Asperger Lit: Is Mr. Darcy on the Spectrum?

Diagnosis in retrospect is all the rage in ASD circles. Was Einstein autistic? Isaac Newton? Thomas Jefferson? If one can attempt to label historical figures, why not try literary characters? In many cases there is at least as much evidence. Mr. Darcy comes to mind with his foot-in-mouth people skills. Bartleby the Scrivener and Sherlock Holmes are, without a doubt, classic examples. Could this become a new parlor game? Join in the fun and send us your candidates!

All this, however, is merely a headline grabbing intro to a discussion of the growing trend toward Asperger's characters in children's literature. Mark Haddon's adult best-seller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night quickly made the crossover into YA territory. Now there are a number of new children's novels that offer peeks inside the ASD brain. These are not didactic picture books aimed at developing clasmates' tolerance (though there are some fine examples out there: Ian's Walk comes to mind). These are three intermediate level novels with strong voices and highly readable stories.

The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous, a first novel by Suzanne Crowley, focuses on its heroine's quirky world view. Merrilee has a schedule, totem possessions, ironic verbal quirks ("Stupid. Stupendous."), and well-developed cushions against human contact -- none of which stand in the way of (or stand in for) a full-blown characterization. Merrilee is perfectly aware of the level of harassment she faces but has her pains and pleasure well organized. The conflict Merrilee faces is the intrusion on her "very ordered existence" (VOE in her own parlance) of three potential allies. Nurse Veraleen intrudes at home. Wannabe boyfriend (!) Gideon makes school confusing. And tenacious Biswick follows her around just about everywhere else. Biswick has fetal alcohol syndrome. Friendship with him, from Merilee's point of view, is just another nail in her coffin when it comes to being defined as a "retard" -- and yes, the word is bandied about freely. Can she overcome her irritation at these intrusions? Will she have somewhere to turn when her 'VOE" is inevitably upset in a big way? Crowley offers a delightfully off-the-wall Southern Gothic setting (who knew that Pigglie Wigglie stores had "butt spiders"?) but keeps Merrilee on solid ground throughout. Truly -- "stupendous."

Rules by Cynthia Lord takes the point of view of an ASD sibling. Catherine is an intensely caring and supportive sibling. Like many "sibs" she's had to earn her mensch-hood early in life. From hard experience, she's learned to be very specific about the "rules" she lays down for her younger brother: toys do not go in the fishtank, when outside you can take off your shirt but not pants, etc. Still, she longs for normalcy and embarrassment-free friendships. She shares the usual adolescent fears of being viewed as an oddball. A developing friendship with a young paraplegic, however, has the effect of putting a lot of self-consciousness into perspective.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd skews a little closer to The Curious Incident in that its ASD character is intent on solving an actual mystery. Ted takes a clear-eyed analytical approach to the disappearance of his cousin Salim after a holiday ride on the London Eye. Stressed-out family members shunt Ted aside to keep him from upsetting Salim's mom with what they are sure will be inappropriate comments. Older sister Kat has a particularly short-fuse where Ted is concerned, and takes pain to coach him in important people skills (aka, lying). Later she comes to recognize the value of his unique perspective. The mystery is a good one, with many clues a young reader can reason through, but enough twists to keep the pages turning.

With ASDs appearing in something like one in every 150 births, the ASD character is bound to turn up with increasing regularity in our classrooms and in children's literature. Get used to it. Better yet, appreciate it.