Asperger's Syndrome In Rain Man

In the novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon and the 1988 movie Rain Man, there is an incorporation of main characters who face the challenge of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. While Christopher John Francis Boone, the main character in the novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, has Asperger’s Syndrome, Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 movie Rain Man, has Savant Syndrome. Both Christopher and Raymond are not narrowly portrayed as being only defined by their disorder, but instead are shown in a way that proves they are more than just an autistic individual. Although Christopher and Raymond have different disorders pertaining to the general category of Autism, there is a multitude of correlations between the two syndromes and how it affects the lives of both characters.

Christopher Boone has the Autism Spectrum Disorder known as Asperger’s Syndrome.

Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)…

There are many issues associated with Asperger’s including obsession with complex topics, not being able to understand abstract ideas, sensory problems, and inappropriate social behavior, all of which Christopher shows throughout the novel. Raymond Babbitt, however, has Savant Syndrome, an “exceedingly rare, but a remarkable condition in which persons with autism, or other serious mental handicaps, or major mental illness, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand out in stark contrast to their overall disability” (Hiles). Although Raymond is not as high functioning as Christopher, he shows many of the numerous qualities associated with this disorder along with similar qualities that Christopher also possesses. Some of these similarities include remarkable qualities, sensory overload issues, strange habits, and social