The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a renowned and much-loved book among members of the autistic community. It is a story about a boy’s physical and mental journey to find out who killed his neighbours’ dog.
The plot is not as important as the protagonist himself, as there is an implied but unspoken suggestion within the book that the boy has a set of differences in behaviour and social interaction that points to him being on the autistic spectrum.
The author, Mark Haddon, is careful to avoid labelling the hero of his story as having any sort of condition, to ensure his readers pay attention to his character as a person without getting hung up on a medical stereotype.
For the people who know me in the museum sector, it will already be clear that I have made a lot of effort to improve diversity and awareness of people with autism, to allow a more inclusive museum space and workforce.
This book really inspires me in my work, as Haddon’s approach says much about how our society is so attached to categorising everything as something, when autistic people are as diverse as any mainstream community. He does this in the form of a light-hearted novel that raises awareness in such an accessible way.
I am still early on in my career, and am constantly trying to think of ways to raise awareness in the sector, and more widely, in the most accessible way to reach out and challenge common misconceptions about autism.
Mark Barrett is a Museums Association Transformer
