[Aly]

Hi Mr. Korman!

 

It's me again. I was recently thinking about the abbreviation for the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, shortened to ASD. Funnily enough, this is also the abbreviation for Austim Spectrum Disorder.

Many of my friends and I joke about this being on purpose because of the autistic coding of the gifted students.

I'm pretty sure the abbreviation was unintentional but it's still a fun thing to think about.

 

– Aly

Hi, Aly,

Ouch! ABSOLUTELY unintentional. Autistic coding of the gifted students? Really? I thought they were just peculiar because their heads were so full of stuff!                                                                        -----Gordon Korman-----

[Ej]

That may be why Noah wanted to drop out because they were giving him artistic treatment 

Artistic and autistic are two very different things, no?                                                        --GK--

[Aly]

It's okay, Mr. Korman! I love when I can look into the subtext and find unintentional stuff sprinkled throughout. (Also "artistic" sounds similar to "autistic" so many people both inside and outside of the community make a joke about that.)

 

This is gonna be a long one, but this is my list of unintentional autistic coding of the gifted kids.

 

1. They all fall into the "savant syndrome" category. It is an extremely rare condition where people with intellectual disabilities, like autism, have exceptional skills in one specific area. Though, in media, it seems to usually be for musical or academic abilities.


2. All have very little in the way of social skills and have trouble getting comfortable with new people or situations. (i.e. Latrell getting mad at Donovan for asking questions related to Tin Man, Jacey getting flustered and immediately talking about Earth layers)


3. The kids can't really accept that their wrong and aren't very understanding other's perspective. (i.e. Abigail get mad at others even for being right or better at stuff than her, Noah not understanding why Donovan cheated)


4. Most the coding comes from Noah Youkilis, who was immediately said to have trouble making eye contact, which is a huge stereotype about autistic people (not saying it's bad or unrealistic to write autistic characters with that trait—it's just a really common pet peeve in the community).


5. Noah also has very bad motor difficulties (and possibly Abigail). This is specific to their coordination and balance. These difficulties affect their running, jumping, and hopping skills. Low muscle tone can also be affected which is what causes Noah's horrible posture. Shown by the dance and way too much of the second book.


6. Noah being "obsessed" with YouTube, which could read as him having a hyperfixation or special interest.

 

There's also a pretty common headcanon that Donovan also has ADHD. (Yes, I know he lied about it in the book, but there are plenty of people are undiagnosed until adulthood or even in their golden years.)

Hi again,

All that is no doubt true. Also true is the tendency that people like to categorize and label others -- it can be interesting, and is often accurate. And just as often inaccurate. Noah could be a klutz who has always ignored physical pursuits in favor of intellectual ones. This might also explain why some very bright people are inordinately competitive and mistrustful of others' motives. A lot of people who have a lot of smarts are often socially awkward and spend more time with books than with other people. 

Or you could be right about all of them. I'm just pointing out that not evey person and every foible can be neatly put into cubbyholes and explained away.                                                                                             ---GK---