Autism

Autism is a brain disorder usually diagnosed in children younger than three. Like Christopher Boone, people with autism typically have problems with social interaction and communication, and changes in routine can often be upsetting for them. Repetitive preoccupations and an obsessive interest in languages, numbers, and symbols also characterize a person with autism. At this time, the cause of autism is unknown, though many experts believe it to be a genetic-based disorder that occurs before birth.

Christopher Boone has a particular form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, or A. S. His obsession with detail, mathematics, colors, and astronomy, as well as his unwavering attention to routine and violent aversion to socialization, all reflect his condition, though it is unnamed in the novel.

Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism first noticed in 1944 by Hans Asperger, a German doctor. According to Barbara L. Kirby, founder of Online Asperger...