Curious Incident...

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There is a book that I am sure many of you have read called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I would like to know if this novel describes your inner world. The boy in it is identified as AS but is very impaired and behaves like a true autistic person.

The book does not relate to my AS at all, but then again I am quite high-functioning. Do you identify with the boy in Curious Incident or not?

No. When I read it for the first time I was sure that all people with AS are like Christopher and my suspicions concerning my putative AS were chased away for long because I wasn't like him at all. He doesn't have AS but simply autism and even not specially high functioning. Christopher is a mixture of popular stereotypes concerning AS.

It's a crap book, that's all I really know.

Yes. The extent of Christopher's living-skills impairment, avoidance of all other humans, and total lack of emotion place him at HFA or even lower on the spectrum.

I didn't identify with it at all, in the slightest. I've heard a couple of people who work with autistics/ASers say how great they thought it was, but were really interested to hear my view on it when I said I thought it was a nice story but not in the least bit factual... that it doesn't describe AS in the slightest (at least not the way I see the world, and I would suspect a lot of other 'aspies') but a lower functioning autism.

The author works with autistics as far as I'm aware (or does he have a kid with it?), so it's only his take on what Asperger's must be like to the person.

I don't think it is written by someone who has AS, it like a person looking at AS from the outside guessing what it is like. I think observers seem to interpret our outward behaviour as reflecting lack of inner articulation. It would have been better if the written/thought part of the boy was more normal but with enough dialogue with other charcaters to illustrate the problems interacting verbally.

No, it does not. It doesn't seem to describe much of an inner world to begin with. For that, the writing would have to be good - and I am afraid that in "Curious Incident..." it is not.

On another level, it doesn't relate to me because: 1) I think visually, in random strings of images, or non-visually and non-verbally; 2) I am mathematically challenged; 3) I notice the sensory, especially the visual details of things first and foremost, and if I were to describe certain events from my life, I would launch into extensive descriptions of how things look; 4) at age 15 I had typical metaphysical intoxication and was most likely to write something convoluted on the subject of the spiritual use of entheogens, the damage done by "the system", the difference between the soul of animals and plants, or any random ethical issue, classic indigo child style, but there was practically no way I could have pieced together a linear cohesive story about my life; 5) while I may not be sure what my emotions are and they may surface in unexpected ways, I am certainly not emotionless; 6) I express my emotions best through the way I perceive my surroundings, or through visual metaphor.

....He's not AS he's like extremely autistic.

I haven't read this for a while. I did enjoy it when I read it, but I saw it as what life might be like for someone much much further down the spectrum than me, definately autistic rather than Aspergers. I would hate for those around me to think I had such a total lack of awareness.

I have to say, I don't think the book is badly written. I had to read the whole thing very fast as soon as I started it, which I see as a very good sign.

It was a nice story, but that was about it, and the key word is story.


alexbeetle - the author doesn't have AS or autism.

I'd never, ever recommend anyone read this book to 'gain an insight into my world'. Just like I hate when people say "Oh, like Rain Man" when you mention it - great film, but he is soooooo far down the spectrum...

It was a good story. Christopher seemed to be a lower functioning Autie. I didn't identify with him.

A better book is "Look Me in The Eye" by John Elder Robinson. It is a memoir, and I identify more with him. I also am currently reading "Mozart and the Whale", that is a little older, but it seems to be more on par with what I know.

I couldn't identify with him. I think that he's more affected than I am.

I liked that book, he sounded like me with how his mom had to put her hands out and wait for his fingers touching hers to be okay. Also when the stranger came up to him and he pulled out a knife, ive done that back in my day. Other then that, i cant think of any similiarities at the moment.

I've said this over and over, but I'll say it again for the hell of it.

I found Chris to be good, but I read it before coming to WP. Once I did, I found Chris to be inaccurate as an Autist/Aspie, mainly because he wasn't very unique, which many of us are. He seemed rather boring for an Autist. But Chris inspired me to have an Aspie character in my own story, who is quite a step up from him in my opinion. Time will tell if this is true.

I have the book but I only read a little of it. I didn't like it. I didn't like that it was an NT writing it. But I have been in the London underground (subway system) and I felt like the description of the boy's reaction to the sounds and the sites were sort of a multiplied version of how I felt. I mean, I wasn't as disoriented as Christopher seemed to be in the book, but it was pretty stressful. I agree with what the others said, I don't think he's supposed to be an example of Asperger's at all, he's supposed to be more middle functioning/low functioning, whatever, autistic.

A regular thread, this. Usually to be found in the "Art, Writing, and Music" forum.

To clear up some details, some before they have been mentioned...

The author worked with autistics for a while.

The book was published with two differing covers. One says Chris is AS, the other doesn't. Nowhere inside the book does it say Chris is AS.

I liked it.

I think the only true criticism of Chris as AS is that he has every possible part of the syndrome in spades. Yes, not one of us will see ourselves mirrored in him. Let's face it, not one of us sees themselves mirrored exactly in any other of us. I'm not even sure about that guy I see in the mirror.