A Comparison between Christopher Boone and Raymond Babbitt

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A Comparison between Christopher Boone and Raymond Babbitt

Asperger´s disorder is not a disease, but a developmental brain disorder. It is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls and it shows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle and educational levels do not affect the chance of Asperger´s disorder's occurrence. According to Hans Asperger:

It is important to know that the person with AS perceives the world differently. Therefore, many behaviours that seem odd are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behaviour.

Both Christopher Boone, from the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Raymond Babbitt, from the movie Rainman, suffer from Asperger´s disorder. They have several characteristics in common: they are both autistic savants with impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests and activities.

Moreover, Christopher and Raymond are similar in that they are both autistic mathematical savants. According to the Wikipedia free dictionary:

An autistic savant, historically described as an idiot savant, is a person with both autism and savant syndrome. Savant syndrome describes a person having a developmental or mental handicap of some sort with extraordinary mental abilities not found in most people.

Christopher?s mathematical interests are reflected in his numbering his chapters strictly with prime numbers, ignoring composite numbers, such as 4 and 6. He is also the first student to take an A level in Maths and to get an A grade at his school. Christopher has a photographic memory and is extremely observant. Similarly, Raymond ...

... middle of paper ...

.... Like Christopher, he also tries to find a pattern which will enable him to make sense of his world.

All in all, although there are some superficial differences between Christopher and Raymond, there are quite a number of important similarities. They share the lack of demonstrated empathy, encompass preoccupation with restricted patterns of interests and have an inflexible adherence to specific routines. Furthermore, they exhibit exceptional skills in Maths. From my point of view, most individuals with AS can learn to cope with their differences, but may continue to need moral support and encouragement to maintain an independent life. Researchers and people with AS have contributed to a shift in attitudes away from the notion that AS is a deviation from the norm that must be treated or cured, and towards the view that AS is a difference rather than a disability.

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