Things I Collect as an Autistic Person

 

I'm sure you've heard the term 'special interest' concerning Autism and as well as those intense interests or, as some would go as far to say, obsessions, repetitive behaviours are a common way for Autistic people to cope with the world. I would tie those together with collecting. Many people, Allistic and Neurodiverse, collect things, it's not a strange thing in itself but the level some of us take it to can be somewhat strange to the normals looking in at us. 
I personally collect a lot of different categories of things and within each category, there are usually subcategories. To some, my collecting may seem like materialism and I guess in a way you could say it is. It makes me happy to have my 'stuff'. However, I do think that in general the things I collect aren't overly wasteful and some are practical too.
Ultimately I shouldn't have to justify the things I like and this post isn't for that, it is simple to share what I collect as an Autistic 33-year-old female. So here goes.

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Books.

An obvious one to anyone who has seen any part of my house! Books are a prominent feature in most rooms in our home, we have well over 600 books and within that collection are a few different sub-collections!

- Signed Books: I love signed books because it just feels extra special to have the signature of the author who worked so hard to create that book! I have a few dedicated copies too which is really cool. 

- Editions of the Chronicles of Narnia: My favourite book series of all time is The Chronicles of Narnia and I just can't help myself but to pick up more editions and cover variations whenever I see them in charity shops etc. 

- Puffin Classics: So this isn't just Puffin Classics in general, but the editions with particular covers published in the 90s. This collection started with my E Nesbit books and continued when finding more with the same covers in charity shops. 

- Disney Little Golden Books & 70/80s Wonderful World of Reading, Wonderful World of Knowledge: This is one of the collections that could be construed as a bit pointless as I don't/haven't actually read any of them (minus a few of the WW of Knowledge books) and tends to be purely an addition to the overall Disney collection.

(Mr H also has a large collection of Tolkien books, including multiple different editions and covers of LOTR and The Hobbit, and all of our books are shared so I'll mention those too haha) 

Pins

For me, pin collecting started as souvenirs from Disney holidays. I'd get the pin of the year, the hotel we stayed in and any stand-out moments from the trip ie. a special event or a favourite ride. After Mr H and I got married, we accidentally started collecting other pins from places we'd go or particular moments we wanted to commemorate. Within these two pin collections, we also have collections of RSPB & WWT wildlife pins, Disney Halloween Year pins, Disney Lunar New Year pins and more.

Soft Toys

This could be another of the sections in this post that may be 'pointless' or strange for my age but I don't care. I've always found joy in soft toys, from a tiny child right up until now. They provide everything from friendship to comfort and when you are a loner of a child that is important. Not only that but as I deal with Synaesthesia within my Autism I often get emotionally attached and feel for anything animal-esc (be it a toy, soft toy, ornament etc). I don't like them to be lonely and they must be in specifically numbered groups so no one is left out.

Subcategories include: Mickey and Minnie Mouse special editions, Simba* and Lion King, and soft toys from animal adoptions I have done. 

* Simba was actually one of my very first soft toys and I still have him by my bed over 30 years later. He has been on all holidays I had as a child and many I have had as an adult. 

Others

Smaller collections or other collections that don't particularly have subcategories are as follows: 

- Animal figurines

- Feathers

- Jigsaws and board games 

- Tattoos

- Art and Craft Supplies

- Funko Pops

- Disney DVDs

Childhood

Finally, I thought I'd touch quickly upon the collections I had as a child and take notice of what has continued or evolved as I've grown. 

I have always loved all things animals and nature so those are popular themes and showed in my love of Soft Toys, Puppy in my Pocket toys, Sylvanian Families and Shells and Stones that I would find at the beach.

When it comes to Disney, that is another thing that has stayed consistent in my life. As a child, I collected many Disney items including Soft Toys, Books and VHS Tapes. Though with Books and VHS Tapes, it wasn't just Disney and I had many others too.

Something that seems a weird thing to collect, even to me now, is that I collected Rubbers (aka Erasers). They were either from places we visited like Aquariums or Museums and I also received cute animal-shaped rubbers as gifts from friends. 

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There is no doubt at least one thing I'll have forgotten to talk about in this post, however, I think this gives a good insight into the depths of collecting as an Autistic person. Just as people talk of 'retail therapy' and getting dopamine from doing so, collecting my favourite things, completing collections, sourcing things I need for my collections and everything in between makes me feel good!

Yes, a lot of people collect something but on the scale that I do I think is a little less common. I think it seems like once I find something I really enjoy I slowly become obsessed and then want more of said thing. I love books and reading them, so that makes me want more. It's said that finding joy in 'stuff' is sinful, it's an unhealthy psychological attachment to try and fill holes in our lives and the internet is full of articles about why you should get rid of your collections and become a minimalist.

However, I personally can argue against many of the points of pro-minimalism. It does not affect our finances in a bad way as we never spend more than can be afforded, many things are bought secondhand or are very rare additions. Of course, we don't live in a white cube, but there isn't any clutter and all of our 'things' don't cause stress but rather the opposite. I feel comforted and safe surrounded by books etc. I love my home to have personality and feel cosy, I don't want a sterile, boring environment, no matter how much easier it may make cleaning.
The final point to touch upon is that of overconsumption and the environment. Obviously, the planet is super important to us and the majority of our daily choices take it into account. That being said, we aren't perfect. We have a non-electric car and why buy vegetables wrapped in plastic from the supermarket as there isn't a farm shop near us. Again, our collections also aren't on that scale. We aren't buying things super often and though we may buy books semi-regularly, we don't buy things like clothes or make-up and stuff on the scale that most people do. 

Anyway, that's all I have for today. I'd love to hear your thoughts on collections and what you collect if anything.