Im seeing all of these articles about snakes and autustic spectrum people and i canāt help but smile. 
I am a self diagnosed autistic pursuing a formal diagnosis. I score really highly neurodivergent on any test i take. (There are some really great peer reviewed ones online) and thanks to how the mental health industry has improved in just a decade, my little brother and sister have been lucky enough to be diagnosed at a young age.
When i was really little i obsessed over drawing horses. I got so good at it that i could draw beginnerās hyper realism of galloping Appaloosas the age of 8. I never got to do what i actually wanted to do, which was have a horse of my own. And thanks to young life as an undiagnosed neurodivergent kicking me in the butt, i eventually dropped the obsession at the age of 12. But that was my very first āspecial interest.ā
The common mixture of normative expectations not being met and autistic meltdowns/strange behaviors being commonly reduced to and mislabeled as ābehavioral issuesā causes a lot of family tension and childhood trauma for undiagnosed children and their parents. This can often lead to autistic individuals developing other serious mental health issues at young ages like Major Depression, Anxiety Disorders, and C-PTSD. In fact, in many adult evaluations, presence of these types of ācluster diagnosisā in patients is a requirement to diagnosis.
For me, all of the above are present.
Now, snakes are my special interest. And so much more. Itās hard for me to keep a job, and that can be really difficult because i want to accomplish so many things! I want to be able to give my snakes the best lives i can give them. But i canāt give them up because of how important they are to me and my mental health.
I struggle heavily with the consequences of my disorders⦠but my boys, in the absolute hardest times, they are the first thing that comes into my mind. Every time. They play a significant role in keeping me safe, giving me purpose, and bringing enrichment and a sense of accomplishment into my life. Thereās always more to learn and thatās exciting!! Reptiles themselves are 24hr all you can eat buffets of consumable knowledge. My neuro heart soars at the fact that i can metaphorically free fall into the rabbit hole of herpetoculture as long as i want and still find no bottom. Although, these days i feel like i could really benefit from some support in learning some of this stuff because itās hard nglā¦
I donāt know how yāall do it with the genetics but Iām jealous and tell me your secrets, lol.
On another note, i donāt think I specifically, could do what i do now with any other animal. Snakes just work. Cats and dogs demand too much care. Itās not about the complexity, itās about the frequency. And i really REALLY enjoy the fact that i can take them out one day and then put them back

I call it getting to āpick and choose when i want to be a pet parentā lol. Unlike with dogs and cats that are always just THERE. And in your face, and making noises, and making demands⦠
Donāt get me wrong, i love dogs and cats, and i want to one day be able to manage them because i want to have a cat as an adult, and my partner seems pretty hellbent on a dog. (Dogs are the worst for me. I canNOT handle the barking.)
Snakes do give me a bit of anxiety though, because as i am how i am, i do struggle with theory of mind. I understand the basics, but learning to fully read the snakes is an ongoing process. And i feel like mine are just used to their human standing rod stiff around them at this point. (
i gotta work on it. Itās about not knowing how i make them feel, not about being scared.) But theyāre supposed to be really good at exercising your theory of mind skills, so thatās definitely needed!
I donāt really notice all of the sensory input, but i do really like big ol big fatty fat boys (large snakes) because the weight is really nice. In fact their lack of input is a huge plus for me.
Overall, snakes are (at least in my experience) more than just good possible esaās. You could not use another animal as a substitute for the benefits they provide. They are one of a kind, totally unique. Bottom line is that snakes save lives that no other animal could save. And thatās why they should absolutely be recognized legally as emotional support animals for those who need them and keep them for that purpose. Like myself.