Monotropism is a theory of autism developed by autistic people. Monotropic minds tend to have their attention pulled more strongly towards a smaller number of interests at any given time, leaving fewer resources for other processes. We believe this can explain nearly all of the features commonly associated with autism, directly or indirectly.

Differences in the way a person thinks related to being monotropic can be misinterpreted and misunderstood. This talk will address these ideas and explain monotropic attention in relation to flow, inertia and object permanence, as well as these related concepts:

• using one sense at any one time so finding it difficult to shift attention
• having a deep, intense attention, allowing focussed interest
• having a dominant interest that might not match the interests of others.