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ocdgirl123
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25 Oct 2010, 7:16 pm

lau wrote:
tenzinsmom wrote:
My paperback copy (published 2003) no mention anywhere.

You are correct. Some editions of the book omitted to even hint that Christopher's character is intended to be an aspie. Other editions say so in their cover notes.

The Wikipedia article is curiously slanted, but the link from there to Mark's blog makes it clear that Mark himself is tired of the constant arguments about this.

The book itself does not state that Christopher has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Christopher is a fictional character. Certainly his author, Mark, is not qualified to give Christopher any diagnosis.

Now, if the book were not fiction, I would be wholly unsurprised if Christopher turned out to have a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. However, if so, I would hope the team that had given him that diagnosis had based their decision on more information than is contained in the book's 226 pages.


I got the hard cover version.

Anyway, it was one of the worst books I have ever read! I can't stand the writing style, the book goes "everywhere", it talks about one thing, then moves on to a totally different topic. It repeats itself a lot. The main character seemed a bit mean to me, and I can't stand it when the narrator is aggressive, it's alright if another character is, but not the narrator, I didn't like the storyline and it gave very little background information. I didn't read the whole thing, I skipped over a bunch because it just made no sense. I think I have to read it for school this year, oh, no!

I really don't want to debate the "is it OK to diagnose fictional characters?".



Fuzzy
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25 Oct 2010, 11:56 pm

ocdgirl123 wrote:
Anyway, it was one of the worst books I have ever read! I can't stand the writing style, the book goes "everywhere", it talks about one thing, then moves on to a totally different topic. It repeats itself a lot. The main character seemed a bit mean to me, and I can't stand it when the narrator is aggressive, it's alright if another character is, but not the narrator, I didn't like the storyline and it gave very little background information. I didn't read the whole thing, I skipped over a bunch because it just made no sense. I think I have to read it for school this year, oh, no!


That is exactly how many aspies are. We will prattle on about details and never get to the point. We go off on tangents, and really take things only at face value. Some aspies have to resolve what they are saying, and if you interrupt them, they will start right back at the beginning. They do not converse, they narrate.

The lack of background information is typical too. Aspies give 'just the facts" where a regular person is expecting some flavor, some understanding of how the autist feels about the situation.

The formation of strong memory depends on a synthesis of detail, feeling and understanding, and Christoper is presented as flawed in that regard, and thats not atypical of aspergerians, myself included. People that compartmentalize their sensory input do not form memories in the same way that typical people do with synthesis.

A class room(for example) aimed at typical people uses multiple sensory channels to reinforce learning. They see it, read it, hear it, discuss it then they write about how you feel about it. And based on how that person is passionate, indifferent or hostile to the idea, they will remember to varying degrees.

In fact, thats where some of our strength as aspergerians comes from. Many aspies can read a book on herpetology on a whim and years later be able to identify a snake species based on how many scales has around its eyes. Most typical people wouldn't even know that is possible.

Note: I have never read such a book, nor ever been particularly interested in snakes. There are no snakes indigenous to my part of the world. And yet this is the sort of thing I will remember all my life.

And yes, here I am, way off topic, typical of an aspie. I shut up now.


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lau
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26 Oct 2010, 9:57 am

ocdgirl123 wrote:
...
Anyway, it was one of the worst books I have ever read!
...
I didn't read the whole thing,
...

The above seems to be a contradiction.

Fuzzy wrote:
...

Many aspies can read a book on herpetology on a whim and years later be able to identify a snake species based on how many scales has around its eyes.
...

And yes, here I am, way off topic, typical of an aspie. I shut up now.

I didn't notice you going aff topic at all...

I regard it as most suspect, that nowhere in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" are ladders mentioned at all!


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Fuzzy
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26 Oct 2010, 12:22 pm

lau wrote:
I regard it as most suspect, that nowhere in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" are ladders mentioned at all!


Nor are horse hooves! Very telling, dont you think?


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