Let me follow Ben's lead and offer a bulk apology if I got anything wrong. I was unsure how others would feel about me, not on the spectrum, writing about a character who is. I hope I did not offend anyone as a result. I was on the fence about whether my first novel was the right place to write about this topic. Yet, here we are, at the end of the book, but please let me know if I made mistakes in depicting the ASD side of the story. As with writing, learning from my mistakes is how I grow.
The idea came first after reading 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion. After I met Don Tillman and the author hinted on what's behind his story, I wanted to learn more about what Asperger's Syndrome was and went into a research rabbit hole, as I am known to do. Ben and Amélie's characters started to form in my brain, and for two months, they kept talking to me. I gave in and started this novel, unsure of where it would go. That was November 2019.
During the eight months of writing, I had to learn about creative writing and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and Asperger's. I read books, watched YouTube vloggers who are on the spectrum, read blogs, and articles online from the national and international organizations that specialize in autism, read the DSM-5 classification that folded Asperger's into the ASD umbrella.
My approach to the story was that of a neurotypical person who encounters a person on the spectrum without knowing that information about them at first, showing their interactions when they don't know each other, and how the perception changes over time. I put in honest work in learning more, but I did not want ASD to define the story, which in my head was about two young people figuring out their lives.
I had several sensitivity readers go over the novel and offer their valuable suggestions. I did my best to incorporate them. In the end, Ben is not supposed to be a character who has all the possible attributes of a person on the spectrum (or formerly diagnosed with Aspergers). Yes, Ben is entirely fictional and not based on anyone I know, although I did incorporate certain behaviors and anecdotal information when building his narrative arc.
Ben is not meant to portray all people with his diagnosis or an amalgamation of all the stereotypes; rather, he is a person with his own qualities. Just like Amélie's insecurities are not supposed to be what every child with divorced parents would acquire. For her, I looked into the effects of abandonment on a child's development and coping mechanisms that she created as a result. There was research involved in that as well, but that wouldn't be me if there was no research.
As I am a research junkie, I went through a lot of material over the span of eight months. I don't want to overwhelm people, but if you would like to learn more about ASD and Asperger's, here is a short list of resources I used for my education on the topic and found useful.
Books in general:
The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood
The Other Half of Asperger Syndrome (ASD) by Maxine Aston and Anthony Attwood
22 things a Woman Must Know if She Loves a Man with Asperger's Syndrome by Rudy Simeone and Maxine Aston
Alone Together: Making an Asperger Marriage Work by Katrin Bentley
Asperger's and Adulthood: A Guide to Working, Loving and Living with Asperger's Syndrome by Blythe Grossberg
Memoirs:
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
Thinking in Pictures by Br. Temple Grandin
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson
The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch
Novels:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Rosie Project (Don Tillman Trilogy) by Graeme Simsion
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
YouTube:
Asperger's from the Inside
Adam Wonders
National Autistic Society South Hampshire