Exploring Autism in the Movie, Rain Man Essay

Autism is a developmental disorder, which is characterized by a dyad of difficulties in a) communication and social interaction and b) restricted interests and imagination (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might find it challenging to understand what other people think or what the reasons for their behaviours are, as their ‘theory of mind’ may not be well developed (Schuwerk, Vuori & Sodian, 2015). It is possible that this is why they might behave in socially inappropriate ways, being unable to differentiate between different contexts, while they might also find it difficult to make friends. Moreover, it is likely that they are fond of routines, repetition and structure (Carnahan, Musti-Rao, & Bailey, 2009), as they might be nervous with unknown, new situations. In addition, some of them might not do eye contact with other people, whereas some others might not endure to be touched and might have a difficulty developing speech (Jordan, 2005). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might sometimes be prohibited to initiate conversations and might struggle with finding different ways to play and behave, due to the possible deficit of imagination, which in some cases might result in them having a narrow sphere of interests. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this group of people is rather heterogeneous, as characteristics of autism may differ from one individual to another (Gwynette, 2013). Another point is that people with Autism

Based on the case study, Sara has many elements and character traits that can identify with her diagnosis of autism. I do strongly believe Sara diagnosis is appropriate and in line with IDEA definition and the revised criteria for ASD in the DSM-5.

Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

“Autism is a disorder characterized by severe difficulties in social interaction and communication and with unusual behaviors.” (Dr. David Pauls 2003). This disorder is assumed to be caused by genetics, environmental toxins and/or prenatal care. (Harvard Medical School 2013). Social behaviors/interactions affected by Autism is the ability to process learning, communication and family/peer relationships. Autism is a disorder in which its cause makes it impossible to prevent and it takes a toll on its victim’s everyday life tasks.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be portrayed toward critical impairments in social interaction. It also includes restricted repeated behaviors, interests and activities. (Mayo Clinic staff, 2014)

Autism is profound impairment of social interaction and communication and severely restricted interests and activities, usually apparent by the age of 3. A few of Raymond’s

Charlie is a severely autistic character in the film The Black Balloon. This collage was made to represent the world that he perceives around himself, and those things that he finds important. Whilst making this collage, I focussed less on Charlie’s interests and more on how he would see things in the world and how they affect him. His interests are not widely focussed upon in the film, but there are large references to the affect his condition has on his view of the world.

The film we watched in class was called Louis Theroux: Extreme Love – Autism. The main point of this film was to show you what it is like for those who live with autism, and the loved ones that have to deal with it. “Autism is a developmental disability” (“Autism – Autism Spectrum Disorders”, 2017). People with autism usually have problems with communication, language, and social skills. The individual from the film that I will be analyzing will be Nicky. Nicky during the time of the film was nineteen years old. His living situation was with his mother. His family was very loving. To prove that when Louis asked Nicky’s mother the question, “would you change Nicky?” Her response was, “No he is special and can-do stuff that my other children can’t” (Louis Theroux: Extreme love – Autism). Now I shall go onto evaluate Nicky from what we have seen in the film.

In the book The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon, the main character Christopher Boone who is believed to have autism is routinely mistreated because of his behavior. When his father physically attacks him and knocks him out Boone explains, “I had no memories for a short while. I know it was a short while because I checked my watch afterward” (Haddon 82). The reason he acts in a disobedient manner is for the fact that he has autism, and that is just the way his brain works. Often his dad gets fed up with the way Boone acts even though he can not help it, and will attack him emotionally or physically. Which shows the abuse he takes stems from the fact he has autism. When he talks to strangers throughout the book he is laughed or yelled at because of the way he acts. In the same book a stranger yells, “‘Mad as a fucking hatter. Jesus,’” (Haddon 183). People throughout the book ridicule Boone, and disregard him as being a weirdo. If a person is being looked down upon and ridiculed it can have a effect against their mental well

Every single day is a struggle for an autistic child and his or her family. Autism affects all aspects of a child’s life from their ability to show affection to their family to being able to do simple tasks such as communicating and thinking in ways that we take for granted. Autism is defined as a developmental disability in which children experience abnormalities in social functioning, language, often act in puzzling ways, and usually appears before the age of three (Mash &Wolfe, 2010). Although the exact causes of autism are unknown there does seem to be a strong genetic component. Having a child or family member with autism is a constant battle of emotion and frustration. Everyone wants to help the people they love when they have

The mind of an autistic person is fascinating and frightening because usually their actions can’t accurately express what their brain is thinking. It is frustrating to try and determine what a child with autism is trying to say, and often results in them being misunderstood. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, tells the story from the perspective of Christopher Boone, a fifteen year old boy with autism. Chris is brilliant at math and science, but is unable to understand or express emotion. His difficult home life further contributes to his illness; he doesn’t have anyone at home who supports him and tries to help him. His teacher, Siobhan, is his only friend and the only person who tries to help him learn to

The Rain Man is a story about the relationship between two brothers, one being Autistic. The story line follows the as they drive across the country and their interaction as the one brother (Charlie) tries to deal with being thrust into a twenty-four hour a day week long journey and his first exposure to someone with Autism, his brother Raymond. Charlie Babbot is a younger guy who is involved in some high-risk exotic car sales when he realizes that he might not be able to make his bank notes on time. Charlie's father dies and leaves him with a car and some roses, while some unnamed beneficiary receives the remaining three million dollars the estate is worth. Charlie finds out from the bank that the trustee

Raymond was diagnosed in the movie the Rain Man with having autism. The autism symptoms disorder had several of Raymond’s characteristics, such impairment in social interaction, and multiple nonverbal behaviors. In this moment the Medical Model applies in Raymond case, when Raymond as a patient and needed a specialist for his psychological, behavioral, or cognitive disabilities. (Cole). Raymond could not look at people eyes, and most of the times slouched down spoken to keeping on a conversation. He refuse any kind the touch or even any fast anticipation in his directions. Raymond did not like when Charlie tried to hug him, the action was accept even when Charlie tried to explain. Raymond proves to have a personality of his own, that most of the time irritates Charlie. In this time the Client Centered Model when the client with your disability and barriers try to have participation on the life (Cole). During the conversation Charlie was asked Raymond a question, and he often answered with a negative answer. Raymond had hard time to carrying a conversation, sometimes used short answer was his away to put people away from his world. Would never start up a conversation with others or acted like he wanted to be around others, most of the times he was in self word without pay attention in others conversation around. When Raymond meet new people he tensed up and did not want to look, or act like anyone was there or speaking with him. Similarly situation made Raymond nervous, like

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and

The documentary of Autism: The Musical showcases children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families throughout a twenty two week program ending with a live performance. The documentary not only highlights the growth the children experience socially and emotionally throughout the program, but the challenges faced by the families and the strategies they employ to overcome them. There are five children focused on over the course of the documentary, Neil, Lexi, Henry, Adam, and Wyatt. Each child is at a different place on the spectrum therefore each family is effected differently by it. In fact each family can be seen at a different stage of acceptance ranging from sock, denial, anger, loneliness, sadness, to acceptance (Autism & Your Family, 2015). Lexi’s father Joe nicely describes some of the stages he experienced starting with denial which he said ended up taking over his whole life for a period of time, a period he describes as fix it mode, then depression because the parent realized that no amount of money or wishing can change the fact that the child has ASD and will always be living with it and finally comes acceptance.