Autistic characters in books

Autism in books

There is a growing number of autistic characters found in popular movies, television and fiction. These characters are of varying realism and accuracy in their representation of autistic children. The goal of the piece and its target audience affects the character.

Fortune on the Spectrum is a work of fiction in which the main character lives and succeeds on the autism spectrum.  Being autistic is both a help and a hindrance to his life covering birth to young adulthood.
When it comes to characters in books and other fictional media, the experience of the writers will vary a great deal. In my case autism is something that I am deeply familiar with and integrate into my novels.  Of course there are artistic liberties taken along with autistic liberties.


Mark Ferdinand lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, carving, auto and home repair occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father’s perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues. Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his special needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism. Corpus Christi author and Texas author Mark Ferdinand. Mark writes novels with autistic characters, and Texas fiction.
New non-fiction title “You’re Gonna’ Get Bit!  coming soon. For those like the creepy crawly reptiles and amphibians. Fun tales from amateur fun to professional pitfalls.

Mark’s titles are available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon. Visit his Amazon author bio page here: Mark Ferdinand