Friday Blog: Week Seven

This week I began reading The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion pages 1-118. In addition to reading 118 pages, I also watched another episode of Atypical. While I was reading I came across a few words that I was unfamiliar with.

Vocab:

Subtleties p.5

Delicacy or nicety of character or meaning.

Euphemism p.10

The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

Exuberant p.13

Effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant.

Procure p.24

To obtain or get by care, effort, or the use of special means.

Dubious p.43

Doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt.

Belligerent p.44

Of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose.

Fastidious p.50

Excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please.

Platitude p.74

A flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound.

Ostensibly p.83

Outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended.

Proprietor p.116 

A person who has the exclusive right or title to something; an owner, as of real property.

https://www.dictionary.com/

Thursday Blog: Week Seven

This week I began reading the book The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This book is about a man named Don Tillson who has an autism spectrum disorder which is undiagnosed. The book follows Don, as he looks for a wife using a series of surveys and questionnaires to determine who is the best-fit woman for him. He is a professor of genetics and his life has a set schedule and all of his days are planned and laid out in an orderly fashion. His approach to his love life is quite out of the ordinary and shows how different life can be when one is living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This book differs from my other books read because of the age of Don. Although the book Wish followed Bobby throughout his life, The Rosie Project begins in adulthood which provides a new perspective on the fictional portrayal of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Another thing about this book which is also providing me with a wider range of insight is the fact that, Don is on the high functioning side of the spectrum and because of that still does many things a typical adult would. This provides information on some of the differences between a neurotypical person life as an adult and a person on the Autism Spectrum.

Source: http://www.afaa-us.org/core-issues/employment

One thing that I have learned from reading The Rosie Project so far is what life is like as an adult working with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. As I previously mentioned, Don is a professor at a college where he teaches genetics. A job like teaching requires impeccable communication skills and extra-personal skills. In terms of communicating, while teaching, one must use language which is comprehensible and speak with confidence. Often times people on the spectrum struggle with skills like these. Often using complex vocabulary and confidence while speaking in front of large groups. Don, to spite his disorder is able to effectively communicate with his students using appropriate vocabulary and his self-assured tone.

 

Tuesday Blog: Week Seven

This week I began reading the book The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This book is about a man named Don Tillson who has an autism spectrum disorder but is yet to be diagnosed. The book follows Don Tillson, as he looks for a wife using a series of surveys and questionnaires to determine who is the best-fit woman for him. He is a professor of genetics and accordingly lives an orderly and predictable life in a sheltered academic setting. His approach to his love life is quite out of the ordinary and shows how different life can be when one is living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Source: www.amitkanand.com

Quote

"I have found a solution to the Wife Problem. As with many scientific breakthroughs, the answer was obvious in retrospect. But if it had not been for a series of unscheduled events, it is unlikely I would have discovered it." (Simsion 1)

Don, a genetics professor lives an orderly life and everything is done a certain way. In addition to his orderly life, Don also has a rather mechanical approach to life. From his job to his personal life everything contains aspects of science. Don even applies his passion for science to his love life which in the past has proven to be rather uneventful. The way Don talks about his love life as a Wife Problem and calls the solution a scientific breakthrough proves that love in his eyes is much different from the way others view love. This quote which happens to be the opening of the book perfectly introduces the fact that Don's approach to love is different and introduces some of the struggles he faces as he tries to solve the "Wife Problem". Don is a perfect representation of someone who has autism on the high functioning side of the spectrum and is looking for love because relationships, when someone has autism, can be very different from someone who is neurotypical in a relationship.

This book reminds me a lot of the show Atypical on Netflix. Atypical follows a teenager named Sam, who is on the autism spectrum. Much like Don in The Rosie Project, Sam has decided he wants a relationship. Sam because he is only a teenager is faced with different problems when looking for love, like being more independent and self-sufficient. Sam who still lives with his family, influences his mom in particular to take a second look at how they are living. His mother and the rest of his family, including his father and sister, are now trying to understand their son and all the changes he is trying to make in his life. As Sam continues on his journey his family and friends around his question what it means to be normal. Much like how Don's approach to love and happiness is different, so is Sam's, this shows how both the book and the show portray life with an ASD.

Source: www.youtube.com

Friday Blog: Week Six

This week I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon pages 144-226. while reading I did not find any words that I was unfamiliar with because of the shift in tone of the book after the discovery of his mother being alive. Instead, I decided to find words that are used in Europe, where the book takes place,  that have different meanings than they do in the United States.

Vocab:

Jumper – In the USA a jumper is someone who ends their life by jumping off something. In the UK, a jumper is a type of sweater (usually knitted).
Trainer – In the USA a trainer is a professional that works with you in a gym. In the UK trainer is the name given to Gym shoes.
Pants – In the USA, pants are trousers. In the UK, pants are underwear.
but a bird is also just a bird.
Bog – In the USA, a bog is a marshy area of boggy land. In the UK, a bog is another name for a toilet. Bog roll is toiler paper.
Braces – In the USA, braces are devices placed on teeth to straighten them. In the UK, braces hold up pants (what we call suspenders).
Trolley – In the USA, a trolley is a public transportation conveyance (most famous in San Francisco). In the UK, a trolly is a shopping cart.
Chips – In the USA, chips are potato chips (or corn chips). In the UK, chips are what we would call fries but are a chunkier version.
Coach – In the USA, a coach is someone who manages a sports team. In the UK, a coach is a bus.
Biscuit – In the USA, a biscuit is a buttery bread roll. In the UK, a biscuit is a cookie.
Flannel – In the USA, a flannel is a type of button down shirt that’s very warm. In the UK, a flannel is a washcloth.
Boot – In the USA, a boot is a form of footwear. In the UK, a boot is the trunk of a car.
Caravan – In the USA, a caravan is a type of minivan. In the UK, a caravan is a type of recreational vehicle.
Post – In the USA, a post is something in the ground holding something up. In the UK, the post is the mail.

Definitions taken from

 https://www.anglotopia.net/british-travel/british-american-english-differences-25-american-english-words-completely-different-meaning-britain/

Thursday Blog: Week SIx

This week I have continued reading the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This book is about a boy named Christopher, who discovers the dead body of the neighbor's dog. Mrs. Shears calls the police, and Christopher becomes a suspect. When a policeman touches him, he punches the policeman and gets arrested, later he gets released with a warning. After he is released he becomes obsessed with the crime and is determined to figure out who killed the dog. Christopher decides to write a book about everything that is going on. His dad later finds the book and hides it from him. Christopher while searching for the book finds letters from his mother which were dated after she apparently died. He then learns that his mother is not dead, she had an affair with Mr. Shears and his dad kicked her out. This shocks Christopher and angers him deeply, but he also does not understand everything going on. Christopher decides to ignore his father, and as a result his father starts saying everything he has every lied to him about, one thing being the death of Wellington, his dad actually killed him because of the affair. Christopher follows his mom to London to escape his dad when he finds out that his mother lives with Mr. Shears. Christopher and his mother are forced to return home and that is when his dad buys him a dog to win back his trust.

Source: www.amazon.com

As I finished this book I decided I would talk about the format of the book and the layout. The book was written as if it was Christopher, so it has a very quirky layout. For example all of the chapter numbers are prime. he says that he prefers this because he loves math and his favorite numbers are prime numbers. This choice adds a personal aspect to the book and shows how this book is almost written in Christopher's point of view. To explain his choice of prime numbers he said, "Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them." (Haddon 12)

                                                                                                                   Another thing about this book which makes it more personal to Christopher's life is the use of drawings and diagrams. Throughout the book the author adds pictures of the things Christopher is seeing and experiencing to make it feel as if you are there with him. In addition to adding to the ability for the reader to connect to the book, it also shows some of the ways in which he thinks differently than other people.  Christopher has a different brain than other people, he has a nearly photogenic memory and can do complex things all in his head such as advanced math or even creating maps. To show some of his skills the book includes illustrations of some of the things he does in hid mind and some of the things he sketches.  Below is an example of one of the maps he made while visiting the zoo. He did not complete this while he was there rather off his memory afterwards.

Source: www.slideshare.net

Wednesday Blog: Week Six

This week while reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon I became more interested in the play version of it and decided to watch trailers as well as read reviews about the play. It was first preformed August 2, 2012 at the Royal National Theater in London  and during its premiere run, the play tied the record for winning the most Olivier Awards, including Best New Play at the 2013 ceremony.

"Winner of five Tony Awards, this innovative adaptation of the best-selling novel, staged by 'War Horse' director Marianne Elliott, doesn't disappoint in its touring production."

Tuesday Blog: Week Six

This week I have begun reading the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This book follows a boy named Christopher, who discovers the dead body of the neighbor's dog. Mrs. Shears, the dog's owner, calls the police, and Christopher becomes a suspect. When a policeman touches him, he hits the policeman and gets arrested, later he gets released with a police caution. After being released he becomes obsessed with the crime and determined to figure out who killed the dog, going against his father's wishes for him to leave the situation alone. Christopher decides to write a book about everything that is going on. His dad later found the book and hid it from him. Christopher while searching for the book found letters from his mother which were dated after she died. He then learns that his mother is not dead, she had an affair with Mr. Shears and his dad kicked her out. This shocks Christopher and angers him deeply, but he also does not understand everything going on. Christopher decides to ignore his father, and as a result his father starts saying everything he has every lied to him about, one thing being the death of Wellington. It turns out that his dad actually killed him because of the affair.

Source: www.davidicke.com

Quote 

"I decided that it was a kind of puzzle, and if something is a puzzle there is always a way of solving it. It's like computers. People think computers are different from people because they don't have minds." (Haddon 163)

Christopher is determined willful person, who no matter what he encounters will try to solve it. that explains he drive to find out who killed the dog, and also explains his drive to do so well in his A level classes. His determination comes from his infatuation with puzzles and mysteries. In some ways Christopher's life is a puzzle because there is so much he does not know if his mother is dead or alive, where she is, and both of his parents have had an affair. Although his life is somewhat complicated Christopher’s brain works much like an organized computer. The fact that Christopher's brain brain works much like a computer would shows how his way of thinking is different from many other peoples. As I mentioned in a blog last week, Christopher has unique skills which attribute to how smart he is.

Although Christopher has autism, I believe that many people's brains also work like computers. A brain working like a computer implies that their brain has a logical way of operation and is organised in every aspect. More specifically, a routine would be a logical way of operation, and a memory or knowledge would be like a database on the internet. In my personal life I agree that our brains work in this way. A stimuli like a sight smell or taste acts as a google search, and our memories act as the results. The way we make decisions is also based off these things, and the way we read emotions is as well. Many articles have been posted and say how similar the brain is to a computer, and for an example of this check out the one linked below.

Source: towardsdatascience.com

Friday Blog: Week Five

This week I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon pages 1-144. while reading I came across a few words that I was unfamiliar with.

Vocab:

Advantageous P.25
Providing an advantage; furnishing convenience or opportunity; favorable; profitable; useful; beneficial.
Erroneous P.39 
Straying from what is moral, decent, proper, etc.
Promulgate P.43
To make known by open declaration; publish; proclaim formally or put into operation.
Remuneration P.51
To pay, recompense, or reward for work, trouble, etc.
Bruit P.74
To voice abroad; rumor (used chiefly in the passive and often followed by about ):
Recalcitrant P.85
Resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.
Beguile P.89
To influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude.
Circumlocution P.113
A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
Empirical P.128
Depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, especially as in medicine.
Obdurate P.136
Unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.

All definitions are taken from Dictonary.com

Tuesday Blog: Week Five

This week I have begun reading the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This book follows a boy named Christopher, who discovers the dead body of the neighbor's dog. Mrs. Shears, the dog's owner, calls the police, and Christopher comes under suspicion. When a policeman touches him, he hits the policeman and is arrested, then released with a police caution. After being released he becomes obsessed with the crime and determined to figure out who killed the dog, going against his father's wishes for him to leave the situation alone. Christopher decides to write a book about everything that is going on. His dad later found the book and hid it from him. Christopher while searching for the book found letters from his mother which were dated after she died. He then learns that his mother is not dead, she had an affair with Mr. Shears and his dad kicked her out. 

Quote:
"If I get really interested in something, like practicing math, or reading a book about the Apollo missions or great white sharks, I don't notice anything else... this is why I am very good at playing chess because I detach my mind at will and concentrate on the board." (Haddon 73)

source: Thenationalautisticsociety.org

Christopher an autistic boy has a different way of functioning. This quote highlights one of the differences between his way of thinking and a neurotypical persons' way of thinking. Christopher is explaining how when he enjoys something, he is able to focus in on that one thing as if nothing else mattered. This shows how his area of interests and his different way of thinking allow him to be one step of everyone else in some senses. Earlier in the book, he described a similar thing where he said his brain recalled things differently than an average person's brain would. 

Source:slideshare.net/HatchEarlyLearning

Christopher's skills remind me much of my best friend's brother. Whenever she and I were together when we were younger, her brother always seemed to be busy. He always had something to do. His favorite things were bikes and cars. Whenever he was doing something that had to do with one of his special interest he seemed to be on another planet because of how focused he was. The way Christopher talked about his skills and the way he blocks out everything else when he is focused reminded me so much of him. 

Wednesday Blog: Week Five

This week I watched a second episode of Atypical. This episode was about Sam’s crush on a girl who already has a boyfriend. This episode highlighted some of the differences between someone who is neurotypical and someone who has a ASD in the sense of their love life.