Hi Everyone,
I, Michael Lettman, would like to share my thoughts on how an "Interest" can be something to be memorized & not forgotten, maybe even for the autistic community.
From a talk that I had with Ms. Heather Lifland for this topic, I think that some people with autism might like things that are structured & clear like one of my interests known as trains which has gotten me interested in MTA New York City Transit.
My Interest in Shows from the Past (My Cartoon Mind)
I've enjoyed a lot of shows that I've watched in my past life. Most of those past shows came from Disney, Nick, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, Anime, & even Game Shows. I've had good times watching these shows that they became part of my interests. Eventually most of my past shows has ended & I've been watching some of their reruns ever since. It may be hard to explain but I'm thinking that the new kind of shows that are currently ongoing are just not that interesting to me but I do know that any current shows by now are for other people to enjoy as they get older. Those past shows that I've enjoyed so much has been inside my mind for a long time ever since, please visit "Michael's Stimming by his Cartoon Mind" blog post for more details.
My Interest in Children (Adorables)
I've taken an interest in children especially the younger ones which I always enjoy calling them - "The Adorables". I've always enjoyed seeing young children experiencing our world with their families which also gave me an interest in families. Seeing young children having fun or being very happy (with adorable smiles on their faces) always makes me feel good on the inside. I'm very grateful to one of my childhood shows known as "Sesame Street" for their work in helping the Autistic Community. "Sesame Street & Autism: See Amazing in All Children" has done so well for many Young Autistic Children (& their families) especially with their Autistic Muppet Friend named Julia. Since children are part of my interests, I was very impressed that a childhood show from my past has been making differences for Young Autistic Children. It's too bad "Living with Autism by Michael Lettman" couldn't do something like "Sesame Street" can & helping Young Autistic Children would definitely make me happy. It was because of this interest in children that I've enjoyed working at a childcare center for my 3 final school years, please visit "Social Relationships: Work" for more details. Here's a link to visit "Sesame Street & Autism: See Amazing in All Children": https://autism.sesamestreet.org
My Interest in Successful Autistic People
I've taken an interest in how some autistic people ended up becoming very successful in their work or creations (like Satoshi Tajiri). Some autistic people who had done well with their skills, research, or projects have truly earn their success for all their hard work which had been helpful or enjoyable to everyone. I wish that I was a good leader in my project like some people on the autism spectrum becoming successful leaders in their work which may be one of the reasons how they have become inspirations to millions of people. I really wish my own project could earn chances with becoming successful as it would be a big help for the autistic community but my work is not as good as the work of successful autistic people (who are experts) as I'm currently still just a plain old amateur. Feel free to visit the experts section of my website to see some of the work of a few successful autistic people or here's a link to see a few more successful people on the autism spectrum: https://www.abadegreeprograms.net/successful-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/
My Interest in Traveling
I became interested in traveling from my trips with Sprout & traveling by train. I can say that I've gone to other areas for family events & I've really enjoyed traveling to those destinations to attend those events. It was thanks to Sprout that I've gone out with groups to new places & I've been grateful for my experiences at those locations. From going to a few different states with Sprout, I've thought of those trips as my independent trips since I've stayed at inns with roommates & I was away from home which felt very independent to me. Sometimes I wish I could experience traveling on other trains like PATH towards an NJ location, LIRR towards a Long Island location, New Jersey Transit towards a faraway NJ location, or Amtrak across different states in America, all which would be a valuable experience in traveling (especially by train). Maybe Sprout is most involved with my interest in traveling, please visit "A Life in Sprout" blog post for more details.
My Interest in Pokemon
I can say that Pokemon has been a huge interest for me since Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl. Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) was created by the Autistic Creator of Pokemon himself known as Satoshi Tajiri. I'm even impressed that Satoshi Tajiri had created his own company known as Game Freak with him as the Founder & CEO, he really has done a lot in his work. I'll still enjoy my interest in the work of a fellow High-Functioning Autistic from Japan in my own unusual way, please visit "The Origin of Michael Lettman's Interest in Pokemon" blog post for more details.
My Interest in Trains
Back in my past from my MTA train rides, from playing with toy trains, & from watching one of my childhood shows known as Thomas & Friends, I've enjoyed trains for a long time which lead to me being interested in doing research on the NYCT (New York City Transit). I've learned much about the NYCT like their subway cars, their countdown clocks, renovated or rehabilitated stations (which includes some becoming accessible), & the upcoming second avenue subway (which will be a very long time before we see a brand new T train line). I've gone out to visit a few MTA stations by myself & I've enjoyed the experiences of viewing those stops. I've also managed to have memorized some of the train lines a little which comes in handy in case I want to go somewhere new by train. So I'm happy to say that with my interest in trains (which made trains as my favorite mode of transportation), I've done some learning about MTA New York City Transit & I've begun to understand how important it is to increase Accessibility for people with disabilities to travel a little better by the NYCT, please visit "The Importance of Transportation Accessibility" blog post for more details.
From my Perspective
I believe others should learn about what people with autism are interested in & try to understand how much they've enjoyed their interests. Maybe with understanding an interest of an autistic, they can use this information to find a way of helping an autistic with making friends or finding employment that is related to their interests.
From what I've learned & pondered about, maybe one of our interests can be special in some way like something that has completely captured your attention in a very focused way. You want to learn about it and then you end up having parts of your interests memorized into your minds. Sometimes I think that people with autism has things that they've enjoyed so much for so long that they might not ever forget their interests. Since we can keep some of our interests memorized, maybe we should think of ways how our interests can be helpful in something. Sometimes we need to learn about other things but they can easily fade out of our minds because they weren't so interesting unlike the things that we are very interested in. So brainstorming about "interests" might be some kind of learning method for the autistic community.
This was my video for describing myself as an example of having enjoyed a few of my own interests since my past, Please Enjoy!
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