[UPDATED] CHAPTER 9: SPECIAL INTERESTS ARE SELF CARE

From burnout to belonging, how special interests create purpose, stability, and Spin Bonds—the Autistic love language.

This chapter asks the big question: if monotropism is at the core of Autistic life, what does that mean for how we care for ourselves? Angela shows that what the DSM calls “restrictive, repetitive behaviors” are actually the engine of our identity: Special Interests, or SPINs. These aren’t hobbies or quirky side projects. They’re survival tools—attention tunnels that give structure, flow, and meaning when everything else feels unbearable.

She traces her own SPINs, from teenage activism sparked by U2 and Amnesty International to lifelong obsessions with publishing, Crowded House, and podcasts. In each case, the focus isn’t on trivia but on belonging, purpose, and regulation. SPINs carried her through burnout when therapy and medication couldn’t, anchoring her when nothing else could touch the darkness. They also create connection—what she calls Spin Bonds—where friendship is forged not through small talk but through shared obsessions, the Autistic love language.

But SPINs come with grief too. Losing one—whether because of harm tied to a figure like Michael Jackson or J.K. Rowling—feels like losing a piece of yourself. That devastation shows just how sacred SPINs are. The takeaway is unapologetic: SPINs are not optional, indulgent, or too much. They are who we are, and leaning into them is a form of self-care more powerful than any cure. To embrace your SPINs is to embrace your Autistic life—fully, deeply, and without shame.