Society has referred to mothers of children with autism or schizophrenia as “refrigerator mothers” or “refrigerator parents.” In "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" written by Mark Haddon, Christopher's mother can easily fall into the "refrigerator mother" stereotype because she is not capable of handling the responsibility of having a son with Asperger’s. Haddon also focuses on the daily struggles faced by people with Asperger's or autism. However, disabilities come in many forms and are partly genetic. They may also have an important environmental aspect, such as maternal care. Asperger's syndrome and autism are rarely described properly in literature, especially in novels. The author takes his novel in a direction that, ultimately, should be enjoyable and interesting for the reader. It is therefore common for the author to deviate from what is “real” or scientifically and psychologically correct. Christopher is described as a very bright 15-year-old boy who has no idea how he should behave in his social interactions with other members of his community and his family. He feels satisfied when he solves math problems, especially if they include prime numbers. When Christopher says, "Prime numbers are what's left when you've removed all the patterns." I think prime numbers are life. They are very logical, but we will never succeed in working out the rules, even if we spend all our time thinking about them. (Haddon, 12 years old) In a way, Christopher sees himself as a prime number. He grew up believing that he is different from everyone else. Prime numbers do not mix, they are singular and cannot be taken into account. A similar understanding has developed with the view of autism. Haddon's portrait of Asperger's Christopher...... middle of paper ......rs too. Haddon allowed the reader to form their own opinions about why the family dynamic is the way it is and why Christopher behaves the way he does. This is a critical point for a novel, especially one written about a subject as controversial as autism and Asperger's syndrome. Works Cited Haddon, Mark. The curious incident of the dog in the night. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2003. McGowan, Patrick O. et al. “Broad epigenetic signature of maternal care in adult rat brains.” Plos ONE 6.2 (2011): 1-11. Academic research completed. Internet. April 3, 2014. Champagne, Frances, Josie Diorio and Michael J. Meaney. “Natural variations in maternal behavior in rats are associated with differences in estrogen-inducible central oxytocin receptors.” PNAS, October 23, 2011. Web. April 4. 2014. .