Can I ask people with ASD children for a view on "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time?"

[Romanarama]

I just read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" by Dave Haddon (written from the point of view of an autistic 15yo boy). I found it quite fascinating, but wondered whether people close to autism found it interesting or otherwise?

I couldn't put it down, but would love to know whether or not it is really insightful.

TIA!

to be honest I wasn't overly impressed. An interesting story but no wow factor for me. As a mother to two asd kids I think it hampered my judgement. It was so "normal" to me that I didn't really appreciate it. Perhaps though that shows just how good it was.

I read it over 6 years ago and I loved it. As DS is very much more severely Kanner's end of the spectrum I wasn't concerned with accuracy in relation to the AS side (although my sister has AS) but just enjoyed it for the book it is.
There is a book by Jonathan Saffran Foer, Everything is Illuminated? or something like that which seems to be from the pov of a teenager with AS although it is also never stated in the book. It is a good book although hard going at times (not because of the AS, just a bit heavy sometimes).

It's a gripping story but I feel that it plays to the myth that everyone who has AS is a maths genius. I read it years before ds1 was diagnosed with AS and to be honest I never think back to it -- he's so different from the boy in the book. That's the other thing, I suspect when people have read it they think, 'oh now I know about AS' when the truth is that people with AS are like all the flowers in the garden rather than peas in a pod. But it's brilliantly imagined and written nevertheless.

Thank you! It's very interesting to hear your views, and of course he's just illustrating one imaginary AS boy, so it's a very good point that it shouldn't be seen as illustrative of autistic lives in general. Are a lot of autistic people really maths geniuses (I don't mean all, but a disproportionately high number)? Or do people just think that because of "Rain Man" etc?

I really enjoyed the book though - I read it straight through, cover to cover, on a rainy Sunday. I picked it up because I had also enjoyed "A Spot of Bother" for it's very true and uncompromising depiction of the grotesque in suburban life. Very funny!

I enjoyed it. Before DS1 was diagnosed - when I was just a SN teacher - I used it as a training tool, because it provided useful insight IMO. The kids I taught were mainly non or limited verbal, it was helpful to illustrate the sorts of things that might be causing them to arrive at school distressed etc.

I don't believe he ever categorically states what his DX is in the text, does he?

The things like "I lay down and did groaning" etc were so familiar (and now are with DS1!)

WRT to the genius bit - I spent some time with a guy who plays concert level piano, he has severe ASD and is VI as well. He's a brilliant bloke, but he'll never be independent I shouldn't think. But he is AMAZING musically. His tutor/ mentor is Adam Ockleford I think (sp) and his view is that it is not that the huge talent is different in people with ASD, but that the attention is so much more focussed and useful. So I can play piano, practiced as a kid for an hour or so a day when I could be arsed, and am OK. Derek would have played for 8 hours a day or more.

DS1 is currently Very Interested in numbers, he is very visual. I think he probably will be good at maths, and if it develops into a strong interest, he will probably spend much of his free time devoted to it. That in itself will make him "better" at maths than a 5 year old who does maths in passing at school!

I couldn't put it down but can't say I enjoyed it. I cried at the end!

hijack ... is it any good? my neighbour has given it to me

I read it when DS was going through the dx process and I found it hard to recognise DS in there at the time. DS is higher functioning, prob will do a range of GCSEs for example. But at the time I thought, Oh he's not like DS, DS doesn't go to a special school and wouldn't assault a PC. And now, a few years on, we're looking at special schools for secondary and he has had lots of exclusions.

I think I should read it again to see if the character is more similar these days!

I enjoyed it as a work of fiction - I think Mark Haddon does a good job of creating a character and telling a story.

However, I have come across at least one book and several people who seem to be under the impression that it is a true life account of autism by an autistic person.

Mark Haddon has written a good blog post about his knowledge of autism.

www.markhaddon.com/aspergers-and-autism

I thought it was a good book. I believe it is a crossover book, ie a book aimed at teenagers that adults like to read. It certainly gives some insight into life with ASD but as has been pointed out it is a bit stereotypical.
I have heard people say that Mark Haddon is autistic but have never seen anything to substantiate this claim. Will look at the blog merrymouse.

Have read MArk Haddon's oher work (some of) and no evidence of autism in there: think that's a false rumour tbh.

DS1 doesn't think the child in it is anything like him, but ASD is a term that doesn't describe specific kids but a range of presentations so will be mroe true for some than others I think.

I thought the child was at the mroe severe end of HFA / AS and not typical. I ddin't enjoy the book but really liked the last of his that I read.

www.markhaddon.com/aspergers-and-autism

Just glanced at it briefly and it says he knows nothing about Aspergers/autism and the central character does not claim to have Aspergers/Autism. Will read properly later.

2shoes yes its a good book, i think i'd have still enjoyed it if DD hadnt got ASD (the young lad in it is alot like my DD ), certainly gives you a good insight into how (some) people with ASD tick.

I read it before I had ds, and like the book for it's 'story' but even then though it was far too simplistic.

A broad generalisation, but people with an ASD 'usually' have little obsessions they can focus on for a very long time without getting bored and are interested too to get down to the finer details. It is this skill that can lead them to become very good at what they have chosen iyswim. Helpful perhaps if it is maths, less so if it is how to spin double buggies on their handle.

Yep, I enjoyed Mark Haddon's book as well, I found it quite funny at times as well because I could identify with some of the 'logic' that I see in our house.

I didn't enjoy Jodi Picoult's 'House Rules' -the descriptive parts are pretty good but I just don't like the type of book she writes.

As someone on the autism spectrum, I loved it. His way of analysing situations, his panic on public transport...there was a lot that sounded like the narrative (of pictures) inside my own head and how I work out how to survive each situation.

It's a long while since I read it (might just take it on holiday and give it another go) but I remember feeling it was quite stereotypically based on how people think AS is.

The boy in the book is nothing like my ds, nor any others with AS that I know.

I think it's a shame that a lot of paeds/psychs recommend it as essential reading when a child gets a diagnosis, because it can have no bearing on what the individual will experience in their own version of AS.

But I did enjoy it

I found it skewed my idea of what Aspergers was, thinking that all AS people had that much difficulty and hypersensitivity. Like Sugarcandymountain, my DS is higher functionning than that so until he was properly diagnosed I was still 50/50 about whether he had it or not. But I guess that's just the downside to a successful book/film about a spectral condition - same as Rainman, people watch and assume condition is the same for everyone.

Other good novels including an Aspergers-esque character:
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (Key stage 2+).

Flying Saucer rock'n'roll by Richard Blandford (for adults, esp those in their 30s)

I liked the London Eye Mystery too.

Has anyone read We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)? I heard some of it serialised on Radio 4. From what I heard it would be VERY difficult for some of us but would be interested in hearing what someone has to say who has actually read it.