Character Advice

[RSLu]

Here for (as the title would suggest) any advice or thoughts anyone feels like giving. (Posted similarly on wrongplanet, but I'm posting here as well for some more perspectives). I preferred to run this by folks on the spectrum, for the sake of honesty and good taste.

I'm developing a character for a fictional setting (fantasy/sci-fi). Long story short (don’t want to give too much away), said character (an early antagonist) is the result of a "Les Enfants Terrible"-esque eugenics experiment. As result, said character grows up with differently wired brain chemistry that manifests in both unnaturally high intelligence and certain autistic and obsessive traits (e.g. black-and-white thinking, impaired ability to read or socialize with people, highly observant and analytical, etc.).

I plan on the character having skills that come from their attention to detail, concentration and memory, namely including operational planning/tactics (mapping out steps/tactical measures, and how long it should take, in their head) and helping to organize an underground group (encyclopedic knowledge of intelligence and guerrilla practices). Due to their lack of people skills, they let others formally run the organization, acting as an advisor.

As it is, I understand that folks on the spectrum typically have problems with executive functioning that would make such skills (especially planning, tactics, strategy) unlikely. What is your opinion on how I should approach this, or if it would be OK (i.e. not unbelievable or insulting) if I just rationalized it that the particular autistic traits the character possesses don't include bad executive function?

 

[Streetwise]

have you ever read the midwich cuckoos by john wyndham
the evil characters are extremely intelligent
it was adapted to a 1960 film(movie) titled 'the village of the damned' its the best version, the Hollywood version was ridiculous
just DONT be sensationalist, i think Dr who is very much on the autism spectrum especially the 1963-1983 doctors
the writing for William hartnell ,Patrick troughton and john pertwee, the first three doctors- is the most like autism

 

[Inator]

Planning, tactics and strategy is the easy part. Because that only takes the internal thought process. The hard part is the physical execution itself.

Now, because I'm working (and testing) a similar story for a videogame, what I have found works "best", is to have a character that do have autistic traits, but not to mention them within, at least "directly"; rather let certain features to "stand out", but allow the public to take their own conclusions. Avoid questioning (at least too much) the main character's behavior, but complement it with the secondary characters' reactions towards the main character itself (which shouldn't not be TOO negative anyway, probably in an innocent but balanced "Oh he's some weird"). UNLESS, if the character was a soldier (for instance), he comparatively needs to show some more motivation and dedication in practice before going to the war.

Present the behaviors, but normalize them at the same time.
And don't forget, a "very" NT character with a "very" normal life would be boring :O (unles something shocking enough happens to it, which usually takes comparatively more effort (and luck) from the writer)

 

[Judge]

What is your opinion on how I should approach this, or if it would be OK (i.e. not unbelievable or insulting) if I just rationalized it that the particular autistic traits the character possesses don't include bad executive function?

The short answer? Some of us are very high-functioning in the executive sense and some of us are not.

Though I'm a bit curious why you would be so focused on such a detail given this to be a work of fiction, pertaining to something where it's probable that less than 1 in 68 of your viewers would even contemplate such a detail.

From my own perspective as one of those very high functioning people on the spectrum, I'd think the only way to really indicate that I was actually on the spectrum in print would require many pages of me projecting several traits and behaviors at low amplitudes, or a few depicted at a very high amplitude or when I was physically and emotionally exhausted where my autistic tendencies are more likely to show up. Though I also have some traits which are hard-wired, such as my inability to process incoming sarcasm. That can happen any time with any interaction with another person.

For a number of us, our reality is that our autism remains under the radar of most NTs. Good luck trying to convey that in just a few paragraphs or pages.

My advice? To make it understandable to the broadest audience, just leave that character as Neurotypical. Find another character who you can clearly portray as being on the spectrum without having to guess.

 

[wight]

Genius level intelligence, strong executive function, and aspie traits are not mutually exclusive. In point of fact, geniuses often exhibit aspie like traits even though they aren't.

I suggest you do some reading about executive function and how the brain works, it will help you understand how to write the character.

 

[RSLu]

Thanks for the feeback, everyone.

@Inator In general, I'm definitely in line with not outright diagnosing the character for the audience, but putting certain telltale idiosyncrasies and traits.

@Judge The autistic traits have a symbolic/contextual (best way I can describe it) significance in the plot. The character was "engineered" with the genetic material of another character who had sociopathic traits. The character in question, and another character engineered from the same material, are meant to represent their "parent's" Superego and Id respectively (i.e. clone 1 being more "scrupulous" and morally/ideologically fanatical, having autistic and obsessive traits, but not being psychopathic; clone 2 being even more psychopathic and unstable, but lacking any kind of purpose or grand goal, a "dog chasing cars" to quote the Dark Knight).

@wight As I understand it, psychological "conditions" are more like constellations of different traits, some of which are more likely to co-exist with others, but not conforming perfectly to rigid details.