Characterizing restricted and unusual interests in autistic youth

A broad range of interests characterized by unusual content and/or intensity, labeled as circumscribed interests are a core diagnostic feature of autism. Recent evidence suggests that a distinction can be drawn between interests that, although characterized by unusually high intensity and/or inflexibility, are otherwise common in terms of their content (e.g., an interest in movies or animals), labeled as restricted interests and interests that are generally not salient outside of autism (e.g., an interest in traffic lights or categorization), labeled as unusual interests.

Citation:
Spackman E, Smillie LD, Frazier TW, Hardan AY, Alvares GA, Whitehouse A, Uljarević M. Characterizing restricted and unusual interests in autistic youth. Autism Res. 2023;16(2):394-405.

Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder; circumscribed interests; repetitive behaviors.

Abstract:
A broad range of interests characterized by unusual content and/or intensity, labeled as circumscribed interests are a core diagnostic feature of autism. Recent evidence suggests that a distinction can be drawn between interests that, although characterized by unusually high intensity and/or inflexibility, are otherwise common in terms of their content (e.g., an interest in movies or animals), labeled as restricted interests and interests that are generally not salient outside of autism (e.g., an interest in traffic lights or categorization), labeled as unusual interests.