather than constantly interrupting them.
Sharing interests with other people
Shared interests can provide opportunities for friendship and community. Ask whether the person wants a club, an online group, one-to-one company or time alone. Help people communicate their preferences about talking and listening. Support should respect everyone’s boundaries without treating enthusiasm as something shameful.
When distress needs attention
Enjoyable interests are different from unwanted obsessions and rituals, although someone can experience both. If an activity becomes frightening, feels impossible to stop or prevents things the person wants or needs to do, ask what is happening. Assess distress, health and practical needs rather than assuming the interest itself is the problem.
Agree support and review it
Build chosen interests into person-centred planning. Agree any help with costs, space or routines with the person and review whether it supports their goals. If difficulties are significant, a GP or relevant support professional can help identify appropriate assessment. The aim is meaningful participation and wellbeing, not making interests look more typical.
Words you could use
“Please respect my interests, ask what they mean to me and help me enjoy them in ways that fit my life.”
More useful links
- National Autistic Society: focused and dedicated interests Web page
Interests, their benefits and situations where support may help.
- Royal College of Psychiatrists: ADHD in adults Web page
Strengths, deep absorption in activities and practical support.
- NICE: support for autistic adults Web page
Choice, accessible support and leisure based on the person’s interests.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 9 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- National Autistic Society: focused and dedicated interests Web page
Preferred language, respect for interests and distinguishing enjoyable interests from unwanted compulsions.
- Grove and colleagues: interests and wellbeing Web page
Survey associations between motivation, interests and wellbeing; findings do not establish causation.
- NICE CG142: autistic adults Web page
Autonomy, accessible communication, sensory adjustments and interest-based leisure.
- Royal College of Psychiatrists: ADHD in adults Web page
Hyperfocus, strengths and support for planning and routines.
- NHS: OCD Web page
Unwanted obsessions, compulsions and seeking assessment.