Living With Christopher

Mark Haddon

Mark Haddon authored a fantastic novel that became a bestseller and won the White bread Book of the Year and White bread Novel awards. It was believed that Mark Haddon himself exclaimed, "Who on Earth would want to read about a fifteen-year-old boy with a disability?" as he was making this novel.

 Little did he know that it was exactly the fifteen-year-old youngster with a disability that helped his book stand out, win accolades and become a bestseller. The novel is named "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, and the youngster is Christopher."

Christopher Autistic Savant

Christopher is an autistic savant. He can name all the countries on the globe and their capitals. He has a photographic memory and a genius in math and physics. Despite his exceptional intelligence, he cannot envisage, understand figures of speech and react to jokes. He also does not enjoy areas with many people and people touching him. People who are autistic-savants display both features common among persons with autism and those with Savant Syndrome.

Autism is one developmental disease among the category of Autism Spectrum Disorders. This condition is generally marked by difficulties in socializing, creativity, and communication. The low intellect characterizes savant Syndrome but superior narrow intelligence, mainly in mathematics, music, art, and memorization. These children will most likely find it difficult to communicate, thus, resulting in strange reactions.

 His mother decided to leave Christopher and his father because she could not cope with the demands of parenting an autistic child. Parents who take care of unusual children, such as those with autism, may have a greater stress level than normal parents. This is mostly because their children have distinct demands, quirky habits, and different talents compared to other kids of the same age.

An example of this is when an autistic child cries for no apparent reason and begins hurting themself. Something has likely caused them to feel upset, but they cannot explain it, since they do not know. Some autistic children with sensory integration difficulties may be hypersensitive to touch, pressure, movement, and sound.

They will demonstrate specific behaviors that are sometimes difficult to comprehend, such as avoiding particular food and liquids, pinching or striking repetitive motions, and shouting. Some can also demonstrate strong devotion to certain habits and anxiety of unfamiliar locations or people. To accommodate the requirements and cope with these children's actions is not easy and, therefore, can result in a lot of stress.

Autism can drastically limit a child's world. They thrive in security, and anything they perceive as a danger to their safety should be avoided. However, many variables, situations, and demands of society make them uneasy, and being obliged to deal with these makes them quite anxious most of the time. Unconsciously and unconsciously, children with autism experience a persistent fear about anything new or strange to their understanding.

Like in the book, Christopher felt physically nauseous and scared when he had to leave the familiar part of town. Autism makes it difficult for some youngsters to adjust to new settings and environments. Anxiety levels rise as people come to terms with what they didn't know before and adapt to it.

Many studies and publications have previously been done on handling autistic children to reduce stress for both the children and their parents, even though it appears to be a challenging undertaking. Children with autism can benefit from various intervention strategies, including Cognitive Behavior Modification, Behavior Modification Techniques, and Environmental Modification Techniques.

In some cases, doctors may recommend further treatment for those with additional problems, such as autism. Those autistic children who suffer from manic depression due to their inability to break out of their self-protective habits may require other therapy. If you're in this situation, it's best to see a psychiatrist and take extra medication.

In the end, Christopher was able to overcome his anxiety-inducing obstacles, and his mother returned to take care of him. Stress and anxiety in families can be similarly managed in real life to how they are in this fictional novel. Both parents and their autistic children can benefit from effective methods of managing stress, such as counseling and medication.