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Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Describe autism spectrum disorder
Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Society to the Challenges of Disabilities
People with disabilities are often face with difficult problems in life. Their disabilities creates a barrier, between them and the rest of society. This barrier prevents them to having a normal interaction with their surroundings. "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon is a book about a fifteen year-old boy, named Christopher Boone with autism. This book expresses the world through his perspective and view. It portrays the hardship of autism and how it restricts upon his behaviors. Throughout the book, some characters despite Christopher's disability, are able to see pass his exterior features and accept him for who he is. As the book progresses, Christopher develops a close relationship especially with his dad, and his mom, and Siobhan. Although Christopher suffers from autism, a sense of compassionate responsibility, acting as his role model, and understanding him enables some characters to be loving and patient.
Christopher being an only child, really emphasizes his parents' moral responsibility for him. Their responsibility isn't just a vague
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expression, but one pure and sincere from their hearts. They truly love him and accept him for who he is. Growing up, Christopher frequently experience obstacles due to his autism symptoms. One of his behavioral problem, is that he dislike being touched in anyways. Which means hugging Christopher would be a difficult task. His dad devised a sign that would express the similar meaning, but in a way that's suited for Christopher. "I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me" (Haddon 17). Even simple expression like this has a meaningful value to both his dad and him. Ed Boone wants to show that he's is capable of showing love in a different way. Resulting from knowing the reason behind Wellington's death, the bond between Christopher and his dad slower deteriorates. Despite knowing that Christopher no longer trust him, Ed was committed to reestablish that connection. He promises to never hurt him again and was deeply sorry for telling him lie. Him taking time breaking down this wall between them, is a sign the their relationship has significant. His mom portrays her compassion through never losing faith in her responsibility of Christopher. She explains she left Christopher, only because that was the best for him. Even though their communication is restricted, she never stops writing to him. She also truly loves him deep down and misses him. In one of her letter she said, "I was looking through some old photos last night, which made me sad. Then I found a photo of you playing with the train set we bought for you a couple of Christmas's ago. And that made me happy because it was one of the really good times we had together"(Haddon 79). She explains she thinks constantly about the good time with him. To both of his parents, being responsible of Christopher isn't obligation, but a sign of happiness. Through him they see joy, and what he gets back is sincere love. Throughout the book, Christopher has many people who guides him to proper ways of this society. One of them being Siobhan, Christopher's teacher. As his mentor, she guides him to the right path. As a role-model, she impairs Christopher's behaviors by setting examples and encourages positive attitude. Growing up thinking his mother passed alway, Siobhan in a sense had become Christopher's mother figure. Siobhan creates a great support for Christopher. With her guidance Christopher is better at understanding the world. Siobhan provides this positive influence for Christopher and her students to look upon. Christopher often questions things in society like facial expressions, things to do, and not to do. He is confused and unsure about these little ideas. Siobhan being Christopher's teacher, role-model, and mother figure strives to help Chris achieve in society, by telling him what's right from wrong. Christopher understand this saying "When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this" (Haddon 28). Siobhan specifies in ideas making sure Christopher understands the importance for her words. Her message does effect Christopher in many ways. One reason is because, Siobhan is one of the few person Christopher sincere trust. This is seen thought the book be he allows her to read it. She's at the point where to him her opinion matters. Christopher really takes account of her advices for his book. During the later part of the book, Christopher wants to a the math problem but didn't. He explains that "She said people wouldn't want to read the answers to a maths question in a book, and she said I could put the answer in an Appendix, which is an extra chapter at the end of a book which people can read if they want to. And that is what I have done"(Haddon 148) . From this, Christopher is improvising other's opinion in front of his own. He's starts to begin understanding and interpreting others to some degree. Her role therefore helps him to grow and develop both mental and physical. What makes it possible for others to be loving and patient towards Christopher is general understanding. Understanding of what autism is and how it effects them in everyday. Lack of knowledge of this aspect makes some people unclear of the situation. The characters who are able to be with Christopher are aware of his conditions. They understanding the state that he's in and the difficulty that he endures. In a regular setting, people don't normally go around assuming someone has mental disabilities. When Christopher was the train station, he frequently experiencing sensory overload. This is due to him taking in so many new informations, that he's mental capacity can't absorb all of it at ones. The people at the train station doesn't know he has a tendency to shut down, they are assume he's normal. Until he almost got ran over by a train, people began taking it under concern. People there gets irritated and frustrated with him. A lady came up to the man that saves him and ask "Is he OK?"(Haddon 129). This shows that in a standard society, people lack the awareness of autism. For Siobhan,his dad, and his mom, they don't just know about Christopher's autism but they are in contact of it. Christopher has been a portion of their lives, so they have been exposed to situations are used it. A key element of what's make makes it possible for some characters are that they understands Christopher's characters. In a way they can relate to him. He becomes more apparent to those around him. It's the level of connection some characters are about to develop to understand him on a personal spectrum. Christopher even explains "everyone has special needs, like Father, who has to carry a little packet of artificial sweetening tablets around with him to put in his coffee to stop him from getting fat, or Mrs. Peters, who wears a beige-colored hearing aid, or Siobhan, who has glasses so thick that they give you a headache if you borrow them, and none of these people are Special Needs, even if they have special needs"(Haddon 37). This expresses that everyone in some perspective needs something. If you understand them enough you would know what it is. Through compassionate responsibility, acting as a role model, and enduring understanding, characters are able to be loving and patient despite Christopher's disabilities.
Even through a barrier is blocking Christopher for the society, some characters are still able to find a way to interact with him. With responsibility, his dad and mom provides him with love and compassion. They show expresses meaningful meaning through simple things. They truly love him very much and accepts him dearly. Siobhan acts upon the role of helping Christopher grow and develop. She helps him understand the the proper world by shedding positive encouragement. People who lack awareness of autism has a hard time understanding people who has it. Siobhan and Christopher's family understand Christopher's perspective brings forth the elements of be loving and
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The book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” talks about a curious boy with autism whose name is Christopher John Francis Boone. Christopher tries to solve a case of Mrs. Shears,his neighbor, dogs skeptical death. Christopher lives only with his father. His father tells him that his mother died in the hospital, but she really didn't die. She is still alive and is living with Mrs. Shears ex-husband. The reason why Christopher’s mother isn’t living with him anymore is because she cheated on her husband with Mr. Shears. Christopher starts to slowly understand what was happening then he goes out trying to find his mom in London.
The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time explores the concept of truth and lies through the eyes of Christopher, the main character, who has autism. His narrative perspective only allows the reader to understand what his own mind is capable of understanding such as his views on lying, facial
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time exhibits real life situations experienced by an autistic, 15-year-old boy, from his own panorama. Christopher’s use of first person perspective ensures that his view on events are explained with accurate, detailed description, enhancing the responders understanding of how the mind of one with Asperger’s syndrome functions. This concept is elaborated on in Christopher’s struggle to become independent as the responder is able to grasp Christopher’s defensive mechanisms to dealing with stressful situations. Christopher narration “so I groaned to make the time pass quicker and not think” during a fit where his tendency to shut down and curl himself into a ball is essentially revealed substantiates his struggle to become independent as his
While trust is a somewhat common theme in modern novels, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime manages to portray how it affects people in their day to day lifestyle. The book tells the story of Christopher Boone a young boy with autism and his murder mystery novel about the murder of his neighbor's dog. Why this novel is significant is because Mark Haddon tells the story that many young people with autism, like Christopher, live everyday and who’s view on life and the idea of trust and understanding of the world is drastically different than any teenager.
Anger is one of the hardest emotions to control. Often, people hold it in, allowing it to build until it bursts, causing damage. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the parents of a child with autism struggle to keep their cool around their son. Christopher’s mother fails to mask her emotions around her son, leaving his father to take care of him. Although his father tries to maintain calm, he often yells at Christopher as his son watches on in careful concentration. Haddon’s authorial choice of making Christopher’s parents lash out reveals irony in that Christopher is the one with the disorder yet is calm, analyzing situations objectively.
As the story progresses, Christopher shows readers how autism can be difficult to live with, due to his complete lack of social capabilities, awkward behaviour, inability to pick up indirect language, and his non-existent sense of humour. On page 7 and 8, as Christopher is being yelled at by the policeman, he deals with him in a rather unconventional way. While being yelled at, Christopher rolls onto the lawn and begins groaning, to drown out all the noise coming at him. He does this because “there is too much coming into my head from the outside world”, showing that he can’t deal with confrontation well. Right after he crawls into a ball, the cop picks up Christopher and lifts him up. Christopher then proceeds to hit the cop, which causes him to be arrested. The inability for Christopher to pick up rhetorical questions and sarcasm is very evident in the story. On page 81, Christopher is being ream...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is told through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy named Christopher Boone. Christopher has a highly-functioning form of autism which allows him to understand complex mathematical problems, but also leaves him unable to comprehend many simple human emotions. His inability to understand metaphors, distinguish emotions, and his lack of imagination makes it possible to consider Christopher as functioning like a computer rather than functioning as a human being. Throughout the story, Christopher is faced with many challenges which he conquers using the stable and never changing system of mathematics. All of these factors suggest that Christopher does, in fact, function like a computer, but it is apparent early in the story that Christopher, regardless of anything else, is capable of independent thought which separates him from the programmed, dependent world of computers.
How far would a parent go to ensure the comfort of their child? What if the child had a mental disability? Children with autism can be difficult to deal with and it can be easy to misconstrue a parent’s intentions toward their disabled child. According to Petra Kuppers’s essay “Dancing Autism: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Bedlam,” an autistic child has a, “distanced view of the rules that make up love, relationships, need, and care,” and therefore can be more challenging to raise (Kuppers 193). Christopher is one such example of an autistic child. In Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher’s father is portrayed in a negative light, but actually proves himself to be an outstanding father.
He uses Christophers language and communication to unveil the reality of the idealistic thoughts of normality in society. If one can’t interact with others the way one is thought to, they are not considered normal by society's standards. One that is socially awkward can’t be deemed normal per society's expectations. Christopher communicates in an effortless and honest way. In the Novel, Haddon signals the difference in how people deal with encounters. When Christopher associates with Mrs. Alexander, he chooses to not make small talk with her. Haddon helps his readers understand how Christopher is feeling when he says “I didn’t reply to this either because Mrs. Alexander was doing this thing called chatting.” (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, 40). The truth about normality through communication and language is brought to light. People handle encounters with others differently. It is normal to interact with one another through words and speaking. Upon further review of society's views on normality, one is to interact directly with the words spoken. In his novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- Time, Haddon focuses on the ideal normality of interactions by expressing that Christopher does not like to be touched, therefore both Christopher's father and Christopher fan out their fingers and make their fingers and thumbs touch “and it means that he loves me” (16). Society's standards of the normality of communicating are very much wrong, and being able to understand Christopher's communication revealed the
The curious incident of the dog in the night time was narrated in first person by Christopher Boone however If it was narrated in third person the audience would not have understood the way Christopher was feeling. Communication, Social Interactions, Relationship’s and Christopher’s Autism spectrum disorder were some of the main areas expressed in the novel.
To conclude this essay, the Curious incident of dog in the midnight ( Haddon 2003) represents those children who are born with disabilities and require special needs to manage their everyday life. This book reflects, on the main character Christopher how the world around him is affected by his autistic and whilst understand his needs in what way his needs were shaped by the event. Although the book never specifies on Christopher’s disability but it creates circumstances that suggests ASD. The persona of this book forms in a way that leads reader into Christopher’s world as events in this book display first-hand experience by Christopher and these heart felt true meaning of words holds long last effect.
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is a 2003 mystery novel written by a British writer by the name of Mark Haddon. With this novel Haddon was able to win three awards; one of which was the Whitbread Book Award for Best Novel and Book of the Year. Haddon writes the book in a first-person perspective, through the eyes of the protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with behavioural difficulties. Throughout the novel Haddon uses numerous techniques to present this special world of Christopher’s to the reader enabling us to understand and see what he thinks and sees. To express this special world of Christopher’s, Haddon uses techniques such as language and symbolism as well as graphics to provide the readers with the foundation required to create this imagery in their mind.
The thought-provoking novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon tells the captivating story of Christopher, an autistic teenager, and his quest to find who murdered the neighbor’s dog. This novel introduces many themes that are touched upon which could be related to real life scenarios. Throughout the book, Christopher and his parents make many decisions, some of which lead to family problems. The first paragraph explains how Christopher did some investigating behind his father’s back, which resulted in them getting into a huge argument. Later on, the truth is revealed about the affair between the mother and Mr. Shears that separated the whole family.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time is a novel by Mark Haddon. The story is based on the perspective of a smart fifthteen-year-old autistic boy, who includes all sorts of clever visuals to enhance his narrative. But Haddon says the novel is not just about disability: “ It’s about what you can do with your words and what it means to communicate with someone in a book.” Haddon has never used the word autism in fiction. Christopher Boone narrated the novel after finding the neighbor’s poodle, Wellington, with a garden fork. This book is Christopher’s survey report, as he more and more close to the truth, he began to investigate his family's personal secrets, found his father told him the truth about his dead mother
Christopher is temperamental and his mother has difficulties adjusting to his behavior. Both the parents seem to be having challenges figuring it out how Christopher will fit in their lives. In these challenges, the reader also sees the effect that Christopher’s condition has on his mother, giving the reader more insight into why she left Christopher and his father years before. This hardships even lead to the mother being depressed (Haddon 120). Christopher’s mother frequently feels frustrated by his behavior and his inability to sympathize with her or understand her position on an emotional level. She finds Christopher indifferent to her needs, for instance, when she tries to explain to him that she cannot take him to Swindon for his A-level math test (Haddon, 190). She even loses her job and frequently argues with Mr. Shears. She is overwhelmed by stress and requires pills from the doctor to help her manage it. These details further clarify his mother’s decision to leave years earlier by showing how emotionally taxing she finds to care for