Cutting Through the Fog A self-advocacy column by Eric Gmeinder

Variety Is the Spice of Life

I could not be more proud of Heroes of Motown, which is scheduled for release within a week or two. I made a few technical goofs in most episodes that I was careful not to repeat in further episodes, but that makes it a growing experience. I think the fact that I researched and created the project all by myself, relied on my own tastes rather than feedback, and will use it to fundraise for a very important issue, is cause for celebration. Ironically, I am not planning to celebrate with the artists I am profiling (except for three compilations I already had), but with a playlist of what are cited as the most epic classical pieces of all time.

Restrictive interests or hobbies are a notable symptom of autism, where one becomes an expert on one topic and predominantly talks about that topic. As a tween, my best topic was movies. I had a decent library of movie books, memorizing famous films by title ad nauseam, as well as box office grosses. Needless to say, having movies as a hobby has fueled my lifelong desire to be a filmmaker, but I’ve developed other areas of expertise in my life.

For the latter half of second grade, I became similarly enthused by dinosaurs after receiving a pack of dinosaur computer games for Christmas, and by seismology. Neither lasted, and now I forget the worst earthquakes up to 2000, but my parents had a great CD collection, which I listened to extensively in the summer between fifth and sixth grade and eventually inherited. Even before I could appreciate what a poet Paul Simon is (he wrote almost all their songs), The Best of Simon & Garfunkel made a huge impression on me through music alone. I even really enjoyed Charlotte Diamond’s 10 Carrot Diamond, acquired from substitute teaching, despite being easily twice as old as its target audience. And I was so spellbound by Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya that we ended up collecting all of the original albums the tracks came from.

I later looked up lists of the greatest albums of all time, which ended up opening even more doors for me. But right after that original roster, I digested chronologies of world history and biographical sections in dictionaries, which were readily available in our home, and was even scolded for returning one book in poor condition. This is how I gathered knowledge about history. It also helped that I played the Civilization games avidly and was good at them for my age, often referring to the game’s “Civilopedia.”

Long story short: While people on the autism spectrum have restrictive interests, an individual often has more than one, which can benefit them greatly. For example, my knowledge of music has helped me in my goal of composing film scores, and appreciating vocal soundtracks. I watched Legally Blonde 2 a few years ago and only recognized an Avril Lavigne song because it was a B-side on her debut album. As our community fights for its rights, I think basing a dream job on one’s hobby and harnessing one hobby to another is a recipe for success.

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