Curious about Autism? See this Play

This past weekend, my husband and I went to see "The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-time".  It is the Broadway show that just won 5 Tony Awards, including best play.

Waiting to see "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"

The play's website describes the main character, 15-year-old Christopher, as "exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life."  It is based on a book by the same name.  Neither the book nor the play mention autism, but it seems obvious that Christopher has autism.

I will not give away the plot of the play, but I will say, YOU MUST SEE THIS SHOW, especially if you know someone with autism.  But even if you don't, it will explain so much that is often difficult to explain.

Christopher, like many people with autism, does not like to be touched.  This causes a lot of problems for Christopher and is a major part of the story.  There have been true stories of children who act out, sometimes violently against people who touch them.  This can be parents, siblings, teachers, sometimes even law enforcement officers.  Luckily, in our house, Nathan does not have an aversion to being touched.  He loves cuddling, and hugging.

The play perfectly describes what it's like to have autism

The Curious Incident of the Dog also explains sensory overload beautifully.  Sensory overload is is when a person has trouble processing everything they are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling at once.  The play uses bright lights, and loud music and other noises to help stimulate the sensory overload, while Christopher crawls up on the floor screaming with his hands over his ears.  This was a familiar scene for Jason and me.  We have seen Nathan crumble in what looks like pain, because he is getting too much input to his senses.

The next one is a big one is another big one in our house.  Many people with autism are very literal thinkers, they need things to stated clearly and cannot understand metaphors.  As Christopher says, he doesn’t understand why “the apple of someone’s eye” means that that one person likes another person a lot.  He also wishes when people say “Please be quiet” they can say how many minutes he needs to be quiet for- do they mean forever?  Just about every year, I have to explain to Nathan’s teachers, aides and helpers in school that they have to state things clearly.  If you say “Cut it out”, he’s going to go looking for scissors and something to cut, or if you say “Take a seat”, he’ll want to take his chair somewhere.

Christopher can’t tell a lie.  Neither can Nathan.  I think this goes back to his literal mind.  He’s just very honest, sometimes to a fault!  Nathan will tell teachers, caregivers or other children if he doesn’t like them.  But lately, Nathan has started to lie if he thinks he’s going to get in trouble.  For example, if he’s being punished and isn’t allowed to use the computer, he will say “I’m not on the computer” when I can clearly see that he is on the computer.  This is actually a huge developmental step, so I try not to get too mad.

The unique set uses lights, and moves to simulate sensory overload

And perhaps some of the biggest lessons are for parents and teachers of children with autism.  Christopher is very smart, despite his disability.  His school tries to keep him from taking more advanced tests and classes because no one else in his special school is that far ahead.  But his father and his teacher fight back, and demand that the school make changes to suit Christopher’s needs.  This is a constant battle for us.  Advocating for your child becomes a full time job.  The play also shows the joys and struggles of raising a child with autism.  These kids are so trusting and look to you to be as honest as they are, and if you’re not, it can be catastrophic for the person with autism and the parent.

Please, go see “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”, it is an amazing story, with a great message.  You won’t be disappointed.