The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

“Mr. Jeavons said that I liked maths because it was safe. He said I liked maths because it meant solving problems, and these problems were difficult and interesting but there was always a straightforward answer at the end. And what he meant was that maths wasn’t like life because in life there are no straightforward answers at the end.” -p.61

I think it’s pretty safe to say that my parents and siblings are strong type A personalities; they are impeccably organized, very work-oriented, and value being on time.  When it comes to these aspects, I couldn’t be farther apart than them.  Growing up with ADHD, I have always struggled with my organization skills, my persistence when carrying out a task, and my time management.  We have jokes about how I’ve been always in my own world and every time we go out as a family I am without fail the last one out the door.  Even though my parents always reassured me it was okay being different, that I had talents of my own, I sometimes wished there was some way we could just be able to see how each other’s brains functioned.  I felt that if that were the case, it would be easier for my family to understand that my tardiness was not completely a sign of carelessness or disregard for others.  I really loved reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, because I felt that I was able to understand and gain a deep understanding of how a child with mild autism thinks and functions. 

 This novel centers on the protagonist and narrator Christopher, who is a fifteen-year-old living with his father in England.  At the beginning of the novel, Christopher discovers his neighbor’s dog Wellington dead in her lawn, and wonders who would kill Wellington and why.  As the book progresses, the protagonist explains that we are reading his murder-mystery novel, and he was prompted to write this by his teacher.  The book does a wonderful job of explaining how Christopher's strengths and weaknesses are unique from most other people, and this both helps and hinders his ability to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington the dog.
Christopher has a very matter-of-fact tone when narrating the book, stating his book will not be humorous because he does not understand jokes.  He has difficulty understanding other people's emotions. While he struggles to develop this perception that comes easily to many, he has incrediblly advanced math and memory skills, being able to name every country and capital in the world, and every prime number up to 7,057.  While he works on the more elementary skill reading emotions and feelings at his school, he is also studying for his A-level exam in the hopes of going to college, a feat no one at his school has completed before.  As Christopher tries to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington, we see instances where his social deficits create conflict for him, but we also see how he is able to overcome them and solve the mystery.
I love that Christopher understands and appreciates his strengths and weaknesses.  The illustration that he provides for how his mind works is so complex that it doesn't even seem that he should be labeled as a disorder; he is just extremely unique.  I learned that I think in ways that are very different from Christopher; I love open-ended questions, thinking in abstract concepts, rather than structured right and wrong answers.  Christopher loves math because he loves structure and knowing that there is a concrete answer for a problem.  It is important for me to understand how people like Christopher thinks, because I will plan to be teaching children who have mild autism, and prefer the structure that Christopher enjoys.