What is a Restricted Interest?

A restricted interest in childhood is a deep focus on a narrow range of topics that might seem unusual or intense compared to peers. 

While a child needs a variety of interests to build relationships, children with restricted interests often struggle with social cues, leading to conversations that might bore or annoy others. At the same time, it’s a beautiful thing to appreciate something that others see as mundane as fascinating. When a child expresses their restricted interest, it is an opportunity for us to see the world with curious and grateful eyes.

Common intense interests can range from origami, law enforcement, and popular media like My Little Pony or Minecraft, to mechanical devices such as air conditioners or car washes. Sometimes, a child’s interest might be more mainstream, like a specific video game or animal, but they will talk about it extensively without much reciprocal conversation. 

Signs of Restricted Interests in Children

• Social language challenges: Difficulty joining conversations, reading body language, or following joint attention (showing interest in what others are focused on).
• Repetitive conversation: Sharing the same information repeatedly.
• Strong vocabulary but communication struggles: Verbally capable but unable to shift topics or engage in free-flowing conversation.
• Topic fixation: Consistently steering conversations back to one or a few specific interests.
• Obscure or specific interests: Intense focus on niche topics like diurnal turtles, specific dinosaurs, or air conditioning units.
• Excessive knowledge: Possessing vast knowledge on particular subjects, which can initially seem impressive but may become tiresome for listeners.

Understanding Restricted Interests in Childhood

Often, restricted or repetitive interests are a key indicator of an autism neurotype. This neurotype involves unique styles of social communication and repetitive patterns of behavior or interests. Social communication differences in autism frequently include challenges with knowing what to say, maintaining back-and-forth conversations, and social-emotional reciprocity.

Many individuals with an autism neurotype speak clearly, use complete sentences, and have advanced vocabularies. They may use formal or precise language and recall detailed information. While they may try to converse with peers and adults, they often find reciprocity (the give-and-take of social relationships) challenging and tend to overuse repetitive topics or statements.

As psychologists, we know it takes a brilliant set of thoughts and ideas to create a restricted interest. We frequently observe repetitive comments about specific interests as a hallmark sign of autism. These comments often seem “on repeat” or “like a broken record,” as the child is determined to share everything about a topic without gauging others’ interest.

For example, a bright child we worked with was fascinated by air conditioning units. He would spend breaks identifying units on roofs and buildings. When asked about his siblings, he identified them by name and their favorite air conditioning brand, always bringing conversations back to this topic. While endearing, his social challenges became clear as he struggled to shift his focus and conversation.

Other causes of restricted interests can include other developmental neurotypes, genetic differences, and intellectual disabilities, which may lead to more restricted interests due to brain-based variations.

Gifted children may also have specialized interests. The key difference here lies in social skills. A highly intelligent child who is passionate about a subject but can easily set it aside to make friends likely has no cause for concern. However, if the interest is so consuming that other children are irritated and disengaging, further exploration of the issue is warranted.

Supporting Children with Restricted Interests

Here are some ways to help a child broaden their interests.

• Model and encourage varied language: Practice back-and-forth conversations on diverse topics. Introduce new things related to their current interest (e.g., if they love spiders, talk about other insects).
• Prepare for social interactions: Before playdates, help your child brainstorm topics to discuss with peers. Explicitly explain that others might not share their intense interest. For instance, you might say, “I know you love trains, but at the party, the other kids might want to talk about different things. Try to listen to what they like and join in those conversations.”
• Enroll in low-risk social activities: Structured activities like Lego clubs, cooking classes, robotics clubs, or swimming classes can provide opportunities to socialize and practice conversation skills in a less competitive environment.
• Consider social skills groups: Clinicians trained in social skills can help children develop conversation skills, engage in reciprocal interactions, and explore shared interests.
• Provide breaks and outlets: Allow time for your child to indulge in their favorite interests. Listen to them and acknowledge their passion, while gently encouraging them to expand into other areas.

When to Seek Professional Help

Restricted or repetitive interests can be strong coping skills. They become a concern when they hinder a child’s ability to connect socially and form meaningful relationships. It can be tricky to differentiate intense interests from typical toddler repetition, which is part of learning.

Clinically, it’s crucial to assess the restricted interest within the context of the child’s capacity for social interaction and reciprocity. A young child rigidly focused on dinosaur names, play, and diet, who struggles to connect with others, may warrant concern. Conversely, a child who brings a dinosaur book to a parent, points to pictures, labels them, makes eye contact, and takes turns commenting while smiling and cuddling, is demonstrating typical social connection, even with a strong interest in dinosaurs.

Typical vs. Concerning Restricted Interests at Various Ages

• Children under 6: The main consideration is whether the repetitive interest interferes with social connections and interactive play. The key is if the child can shift away from the topic long enough to engage with others.
• School-age children: An older child might have a prominent interest, like soccer, that doesn’t disrupt their life. If they can still attend birthday parties, play with friends in the pool, and connect socially without mentioning soccer, there’s likely no concern. However, a child who brings their ball everywhere, ignores others, and focuses solely on dribbling may have a restricted interest impeding social connection.
• How restricted interests evolve: These deep interests can change over time. For example, a teen who was once obsessed with Rubik’s cubes might later dedicate all their free time to drawing skyscrapers, and as a young adult, make tiny models, even isolating themselves to protect their creations.

Seek help if your child’s specific interest seems to lead to social isolation or shutting out others. This is a significant concern when a child is limited in connecting socially, being flexible in learning environments, and engaging in appropriate conversations.

Professional Resources for Restricted Interests in Childhood

If your child is struggling with this to the point that it impacts their learning, relationships, or happiness, the following professionals can offer diagnosis, treatment, or both:

• Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy: Teaches children to be more flexible in interests and conversations through reinforcement-based approaches for prosocial behaviors and appropriate social interactions.
• Psychologist or neuropsychologist: Conducts comprehensive evaluations for autism and related concerns within a mental health context.
• School psychologist: Assesses IQ, anxiety, social skills, academic impact, and helps initiate special education support as needed.
• Social group: Guides children and explicitly teaches social skills, often facilitated by a social worker, counselor, or psychologist, with an emphasis on social and conversation skills and developing interests. Ensure children are matched by age and language skills.
• Speech and language pathologist: Provides language assessment and therapy, which can occur in school settings during lunchtime or recess for a natural social environment, or in group or classroom-based sessions to facilitate social learning, conversation, and shared interests.

Similar Conditions to Restrictive Interests in Childhood

• Emotion regulation: Difficulty recognizing, labeling, or controlling emotions, especially in complex social settings.
• Perseverating: Getting stuck on a topic or interest and struggling to shift to others.
• Pragmatic language: Challenges in making social connections through language due to restricted and repetitive language or topics of interest.
• Repetitive behavior: Engaging in repetitive actions like spinning, jumping, or flapping, as well as making repetitive comments.
• Rigidity: Tendency to be repetitive and easily get stuck on topics or ideas, often wanting to direct and teach others.
• Stuttering: Language fluency challenges leading to repetition, distinct from repetitive language due to obsession with specific topics, as it involves difficulty expressing or articulating words.

Resources for Restricted Interests in Childhood

• Baker, Jed. (2006). Social skills picture book for high school and beyond.
• Baker, Jed. (Retrieved 2017). Social skills books and resources for ASD. http://socialskillstrainingproject.com/books.html
• Berns, Roberta M. (2010). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support.
• Brown, Laurie Krasny & Brown, Marc (2001). How to be a friend: A guide to making friends and keeping them (Dino life guides for families).
• Cook, Julia (2012). Making Friends is an art!: A children’s book on making friends (Happy to be, you and me).
• Cooper, Scott (2005). Speak up and get along!: Learn the mighty might, thought chop, and more tools to make friends, stop teasing, and feel good about yourself.
• Fein, Deborah (2011). “The Neuropsychology of Autism.”
• Giler, Janet Z. (2000). Socially ADDept: A manual for parents of children with ADHD and / or learning disabilities.
• Giler, Janet Z. (2011). Socially ADDept: Teaching social skills to children with ADHD, LD, and Asperger’s.
• Gray, Carol & Attwood, Tony (2010). The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition: Over 150 Social Stories that Teach Everyday Social Skills to Children with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, and their Peers.
• Kroncke, Willard, & Huckabee (2016). Assessment of autism spectrum disorder: Critical issues in clinical, forensic, and school settings. Springer, San Francisco.
• McConnell, Nancy & LoGuidice (1998). That’s Life! Social language.
• Meiners, Cheri. (2003). Understand and care.
• Mendler, Allen (2013). Teaching your students how to have a conversation. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-your-students-conversation-allen-mendler
• Ozonoff, Sally & Dawson, Geraldine & McPartland, James C. (2014). A parent’s guide to high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: How to meet the challenges and help your child thrive.
• UCLA PEERS Clinic https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers