Not to sound like the Psychology major that I am, but...

[Lynda Cordova]

No: HPFGUIDX 136500

Maggie wrote:

> 1. Could Serveus Snape be a High functioning Autistic? 
> 2. Draco Malfoy seems to me like he could have some kind of disruptive behavior disorder
> 3. Hermione Granger and Percey Weasley seem to be intellectually gifted.
> 4. Neville Longbottom seems to have some kind of Learning Disability or ADD.
>5. Obviously stated in canon that Hannah Abott has anxiety attacks and says that she's too dumb to take the OWLs.


Lynda says:

Not responding as a psychology major but as one who works with learning disabled kids:

1.  Severus Snape as a high functioning autistic--I guess that's a possibility, but I would say its unlikely.  He's just, to say the least, not a nice person; to say the most very possibly evil.

2.  Draco Malfoy may have some or all of these disorders.  Or he could be a spoiled kid who is suddenly under a lot of pressure to perform (as of the last book).  He lives in a household where he has been taught to value the goals of dark wizardry.  He reminds me aomwhat of a kid I work with some, though, who does have some behaviour problems (ODD, ADD).

3.  JKR has gone to great lengths to help us understand that Percy Weasley and Hermione Granger are indeed, very gifted intellectually.  

4. Neville Longbottom is under extreme pressure from his family.  He is constantly being told by his grandmother that he is not as good (talented at wizardry) as his parents were.  His grandmother did not even buy him his own wand.  She passed on his father's wand to him instead. 

5.  Yes, Hannah Abbot has anxiety attacks when testing.  A lot of people do.  As for being to dumb to take her OWLS, she is the one who said that, not anyone else.  

I'm not critizizing your comments, but there are a lot of real people out there who have had labels put on them.  Some of those labels are valid, and then again, some are not.  I can see traces of some of the kids I work with in some of Rowling's fictional characters, but then, too, they are portrayed as people with problems, and family pressures and expectations are big problems for a lot of people.  Snape as a high functioning autistic...now that puts a new twist on things...

Lynda