I read an interesting book the other day, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It is a work of fiction which is narrated by a 15 year old boy, Christopher, who lives in England with his dad. They never say in the story, but Christopher has Asperger's syndrome, which is high functioning autism.
My 17 year old has Asperger's, so I read the book. I have to admit that if I hadn't had a child with Asperger's I might have stopped reading it due to the abundance of "f" words...(I asked my niece, Megan, who has recently lived in England about the language and she said the "f" word isn't as offensive in England as it is in the USA). Of course to me 1 "f'" word is one too many, so other people might read it and think I'm overly sensitive.
Anyway (you do realize I always try not to ramble, but I'm not always good at not rambling), it is a fascinating look at how the mind of someone with autism works. Christopher is more severe than Eric and has a harder time dealing with every day life. The story starts out with him finding his neighbor's dog stabbed to death with a garden fork. He decides he's going to solve the mystery.
As he solves the mystery, he has to deal with the limitations of his disorder. Things like people touching him (he hits a policeman who touches him and goes to jail for a few hours); how seeing 4 yellow cars in a row on his way to school makes it a black day while red cars make it a good day; his love of prime numbers (the chapters aren't numbered 1, 2, 3,... but 2, 3, 5, 7, 11,...); how his food can't touch on his plate (like Monk); his not understanding jokes; taking things literally (which kind of explains not being able to understand jokes); how crowds and new situations overload his brain. He has to deal with his father as well. It also shows how he uses the coping skills he has been taught by his wonderful school teacher Siobhan.
Anyway, I have to say I really loved the story but due to the foul language I can't recommend it to the book club...or anyone else from church without the warning about the R rating it would receive if it were a film.
Now, just a bit about autism and how it manifests itself in Eric. Each autistic child is unique. There are certain areas that are usually affected in someone who has autism, but each one is unique in the degree and way in which he shows the traits.
For example, they often obsess on things. Usually it's a topic...they can tell you all the facts about something. An example given in a book I read dealt with vacuum cleaners. They could tell you about the different types and features each type has...but if you asked them to tell you which type of vacuum is best to buy, they (as a general rule) can't do it.
Eric doesn't obsess on topics, but he obsesses on reading. Ask his teachers. Maybe you don't need to ask because you've seen him in action. Often people with autism prefer non-fiction, but Eric loves fiction. What an imagination that boy has.
Another general characteristic is not being able to read non-verbal clues. Most of communication is done non-verbally and we usually pick up on the "rules" without being taught. An autistic child needs to be taught. For example, they are taught what facial expression goes with what emotion. They don't understand personal space or not being able to tell someone they are fat. Things like that. Eric seems to have a little bit of trouble with this one, but not too much.
They often have tactile issues. Their ears are overly sensitive and a ticking clock can be enough to distract them so that they can't get their work done...or even do more than distract but overload them so that they have a meltdown. Seams in socks and other clothing can be big problems, too. Certain food textures can cause them problems. Stuff like that. Eric doesn't seem to have this problem too much, either.
They are often physically uncoordinated. It often takes years for them to learn to ride a bike or to tie their shoes...and some never learn. Eric's had both fine-motor and gross-motor therapy for this. Legos are wonderful things.
They need routine. If something interrupts the "norm," it really throws them for a loop.
In Eric's case the routine isn't all encompassing. He doesn't need the same thing at the same time every day. It seems to just be more of a need not to have the schematic he has made in his head interrupted. So, if he thought "A" was going to happen next and instead "B" happens, he might have a little meltdown.
For a small example, if he's on his way to go to something like get a kleenex but you stop him to ask him a question, it's very difficult for him to answer the question. If you press him, he might start making a little screeching noise (don't know how to describe it...it's not loud but you definitely know something's bothering him).
So, I've felt I've gone on long enough. Just thought it was a fascinating book.
Thank you for the insights.
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