popular Autistic pastimes

Hobbies and collections are a HUGE part of Autistic culture. When we gather, we do it in the name of our hobbies. We don’t like allistic-centric small talk or large parties (for the most part), but we will show up in droves for a game night or a sci-fi convention.

When we are engaged with our special interests, we enter a flow state that fills us with a sense of comfort and connection. While allistics also have hobbies, they do not hobby the way that we do. We go deep. We spend most of our waking hours thinking about, researching, and interacting with our hobbies. We may learn impressive skills (such as a language) that support our interests, and we are often so engaged with them that we build our sense of identity around them.

Due to cultural appreciation of research, pattern detection, word play, organization, social justice, nature, and world building, some hobbies attract Autistics more than others. Popular pastimes in Autistic culture include:

• Trivia

• Legos

• Pokemon

• Video Games

• Yoga and mediation

• Thrifting & antiquing

• Watching documentaries

• Animation and/or Disney

• Hiking and nature walks

• Crocheting/knitting/sewing

• Rescuing/rehabilitating animals

• Following current events and politics

• Organizing, sorting, and/or minimizing

• Writing, especially poetry or fan-fiction

• World building (SIMS, filmmaking, etc.)

• Comedy, especially stand-up and improv

• Teaching, mentoring, and/or knowledge sharing

• Super-fanning, especially about sci-fi and fantasy

• Philosophy and spirituality (especially Buddhism)

• Volunteering, especially with children, animals, nature, or seniors

• Collecting things, including digital collections and collections that have no value to anyone but us

• Sports, especially with very particular self-designed training schedules and/or following players and statistics

• Music, epecially playing multiple instruments or having encyclopedic knowledge of a band or genre

• Comic books and graphic novels—writing, reading, or collecting

• Rocks, stones, fossils (inc. dinosaurs), and/or geology

• Binge watching TV shows or movie franchises

• Museums, studying history, and historic tours

• Dungeons & Dragons and other RPGs

• Acting and production (theater & film)

• Activism and social justice

• Learning and data collection

• Keeping journals and/or lists

• Close-up magic and illusions

• Board games, including chess

• Insect keeping or collecting

• ASL and Deaf studies

• The Renaissance Faire

• Magic the Gathering

• Design of all kinds

• Juggling or unicycling

• Baking and cooking

• Greek mythology

• Traveling abroad

• Arts and crafts

• Prolific reading

• My Little Pony

• Factory tours

• Podcasting

• Gardening

• Astrology

• Science

• Anime

• Manga

• Trains

• DIY

Of course, this is not a complete list and not everyone who partakes in these pastimes is Autistic, however, if you find yourself consistently gravitating towards—and feeling comfortable in—these types of spaces, then you might be one of us. Welcome! If you want to find other Autistics, go into these spaces and wait for someone to drop some sweet trivia and deep-dive-details about the subject—they’re likely an Auttie!

If you’re thinking, “That’s a long list,” then you are correct. We share a common culture, but we are not a monolith! We are diverse.