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Autism fact - Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism.
I knew that. Just about every person I know (or know of) who's on the autism/Asperger's spectrum is male. What I didn't know, until somebody pointed it out to me, is that one of my leading men has mild Asperger’s syndrome. The people who told me should know. One has two children with the condition, and the other has it himself.
Now it's great when people get to the heart of your writing and see something in your characters which you’ve not put there intentionally, but how exactly did it get there? I've always seen Orlando as an almost complete character (springing from my head pretty well fully formed) and I can only conclude he'd been influenced by a series of people I've known in life, some of whom could well have been at the high functioning end of the Asperger's spectrum themselves, only "we didn't call it that back then". The chap I was pals with at school, who was extremely bright but who just didn't seem to "get" what was socially acceptable. The chap (more than one) at Uni who walked to the beat of a very different drum. The don (who I've only recently realised was a huge influence on the character of Orlando) who came out with the most extraordinary statements. His reply on what he thought of his first visit to Fenners, "I knew it would be green and guessed it would be round," is oft repeated chez Cochrane.
These people bore no labels. They needed no labels. They were uniquely themselves. They have each enriched my life.
You can find the links to the rest of the wonderful posts there.
I'm offering a book (print or ebook) of winner's choice to one lucky commenter on this post. Will draw the winner at the end of the month.
If you want to find out more about Orlando, his love life and his amateur sleuthing, you can find out about the books at my website.
I knew that. Just about every person I know (or know of) who's on the autism/Asperger's spectrum is male. What I didn't know, until somebody pointed it out to me, is that one of my leading men has mild Asperger’s syndrome. The people who told me should know. One has two children with the condition, and the other has it himself.
Now it's great when people get to the heart of your writing and see something in your characters which you’ve not put there intentionally, but how exactly did it get there? I've always seen Orlando as an almost complete character (springing from my head pretty well fully formed) and I can only conclude he'd been influenced by a series of people I've known in life, some of whom could well have been at the high functioning end of the Asperger's spectrum themselves, only "we didn't call it that back then". The chap I was pals with at school, who was extremely bright but who just didn't seem to "get" what was socially acceptable. The chap (more than one) at Uni who walked to the beat of a very different drum. The don (who I've only recently realised was a huge influence on the character of Orlando) who came out with the most extraordinary statements. His reply on what he thought of his first visit to Fenners, "I knew it would be green and guessed it would be round," is oft repeated chez Cochrane.
These people bore no labels. They needed no labels. They were uniquely themselves. They have each enriched my life.
You can find the links to the rest of the wonderful posts there.
I'm offering a book (print or ebook) of winner's choice to one lucky commenter on this post. Will draw the winner at the end of the month.
If you want to find out more about Orlando, his love life and his amateur sleuthing, you can find out about the books at my website.
