The Curious
Incident of the
Dog in the
Night-time
by
Mark Haddon
A Unit of Work for
Standard Grade
HANDBOOK: ASPERGER'S SYNDROME
What's it like?
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Imagine not knowing why people are laughing at you; imagine being
called' odd'.
Imagine a world where you did not understand jokes, idioms,
metaphors and expressions such as: Pull your socks up, lake the bull by
the horn, catch you later, that's cool, as flat as a pancake, pick up
your ideas.
Someone asks if you want more chips. You answer, how many?
Imagine not knowing why everyone laughs.
Imagine your favourite room at home where everything is placed just
as you want it. You know where everything is. It has always been like
that. Now imagine going home to find that someone has changed
everything around without your knowledge. You have to adapt to the
change, everything is in a different place from usual. You find this
extremely distressing.
What is it?
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Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism. Autism includes a range of
developmental disabilities not caused by psychological factors.
Those with Asperger's syndrome display an impairment in social
interaction, imagination, and flexible thinking. They process
incoming information inappropriately. Their brain's ability to take
in, store and use information, results in a somewhat unusual
perspective on the world.
Unlike autism, the cognitive and communicative development of
those with Asperger's syndrome are within the normal or nearnormal range in the first years of life. However, they do not learn
social rules despite observing the behaviour of others or receiving
frequent reminders. They have difficulty with abstract concepts
and often take language literally. A weakness in processing
information auditorily may result in behaviour that seems rude.
Those with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit highly articulate
and verbose language skills. They tend to rote learn and therefore
each piece of information remains disconnected. They find it
difficult to make small talk, and talk at people rather than to them.
There may be a lack of awareness of the need to take turns when
talking and difficulty in interpreting body language, facial
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expressions, gestures and vocal volume. Eye contact may be
avoided. Students with Asperger's cannot conceptualise or
appreciate others' thoughts and feelings and may have a primitive or
non-existent sense of humour. They can be obsessively tidy and take
up idiosyncratic interests such as trains, cookers, or car number
plates.
Learners with Asperger's syndrome can have low self esteem.
Other difficulties such as dyslexia or epilepsy may be present.
Asperger's syndrome is not rare and it is likely that there will be some
students with this syndrome in every school, college and university.
The disorder is found more frequently in males than in females.
Students' voices
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The following comments are typical of the experiences of students with
Asperger's syndrome.
I often find people laughing at me but I am not sure why.
I make people cross. I laughed when we were told that Mr. Davis had died but I
don't know why I did that.
Mrs. S. said she would see me this afternoon but she didn't. She shouldn't say
things she doesn't mean.
Mr. K. and I have an agreement. He holds up his thumb sometimes. This is a sign
for me. I have to do the same if I am OK. Sometimes he doesn't hold up his
thumb when I am not OK. I have to point my thumb down when that happens. He
comes and talks to me.
I have lots of friends. They are all at college. There are a lot of friends I have
never spoken to. They don't know me. I don't know the name of all my friends as
there are too many. I learnt the names of everyone in the chemistry class so
I have more friends there. You should know the names of your friends.
If I am more that 80% not happy I can sit at a table at the back. It faces the
wall. It is my space. I do not want anyone else in my space. One day there were
cups and saucers in my space. I threw them on the floor. I was 100% not happy.
Mr. D said I was right to be cross about my space but I should put anything
that shouldn't be there on his desk next time. He said that I should check
and clear my space at the start of each lesson. I do that. I made a notice for
my space. I called it 'Peter's Zone.' Someone changed it to Parazone. I think it
was a friend. I left it. Mr. D said think of it as a nice clean corner but I don't
know why he said that.'
To be honest I think I do have obsessions with mechanical things and I read
about them when I can. It becomes very annoying when I'm told I can't.
 I feel I learn very quickly but in my own way.
Implications for learning
 Approach to learning
Students with Asperger's syndrome have a weakness in processing
information through hearing (auditory processing) and need to write
instructions down (visual processing). They tend to rote learn and
therefore each piece of information remains disconnected. Individual
assignments are preferred to pair or group work. Students usually prefer
to work on their own, or they may have a tendency to take control of
group situations according to their own understanding of social rules.
 Classroom behaviour
Students may keep repeating the same question until they have
worked out the answer. They often rely on strict routines and do not
adapt to change easily (for example, always wanting to sit in the same
seat, or feeling unsettled by a change in teacher or room). Students may
need someone to deal with what appear to be unimportant concerns, for
example why the blinds are pulled down, or why they are to watch a video.
They may become anxious when the situation is not predictable or clear.
 Language, understanding and application of knowledge
Students with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit highly articulate
language skills. These are not necessarily advanced communication skills,
and may be echolalic (repetitive) speech or learned phrases which are
repeated as if they are their own. Students may have trouble interpreting
analogies, or transferring knowledge from one context to another. They
may have difficulty in retelling stories or events in a cohesive and
sequential manner. and significant events may be recalled alongside the
trivial. They may develop areas of intense interest that are not directly
related to their study.
‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’
by Mark Haddon
TASK 1
Read page 1 of the novel. Think – Pair – Share for what you
notice about the language/style of the opening. What do you
find unusual or intriguing?
TASK 2
Read to the end of Chapter 37 (page 25).
The main character of the novel, Christopher Boone, has
autism.
After reading the first 25 pages, compile a list of
Christopher’s character traits that you think could be
attributed to his condition.
Consider:
 His language
 How he interacts with other people
 His understanding of social conventions
 His understanding of the world
 Anything else that you find worthy of a mention!
TASK 3
Continue reading to the end of Chapter 73 (page 61).
Compare Christopher’s ‘Behavioural Problems’ list to the list
that you compiled earlier. How are the two similar?
TASK 4
Read to the end of Chapter 79 (page 64).
Imagine you are Christopher’s father. Write a diary entry explaining
how you feel at this point in the novel. Consider:
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How you feel about Christopher’s condition and how you cope with
it
Your annoyance over Christopher’s obsession with who killed
Wellington
Why you feel angry
What it’s like being a single-parent with an autistic son
Remember to set the diary out appropriately, using the date and
‘Dear Diary’ at the start.
TASK 5
Chapter 97 (pages 69 – 77) is a turning point in the novel.
a) Explain what a turning point is.
b) Why do you think Chapter 97 is a turning point?
c) Continue the chapter, writing in the style of Mark Haddon
from Christopher’s point of view.
Consider:
 What does Christopher do with the new knowledge about his
mum and Mr Shears?
 Does Christopher’s dad find out about the conversation with
Mrs Anderson?
 Make sure that you use a similar style of language to
Christopher to make it convincing.
TASK 6
‘Mr Jeavons said I liked maths because it was safe. He said I
liked maths because it meant solving problems, and these
problems were difficult and interesting, but there was always a
straightforward answer at the end. And what he meant to say
was that maths wasn’t like life because in life there are no
straightforward answers at the end.’
Write about a difficult time in your life when you found that
there were no ‘straightforward answers’. Remember to include
your thoughts and feelings.
TASK 7
Read Chapter 113 (pages 96 – 99).
Christopher claims to have a good memory. He uses an
extended metaphor to explain this.
a) Explain what an extended metaphor is
b) What extended metaphor does Christopher use to describe his
memory?
c) How effective do you find this metaphor?
Writing
Choose one of the following tasks:
a) Write about a childhood memory that you have. Describe it in
such a way that it becomes ‘real’ to the reader and explain why it
is an important memory for you.
b) What would you do if you hadn’t …? (page 98)
c) What would I say to ________ if s/he was here now?
Read Chapter 127 (pages 100 – 104) and answer the following
questions in your jotter.
1. Write down three things that Christopher did when he got home from
school.
2. In your own words explain what the Blue Planet video was about.
3. Why do you think Christopher likes to imagine that he is there in the
‘deep blue’?
4. What technique does Mark Haddon use to describe the rust on the
advert for milk powder (Paragraph 4)? What does it tell you about the
circles?
5. Why do you think Christopher finds rhetorical questions difficult to
spot?
6. Christopher’s father is clearly angry when he speaks to Christopher
about the book. How do we know this?
7. ‘It was like someone had switched me off and then switched me on
again.” (p103) What technique has been used here and what does it
tell you about Christopher?
8. What do you think happened when Christopher lost his memory? Use
evidence from pages 103 and 104 to support you.
TASK 8 On page 102, Christopher talks about rhetorical questions. A
Rhetorical question is a question to which no answer is really
expected; it may have the effect of a strong statement.
Consider the effects of the following rhetorical questions:
a) How stupid are you? (page 102)
b) What time of night do you call this?
c) Few vehicles are built more solidly than the Porsche 924S. Fuel
economy? Outstanding. Re-sale values? Reassuringly high.
d) I woke up with a head like a rodeo. Isn’t it painful having fun?
e) Are you deaf? I feel as though I’m talking to a brick wall.
f) Shall we relax our efforts at the very moment when victory is in
our grasp?
g) Do you want to be rich? Play the National Lottery.
h) Is it nice being perfect?
Read Chapter 163 (Pages 145 – 148) and answer the following
questions in your jotter.
1a) The opening of Chapter 163 is surprising. What does the reader
expect the chapter to be about?
1b) Explain how it is different to your expectations.
1c) Why do you think Mark Haddon chose to start the chapter in this
way?
2) ‘That was because when I was little I didn’t understand about other
people having minds.’ How does the anecdote described in the
previous paragraph help to clarify the idea in the above quote?
3) ‘But the mind is just a complicated machine’. What technique has
been used here and how effective is it?
4) In your own words explain how, according to Christopher, people are
different to animals.
5) Explain the purpose of the brackets on page 148.
6) What is the function of the last paragraph in this Chapter (page 148)?
(Hint: Why is Christopher referring to his feelings?)
TASK 9
Read Chapters 149 and 151 (pages 114 – 128).
What techniques has Mark Haddon used to build up tension in these
chapters? How does he manage to evoke sympathy for Christopher?
Fill in the grids in your jotter.
Sympathy
Technique
Eg. Christopher tells Siobhan how he
got the bruise. He explains in an
innocent, matter-of-fact way that his
father hit him.
Page
Page 114
Quote
“I said that father was angry and
he grabbed me so I hit him and we
had a fight.”
Tension
Technique
Page
Eg. Use of a short sentence to create a
sense of mystery.
Page 114
Quote
“But my book wasn’t in the
dustbin.”
TASK 10
Mark Haddon often includes maps and diagrams in the novel
to show how Christopher needs to visualise things in order to
understand them.
Look at the diagrams on pages 162 and 163. How do they
help Christopher to make his difficult decision?
Find two more examples where maps or diagrams are used in
the novel. Explain their context and discuss their
significance for Christopher.
TASK 11
Read Chapter 191 (Pages 179 – 191).
How does Mark Haddon use sentence structure to reflect
Christopher’s state of mind?
Without paying any attention to accuracy, write about a time
in your life when you were frightened. Try and block
everything else out of your mind and write as quickly as you
can.
Now go back and look over your work. Do your sentences and
the words chosen reflect your state of mind?
Task 12
Read Chapter 197 (Pages 196 – 202).
Imagine that you are the policeman who dealt with
Christopher in this chapter. Write a script in which you
explain what happened to either your sergeant or to
Christopher’s dad. Remember that they probably won’t be
too impressed by the fact that you lost Christopher!
Task 12
Read Chapter 211.
What do the descriptions of the signs on pages 208 and 209
reveal about Christopher’s state of mind at this point in the
novel?
Task 13
Read Chapter 227.
Analyse the techniques used by Mark Haddon to build tension
in the novel.
At the end of this chapter, which character(s) do your
sympathies lie with? Justify your answer with close
reference to the text.
Critical Essay
Explore the techniques used by Mark Haddon to convey the main
character’s autism in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime'’
Suggested structure:
Introduction
Give a brief explanation of who wrote the novel and what it is about.
Make sure that your explanation is relevant by referring to autism.
Paragraph 2
Write about the narrative style (first-person) and the effects. You
might wish to mention the language style, especially sentence structure.
Paragraph 3
Aspects of plot are important in understanding Christopher’s autism.
Discuss his need for the truth. Why doesn’t he lie?
Paragraph 4
Talk about the dead dog. This symbolises Christopher’s need to discover
the truth, which is why he decided to write the book. When he sets out
to discover who killed Wellington he makes the devastating revelation
that it was his own dad. What impact did this have on Christopher?
Paragraph 5
From this point on, Christopher is unable to trust his Dad. How is this
made worse when he discovers the truth about his mother? How does
Mark Haddon manage to evoke sympathy for Christopher?
Paragraph 6
Numbers/maths help Christopher to cope with what is essentially a
confusing world. Discuss this.
Contrast his grasp of maths to his lack of understanding of some aspects
of language (eg metaphors) and social behaviour.
Paragraph 7
Maps and diagrams are often used in the novel as they help Christopher
to visualise his place in the world. Give an example and talk about the
impact on the reader.
Conclusion
Evaluate how effective Haddon’s creation of Christopher was. Did you
believe that he was autistic? Has the book taught you anything?
As usual, you need to aim for 800 words.
Make sure that your essay has been written clearly and that it focuses on
the question.
All of your main points should be supported by quotations from the text.
Check through for accuracy before handing it in. Good luck!