Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities and arts, disability rights advocates, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities. It represents the full range of methods, epistemologies, perspectives, and content that the field of disability studies embraces. DSQ is committed to developing theoretical and practical knowledge about disability and to promoting the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society. (ISSN: 1041-5718; eISSN: 2159-8371)
I was further irritated by Christopher’s mathematical and savant like traits (so many autists out there just once would like to see someone that’s terrible at maths in a literary/film setting!), however, in light of the fact that Mark Haddon based this character on two people that he knew and had set out to make his character a mathematician without Asperger’s fully in mind, I suppose the book could be forgiven for taking artistic (or should I say “autistic”) licence.
To this day, there is one thing that has always plagued me about this book (which is saying something given that it’s been about 15 or 16 years since I read it!), and that is the way that Christopher speaks/writes. His tone of writing was very simplistic, which from a literary and character point of view was a useful approach to take, however, Christopher’s use of language didn’t really add up from an Asperger’s perspective.
A line that I have never forgotten (as it irked me soooo much from a grammatical perspective), was Christopher’s reference to people as “doing sex” not “having sex” (and the phrase was used multiple times). This poor use of English wouldn’t generally be accurate for people with Asperger’s as one of the most common traits is an unusual tendency towards more formalized and sophisticated language, often from a really young age. This is why aspies were nicknamed “little professors” in early research. The vast majority of aspies are quite verbacious (you may have noticed my own proclivity towards the use of big words in many of my posts ), so Christopher’s self narrated exploits in the book don’t exactly equate to how a real life aspie might narrate their story.
The book hits a lot of the common autistic traits dead on with literal thinking, mind blindness, sensory issues, struggles with social cues, colour sensitivities, and one of my personal favourites, Christopher’s tendency to separate foods on his plate. As I have discussed previously, I vividly recall reading about Christopher arranging his food so that it didn’t touch on his plate, and remarked to myself about how much that sounded like me, but laughed it off as it was the only trait I identified with in this book! Who would have known that 10 years after I first read that story, I would find myself getting an autism diagnosis!
If you haven’t read the book (or seen the stage adaptation), ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time‘ is a mystery novel, centering on a teenager named Christopher as he investigates the murder of his neighbours’ dog Wellington. Christopher describes himself as a “mathematician with some behavioural difficulties”. Whilst Christopher does not discuss a specific diagnosis, the book’s blurb refers to Asperger’s, Autism and savantism and is often considered one of the most popular novels featuring autism. Interestingly, Mark Haddon only did some cursory reading about Asperger’s in preparation for the novel as he did not want to put Christopher in any particular box given the broadness of the spectrum. He has even said in interviews that he now regrets that Asperger’s was mentioned on the cover of the book and subsequent editions as he regularly get’s calls from people who perceive him as an expert and would like him to give talks about Asperger’s.
The best-selling novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) received multiple awards and high praise for its portrayal of a disabled protagonist, Christopher Boone, who is usually described as having Asperger’s/autism.
Mark Haddon wrote it after (in his own words) doing no research other than reading an essay and a few popular articles about and by autistic people, and over the years, both Haddon and his publisher(s) have retreated from describing the protagonist as having Asperger’s, possibly in response to criticisms of its accuracy. A quick survey of reviews on Amazon indicates that readers often believe it to be a convincing portrayal, although many do not appear to have any exposure to autism other than Curious Incident.
There’s also a notable absence of characters who recognize how much help he needs navigating public transportation; instead, various characters insult him when they realize that he’s disabled or naïve, calling him “a prize specimen” (152) and a “bloody handful” (160), asking if he’s “for real” (172), etc. Christopher doesn’t appear aware that he’s being insulted, nor does he appear bothered by it; it’s allowed to pass without comment.
The book is told from Christopher’s viewpoint, with Christopher as the ostensible author of the book we are reading, with writing help from his mentor and teacher Siobhan. Christopher’s narration didn’t resonate with my own experience of autism, and most autistic people I’ve spoken to didn’t relate to him either (though some do). However, my purpose here isn’t to discuss whether Christopher is really autistic, or to give an overall critique of the book. My specific point is that this book portrays its autistic protagonist in ways that will give readers negative, incorrect, and in some cases abusive ideas about autistic people. You should not recommend this book to autistic people or their families or friends, or to anyone else, especially not as a good representation of autism.
Some autistic people are violent, in particular in response to sensory overwhelm. That does not make them undeserving of support and help, any more than it makes it okay to overlook the violence or fail to protect other people from it. But, most autistic people are not violent. The extensive violence made me uncomfortable because it sends the message that this is what being autistic is like.
Actor With Autism Takes Center Stage
A celebrated novelist decrees that “imagination always trumps research.” A father of a boy with Aspergers disagrees.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddons debut novel, was the sort of mammoth best-seller writers dream of, a work that garnered both near-universal critical acclaim and enormous commercial success.
It was the Whitbread Book of the Year for 2003, a New York Times Notable Book, and an entry on countless end-of-year best-of lists. “Original and affecting,” said The New Yorker. “Clever and observant,” gushed The Washington Post. “Funny, sad, and totally convincing,” added Time.Advertisement
Curious Incident has sold more than two million copies, and continues to fly off the shelves. It is a staple of book clubs. It is widely taught in schools. A film adaptation is in development.
I read the novel early in 2006, on the recommendation of a writer friend, but I wasnt impressed by it. To me, Curious Incident is a gimmick novel — a well-conceived one, perhaps, but a gimmick novel just the same — and one hindered by a lame third act. When I finished, I filed it on my bookshelf and forgot all about it.
At the time, my son was 18 months old. Hed not yet been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome.
The novels appeal lies in its 15-year-old narrator, Christopher John Francis Boone, whom Slate lauded as “[o]ne of the strangest and most convincing characters in recent fiction.”
Boone describes himself as “a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties,” but despite this stylistic obfuscation, were not left to guess at his diagnosis. Early book jackets made explicitly clear that he has Aspergers syndrome.Advertisement
As an official medical diagnosis, Aspergers is relatively new. It was first included in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in 1994, just nine years before Haddons novel was published.
Curious Incident may not have been the first work of fiction ever written on the subject, but it was certainly the first “Aspergers novel” to achieve widespread notice. It introduced me to the term. Christopher John Francis Boone, Haddons “most convincing” narrator, was the first “aspie” I knew.
My son is now six and a half. In the three years since his diagnosis, Ive learned quite a bit about Aspergers and autistic spectrum disorder, both from personal observation and diligent research. And Ive come to see what an inaccurate picture of Aspergers Curious Incident paints.
Aspergers tends to be a relatively mild form of autistic spectrum disorder. Most aspies are “high-functioning.” They dont refuse to go to school if they spy a yellow car, or curl up into a whimpering ball on a train because there are too many people around, as Boone does in Curious Incident.
Indeed, if Christopher John Francis Boone has Aspergers, as weve been led to believe, he has one of the most extreme forms of the disorder ever recorded.Advertisement
Although there are those on the autistic spectrum who found Haddons portrayal of Aspergers on base — William Schofield, then a student at a London college for aspies, wrote in The Guardian that “the similarities are very convincing between Chris and me especially, in my opinion” — it is telling that many of Curious Incidents 73 one-star Amazon reviews (there are a staggering 1,720 reviews in all, most fours and fives) were submitted by aspies. Heres a smattering:
“Stereotyped, inaccurate, horribly offensive… this isnt how it is.” “Haddon does not understand Asperger.” “Stereotypical view of an autistic child.” “I find it hard to believe that Mark Haddon is an autism expert, because Christopher Boone isnt like any other child with Aspergers that Ive ever met.” “A major disservice to the Autistic Community.” “An excellent portrayal of autism…NOT!”
The aspie reviewers, as it happens, were onto something. Haddon, by his own admission, is clueless about Aspergers. “I know very little about the subject,” he confessed on his website, in an blog posted on July 16, 2009. “I did no research for Curious Incident… Id read Oliver Sackss essay about Temple Grandin and a handful of newspaper and magazine articles about, or by, people with Aspergers and autism. I deliberately didnt add to this list.”
Then he added: “Imagination always trumps research. I thought that if I could make Christopher real to me then hed be real to readers….Judging by the reaction, it seems to have worked.”
In 1989, Rain Man won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dustin Hoffman), Best Original Screenplay (Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass), Best Director (Barry Levinson), and Best Picture.Advertisement
The character of Raymond Babbitt is based on Kim Peek, a man capable of astounding feats of mathematics and memory. Posthumously diagnosed with Opitz-Kaveggia syndrome, Peek had no corpus callosum connecting the two halves of his brain.
In the film, Babbitt is called an autistic savant…but the real Kim Peek was not autistic. Nevertheless, Rain Man became the popular cultures introduction to autism.
Thirty years later, the belief persists that autistics can reliably count a pile of toothpicks at a glance. This is a powerful negative stereotype that autistic children (and their parents) must overcome.
Six years after the release of Curious Incident, Haddon, curiously, began to back away from Boones book-jacket Aspergers diagnosis. “Curious Incident is not a book about Aspergers,” he wrote on his blog. “Its a novel whose central character describes himself as a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties. Indeed he never uses the words Aspergers or autism (I slightly regret that fact that the word Aspergers was used on the cover).”
Was his regret only “slight” because he knew that without those magic words on the cover, the book might not have sparked as much interest, or sold as many copies? Advertisement
More importantly, why did it take six years for Haddon to recant? Was he (belatedly) empathizing with the Aspergers community, the writers of those 73 one-star reviews, who now must deal with Christopher John Francis Boone as their pop-cultural representative? Had he awakened to the dangers of irresponsible fiction? Wherefore his dramatic reversal?
No. He wanted to explain, once and for all, why he always turned down requests from autism awareness groups. “Unsurprisingly,” Haddon explained, “Im often asked to talk about Aspergers and autism or to become involved with organisations who work on behalf of people with Aspergers and autism, many of whom do wonderful work. But I always decline, for two reasons: 1) I know very little about the subject…2) Curious Incident is not a book about Aspergers.”
Curious Incident is not a book about Aspergers? Sure — and Moby Dick is not a book about a whale.
I dont begrudge Haddon his freedom of speech, or his ability to make a living as a man of letters. He can write about whatever he pleases. What I find objectionable is that he seems unaware of — or, worse, indifferent toward — the fact that he has made both his name and his fortune exploiting the Aspergers community, my son included. After all, if his aim were to present an honest portrayal of the disorder, his research would have involved more than skimming an essay about Temple Grandin, who isnt even an aspie.
It may be that Haddon did not set out to create a character with a specific DSM diagnosis; Schofield, in his Guardian essay, suggests as much. It may be that Haddon wasnt responsible for the words “Aspergers Syndrome” appearing on the back cover of his novel; publishers, not authors, usually have the final say on book jacket copy. It may be that Haddon didnt intend to negatively stereotype those with Aspergers; Morrow, the Rain Man screenwriter, who gave his Academy Award statue to Kim Peek, certainly did not intend to negatively stereotype autistics.
But the fact remains: Haddon did write an Aspergers character, he did take advantage of the words “Aspergers Syndrome” in his marketing campaign, and knowingly or not, he did create a negative stereotype. And if he felt anything but indifference toward this literary exploitation after the fact, he would not have used the same narrator-with-relatively-rare-psychological-disorder gimmick in his follow-up novel, as he did with 2006s A Spot of Bother, replacing Aspergers with hypochrondria.Advertisement
In any case, the damage is done. Christopher John Francis Boone is to Aspergers what Raymond Babbitt is to autism. And aspies everywhere — including my son — must now live with it.