Is it abnormal for a child to have very strong interest in specific things and...

BrianButler

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Oct 3, 2010
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...topics? As a child I was interested in things like, Dinosaurs, tractors, video games, movies, trains, sports (baseball mostly), agriculture, birds/animals, books (mostly fiction). I changed interest constantly, every month for the most part. Once I felt that I had mastered it, or grown board with it I moved on to something else. I have never understood these strong interest, outside of this quirk I was a normal child. Did I just enjoy learning? Was it something else? Since age 14 or so I have not noticed it as much if at all. I was checked for aspergers as a child and was diagnosed as non-autistic (3 of my cousins were diagnosed at age 7 or 8, my school checked me out then at the request of my parents). I am an ENTJ on the MBTI, and my parents seemed to have strong interest in specific things, could that have something to do with it? What else could it be? An anomaly?
To be a little more specific, take sports for instance, I would play them on teams, watch them on TV, read books about them, subscribe to magazines about them and I seemed quite absorbed with them (I still am). I would usually talk about them to my friends who seemed to share my interest and also played on the same teams as me.
I also took the Stanford/Binet and scored a very high IQ, just over 150 at age 13. That put me ahead of quite a few people in my age if I remember.
 
I'm still like this and i'm 19...

and i'm like that with sports, obsessed with baseball 24/7, 12 months a year!
 
It's natural for children to develop obsessions about things, and they're usually pretty phasic in that they fade out after a while. Think about it this way: adults have been around for a while and have seen a lot of things, but kids are experiencing everything in the world for the first time! They are just beginning to see the multitude of possibilities the world has to offer them! Developing curiosities, passions, or little obsessions about new and exciting stimuli is all a part of growing up.

It will really only be a problem when the obsessions become a cause for marked anxiety, mood or physical problems, or other behavioural issues in the child. If you notice those, I would suggest intervening then. Otherwise, allow these healthy discoveries and interests to grow!
 
Most children don't have such intense interests, but it's within the normal range, and definitely not a bad thing. Intelligence and love of learning probably has something to do with it. Your parents' interests may have influenced you as well.
 
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