Autistic children require constant attention since they behave differently to other children. For example, an autistic child could be screaming at their parents for one minute and the next minute, they could be playing with a toy. This example also shows that the behavior of an autistic child can be very unpredictable. Autistic children, such as Christopher will show signs of this unpredictable behavior but will eventually grow out of this. The behavior of an autistic child will depend on the child's environment, upbringing and severity. This mean that some children will show these signs more than others. The book shows some of these behaviors in Christopher, such as, not being touched, no real fear of danger, difficulty in reacting to others and preferring to be alone. This is also evident towards the end of the book when Christopher wants to find his mum. Christopher sees no real threat in doing this and doesn't consider the consequence's when running away. Even though he hasn't seen his mother Christopher still values her over his father due to his fathers actions and what he thinks of his father now. Throughout the book, we can see that Christopher doesn't like being touched. This symptom of autism is one of the main highlights of Christopher's character since it is shown to affect everyday activities such as cooking and his father showing affection towards him. This symptom helps develop Christopher as a sensitive and orderly person.
This video shows a normal brain and an autistic brain and the differences in which parts are used. Autistic people use their prefrontal cortex as well as their visual regions to help them plan and perceive things while normal people only use their prefrontal cortex. Autistic people also have a very direct mindset. This means that autistic children will be determined to do something and not stop until they have achieved their goal. In relation to the book, Christopher is seen as a very logical person. This is evident when he decides whether a day is good or bad due to the number and color of specific cars, this mind-set comes from his most and least favorite colors and what he relates them too. In the book Christopher gives us some of the reasons why he hates the colors yellow and brown, some of which are caused by a bad experience, diseases or food that he dislikes. Christopher also perceives things in a different way to others. Throughout the book, Christopher and his father have a healthy relationship. However, when Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, he immediately feels threatened and distrusts his father. Even though they have spent all of there life's together. Christopher's mind set about his father changed very quickly due to his actions, even resulting in Christopher running away. Like other autistic children, Christopher's is very determined to find out who killed Wellington and doesn't stop even though many people told his to. This also show how hard it is to alter an autistic child's mind-set once he/she is determined to do something. However Christopher's determination towards the dogs death and then finding out it was his father who killed the dog caused a change in Christopher since he did not think that someone like his father would do that. This causes Christopher to think that his father was unsafe since it was unexpected for him.
The Autism spectrum describes the range of difficulties that an autistic person may have and to what degree they are affected. These difficulties can range from a person living a 'normal' life to others that require continuous support. In the book, Christopher can function successfully in an environment that he knows. He seems to be comfortable in school and his neighborhood. Going into a new place, such as the train station, also seem easy for him since he was able to navigate and determine were everything was. This was evident from his detailed map and knowledge of were the trains were going at what time. However, Due to Christopher's autism, he is unaware that his behavior (such as groaning, waiting, walking around) effected the people around him.
This video explains what it is like for a parent to have an autistic child and what they have to do differently to satisfy their childs needs and wants. It shows the set backs of having an autistic child while also showing the benefits and the continuous care that is required to help an autistic child develop and grow. In the book, Christopher's father seems very patient with Christopher and understands what he can and cannot do. Christopher's father also handles his mothers death in a gentle way as to not upset or harm Christopher. As seen in the book, Christopher's mind is very hard to change once it is made up. Christopher's father does a very good job in hiding the fact that his mother isn't dead so Christopher doesn't investigate into his mothers 'death'.
Synaesthesia is a rare condition which only affects some people with autism. Synaesthesia is when senses blend together and as a result autistic people can 'hear colors' and 'see noise'. This occurs because the stimulant from one of the main senses produces sensations in other areas of the body. Synesthesia is not directly seen in the book, however, Christopher tends to match what he likes with something good and what he doesn't like with something bad. This idea can be seen through the red and yellow cars. Christopher tells us that ' 4 red cars means its a good day' and '5 yellow cars means it is a black day' (which is assumed to be a bad day). Towards the end of the book, a reference to synesthesia can be seen when Christopher decides to run away from his father. When he goes downstairs to see if his fathers asleep, he says 'I could hear the blood in my ears'. This idea of Christopher 'hearing blood in my ears' can be a sign of synesthesia since Christopher is hearing something that can only be felt. This also adds to the idea that Christopher is autistic since synesthesia is a symptom of autism and any normal person would not be able to 'hear blood'.
Autistic people may be over or under sensitive, as a result the five main senses of the person will become affected. Some of these effects include: distorted vision, hearing sounds out of one ear, no sense of smell, likes spicy foods and holds tightly to others. Sensory sensitivities are not directly seen in Christopher, however, when Christopher 'receives too much information' he writes that he can't think straight or process the information effectively. An example of sensory sensitivity when it is shown that Christopher does not like being touched. From this, the book highlights this sensitivity by showing it in Christopher's point of view, the first example is Christopher and his father. After Christopher was released his father couldn't hug him due to Christopher's sensitivity to touch. instead they had to touch hands which represented 'I love you'. Another example can also been seen when Christopher is eating. When his father bangs the table his food touches, and as explained by Christopher, he is 'no longer able to eat the food since they are touching.'
Sensory overload is when one or more of the bodies senses experiences overstimulation from it surroundings. This video shows what autistic people are going through when having a sensory overload. Sensory overload affects the sight and hearing of an autistic person. In the book, Christopher has multiple sensory overloads, such as when he is talking to the police and when his father screams at him. During this time he tells us that he is 'receiving too much information and can't process it properly'. During his sensory overload, Christopher also goes into a protective state by using a floor or a wall to protect himself as well as going into a crouched position. During the fight with his father, Christopher uses a computer as an example of a sensory overload. He says that, 'its was like someone switched me off and then switched me on again'.
Autistic children will usually dislike certain colours. Objects such as food, clothes and furniture that have a color that an autistic person dislikes will usually be avoided by the person. Studies show that people with autism find it difficult to process everyday sensory infomation. This sensory difference could affect the behaviour of the person. From this, this could be the reason that autistic children like or dislike certain colors. From this, these colors affect him in everyday tasks, such as cooking (He has to put red food dye into yellow foods) and his mind-set (seeing red and yellow cars will determine his mood for the day)