09-12-2007, 07:34 PM
Quote:
Where Were the Autistic Children? I May Have Found a Clue!
Many people ask "if there's no autism epidemic, then where are all the autistic adults?" I've always suspected that they are everywhere - either suffering with or having compensated for the symptoms of Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. But until yesterday I had nothing in black and white to support my hypothesis.
Then, while reading one of my favorite English mystery authors, I found what I believe is a clue. In a novel written by Josephine Tey in 1951, called The Singing Sands, I came upon this description of a child:
Bridget was a blonde, silent child of three who spent her days endlessly rearranging the same few objects into new patterns. "I can't make up my mind whether she is mentally deficient or a genius," Laura [Bridget's mother] said. But Grant [the hero of the story] thought that the two-second glance with which Bridget favoured him on introduction entirely justified the cheerfulness of Laura's tone; there was nothing wrong with the intelligence the "The Child" [as her older brother called her].
This description isn't intended to provide a clue or create a sense of strangeness - it's just a description of a minor character who never reappears later in the story. What was especially interesting to me was the fact that no one, not even the author, seems unduly concerned or surprised about a child who endlessly rearranges objects and rarely speaks. In fact, there's an assumption that the child is probably very bright indeed.
What's your take on this character? Do you think Tey has described a little girl with Asperger syndrome? Have you run across similar character descriptions in your literary journeys?
Many people ask "if there's no autism epidemic, then where are all the autistic adults?" I've always suspected that they are everywhere - either suffering with or having compensated for the symptoms of Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. But until yesterday I had nothing in black and white to support my hypothesis.
Then, while reading one of my favorite English mystery authors, I found what I believe is a clue. In a novel written by Josephine Tey in 1951, called The Singing Sands, I came upon this description of a child:
Bridget was a blonde, silent child of three who spent her days endlessly rearranging the same few objects into new patterns. "I can't make up my mind whether she is mentally deficient or a genius," Laura [Bridget's mother] said. But Grant [the hero of the story] thought that the two-second glance with which Bridget favoured him on introduction entirely justified the cheerfulness of Laura's tone; there was nothing wrong with the intelligence the "The Child" [as her older brother called her].
This description isn't intended to provide a clue or create a sense of strangeness - it's just a description of a minor character who never reappears later in the story. What was especially interesting to me was the fact that no one, not even the author, seems unduly concerned or surprised about a child who endlessly rearranges objects and rarely speaks. In fact, there's an assumption that the child is probably very bright indeed.
What's your take on this character? Do you think Tey has described a little girl with Asperger syndrome? Have you run across similar character descriptions in your literary journeys?