The October Child is a 1976 children's book written by Eleanor Spence and illustrated by Malcolm Green. It follows the first four years of the autistic child Carl Mariner's life and the effects that he has on his parents, Robert and Beth, and his older siblings, Kenneth, Douglas, and Adrienne.
The October Child contains examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Past: When Carl is three, Adrienne asks Douglas to take her to a movie that from her description sounds like The Poseidon Adventure. That movie was released in Australia in 1973, which means that Carl was probably born in 1969.
- Baby's First Words: Beth is relieved when Carl says his first word, 'Ma-ma,' at fifteen months. But by the time he's almost four, he still only knows a handful of words.
- Big Town Boredom: The Mariners originally live in the small seaside village of Chapel Rocks. When they move to Sydney, Kenneth hates being trapped in a city and misses surfing and dirt biking at home.
- Commune: An abandoned building in the Mariners' new neighborhood is inhabited by a hippie commune whose members are all Christians and offer aid to anyone who needs it. Kenneth falls in with them and eventually decides to join the commune and change his name to Brother Benedict. When they get kicked out of their home, Kenneth abandons his original plan to move back to Chapel Rocks, instead moving north into the countryside with the other members.
- Hates Being Touched: Even as a baby, Carl stiffens when he's picked up. As he grows larger, he sometimes tolerates touch but sometimes resists violently.
- Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films: Beth bans eight-year-old Adrienne from watching horror films after she starts thinking that the flying foxes are vampire bats. She keeps watching them in secret, though.
- Making Room for Baby: Before Carl is born, the Mariners build a new addition onto their house for him.
- Moving Angst: A few months after Carl turns three, the Mariners move to Sydney so he can attend a special school. Douglas and Adrienne both accept the idea, especially since Douglas wants to attend the Music College in Sydney, but Kenneth, who is fifteen at the time, is furious at having to move. He counts the days until he turns sixteen, when he can drop out of school and go back to Chapel Rocks.
- Self-Harm: When Carl is really upset, he sometimes smashes his head into things or chews on his fingers.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Kenneth is confident, outgoing, and athletic. Douglas, who's two years younger, is shy and somewhat nervous and prefers reading and listening to music to any physical activity.
- Threatening Shark: One day when Carl is a baby, Kenneth and Douglas go swimming together. Then Kenneth feels a shark brush against him. The brothers swim to shore as quickly as possible.
