Living with christopher

Mark Haddon wrote a wonderful book that became a bestseller and won  the Whitbread Book of the Year and Whitbread Novel awards.  Mark Haddon himself said while writing this book, "Who the hell wants to read a story about a 15-year-old boy with a disability?" He didn't know  it was a 15-year-old boy with a disability that made his book stand out, win an award, and become a bestseller. The title of the book is "The Mysterious Incident that Happened to Christopher the Name of the Dog  and the Boy in the Midnight". 
 
 Christopher is autistic. He can name all countries and capitals of the world. He has a photographic memory and a genius for math and science. Despite  his extraordinary intelligence, he cannot imagine, understand analogies, or joke. He also hates places where he is crowded and touched. People with autism potential have something in common with people  with autism and  Savant syndrome. Autism is one of the developmental disorders in the group of autism spectrum disorders. This condition is primarily characterized by impairments in socialization, imagination, and communication. Savant's syndrome is usually characterized by very low general intelligence  in the domains of math, music, art, and memory, but an unusually narrow intelligence. 
 In the 
 story, Christopher's parents break up. Because his mother could no longer afford the demands of Christopher and his father to give birth to a child with autism, she decided to leave him. Parents caring for children with  special needs, such as children with autism, are more likely to experience higher levels of stress than most parents. This is mainly because their children have special needs, unusual behaviors and different abilities compared to other children of their age. These children are more likely  to have communication difficulties and have unusual reactions. An example of this is when a child with autism starts crying and beating herself for no apparent reason. Perhaps something upset him, but he doesn't know how to do it, so he can't convey exactly what. Some autistic children with sensory integration problems may  be hypersensitive or hypersensitive to touch, pressure, movement, and sound. They will show certain behaviors that are sometimes difficult to understand such as avoidance of certain types of food and drinks, pinching or hitting, repetitive movements and screaming. Some of them can also exhibit strong adherence to certain routines and fear of new places or people. To accommodate the needs and cope with the behaviors of these children is not easy and, therefore, can result to a lot of stress. 
 
 Autism can greatly limit a child’s world. They thrive in security and anything they perceive as a threat to their security should be avoided. However, many factors, circumstances, and social demands  make them very anxious and most of the time they have to deal with it. Subconsciously and unconsciously, children with autism experience constant  anxiety about everything they do not understand or about everything they do not understand. As in the book, Christopher was physically ill and afraid when he had to leave the area of ​​the city he knew. Unlike most children, people with autism do not adapt easily  to new environments or situations. The process of learning to understand and accept what you didn't know before leads to  higher levels of anxiety. 
 
 Although it may seem difficult to adapt and cope with children with autism, there are already many studies and publications on the right treatment to reduce children's anxiety and parental stress. . Several methods, such as cognitive behavior modification, behavior modification methods, and environmental modification methods, have proven effective in changing  inappropriate behaviors and improving  learning abilities in children with autism. Some people with comorbidities other than autism may need additional treatment recommended by their doctor. Children with autism who also have bipolar disorder because they are dissatisfied with being subconsciously trapped in self-protective behaviors may require more intensive treatment than previously mentioned. Consultation with a psychiatrist is highly recommended in these situations, and other medications may be prescribed. 
 
 Christopher's story ended when he was able to overcome the difficulties that made him so uneasy, and his mother decided to return to  care for him. The same can be achieved in real life in terms of dealing with the stress and anxiety among families who have to deal with these situations as in this fictional novel. With proper care, medications, or treatment, stress and anxiety in parents and  children with autism can be  effectively managed.