Forrest Gump: Intellectual Disabilities

In these films, psychological disorders are often portrayed inaccurately and do not provide the public with a true understanding of people suffering from these disorders. In the movie, “Forrest Gump,” Tom Hanks represents a character who was classified in the intellectual disabilities range early in school (McGrew).

There are many forms of mental retardation. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines mental retardation as “a condition, usually congenital, characterized by subnormal intelligence” (Agnes, p404). Mental retardation can be caused by a certain birth defect due to a traumatic event during the mother’s pregnancy, or mental retardation can also be inherited. The most common inherited form of mental retardation is Fragile X Syndrome.

In a 1983, intellectual disabilities were defined as below average function intellectually, the inability to adapt behavior and the individual’s ability to learn is negatively impacted. When using this definition, intellectual abilities are determined by a standard IQ score which would be below 70. This score along with the individual’s ability to adapt in social and academic situations were the two determining factors used.

Kids and teenagers use the word when they consider something or someone to be stupid. Today, the term is not as commonly used in a literal since. In years past, the term retard has been used to describe someone that is mentally handicapped. Although the term may still be used in times to derogatively refer to a mentally disabled person, it still happens. People, especially kids, are not always respectful of the people around them when they say things such as retard. Such an offensive word can be detrimental to a mentally disabled individual.

“Stupid is what stupid does ma’am.” Forrest Gump would constantly repeat to people he met, How would you feel if every time someone was talking to you they called you stupid, I wouldn’t like it. Forrest Gump grew up his whole life getting bullied and picked on from kids and adults alike. That didn’t stop him from being who he was or what he wanted to do. Forrest was a troubled boy with little intelligence, but a big heart. His mama knew this best of all. She always helped Forrest understand things and supported every decision he ever made. Forrest never had many friends but treated everyone as such. In school you were always told, “Treat others how you would want to be treated.” But no one ever lives by that code their whole life. Forrest also never let anything get in his way. Even though he knew he was slow in thought, he gave everything his best effort and he did it for himself and that is what makes Forrest Gump my hero.

Intellectual Disability. Intellectual disability is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors. Time out and modeling have the highest level of usability with a weighted mean of 2.69, followed by activity reinforcers with a weighted mean of 2.63. Time out has been effective in reducing behaviors such as tantrums, inappropriate social behaviors, yelling, aggression, time spent out-of-seat and inappropriate verbalizations which are common to children with intellectual disability (Alberto, Delfin and Andrews, 2002).

The movie stars a charming, mentally challenged man who can brighten anyone's day, not around people but the world itself. The tone of the book is much more darker than the movie. The book Forrest states, “I been an idiot since I was born. My IQ is near 70 which qualifies me, so they say.” In the movie he doesn’t say that about himself like he does in the book. Instead, his mother tries to convince the principal that he should go to school there,

Intellectual Disability, better known as (ID) is a disorder. Most people who have (ID), if not found out about in childhood, may get misdiagnosed. There are different components that determine a person’s diagnosis of Intellectual Disability. Genetic factors (A person 's genetic makeup); Prenatal issues and illnesses (before birth); Childhood illnesses and issues as well as Environmental factors all play a part in the determinant of Intellectual Disability(WebMD,2016). Because Intellectual Disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder, it affects a person’s intellectual and adaptive functioning.

An intellectual disability is a condition that is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning which includes reasoning, learning, and problem solving and also adaptive behavior which includes everyday social and practical skills. There are four types of intellectual disability. The four types are mild, moderate, severe, and profound. Mild intellectual disability can learn reading, writing, and math skills at a third to sixth grade level. Moderate intellectual disability may be able to learn basic reading and writing skills. Severe intellectual disability probably will not be able to read or write and require supervision in their daily living environment. Profound intellectual disability requires intensive support and may be able to communicate verbally. The disability is diagnosed by a set of standardized tests such as IQ tests in order to determine what level of disability is present.

The definition of intellectual disability is different from people’s first language. People’s first language mean a person with a disability that talks different than a normal person would. They are individuals with their own ability and their own interest. Intellectual disability is also known as mental retardation. It limits a person’s ability to do anything a normal person could do. It takes longer to walk, talk, learn, or read.

Although Forrest Gump IQ showed he was a little behind the other students he was able to prove the test wrong in other areas. He did go to college and played college football and graduate which meant he did have some cognitive learning skill and he also went to the war. Forrest seemed to experience many things that me and other people experience every day. There are other part in the movie where he runs almost all the way around the United States even though all odds were against him he was able to prove to himself that he could succeed at anything he Sievers

Those with disabilities whether it be physical or mental are severely underrepresented in film and when they are shown is it not accurate to the reality faced by real people with disabilities (Markotic, 2008, p.7). Forrest Gump is the child of a single mother in Alabama, he has severe scoliosis, at least in his youth, and a slightly below average IQ. While his IQ is below average we clearly see that he is very capable of living a normal life. However, the people around his treat him like the village idiot by calling him names, chasing him, and literally throwing stones at him. The ridicule that Forrest forgoes lets him fit nicely into one of the stereotypes of people with disabilities in film set by Hydler. Forrest fits the stereotype of the

Mental retardation has replaced words such as idiocy and mental subnormality as they became pejorative. However, mental retardation also turned to be a hurtful language, since the adjective “retarded” has been used in a demeaning manner. Every label stigmatizes people, and “mental retardation” has a strong negative connotation since the definition of the word “retard” is “delay”. So, if the person is retarded, he or she is behind the others in terms of intelligence. For this reason, this term does not confer respect or dignity to the person.

Prejudice, violence, socioeconomic difficulties, sexual assault, stigmas against people with disabilities, inequality, and politics. These topics resonate throughout the tale of one young, southern boy-- Forrest Gump. In Robert Zemeckis's film, Forrest Gump, the tale of a disadvantaged and disabled young boy, who grew up in the South, showcases, through light-hearted comedy, the historical progression of prejudice and discrimination in the United States of America. Forrest Gump never blended in with his peers during his youth, as they saw him as an abnormal person who had no place in their society-- purely because the same advantages were not available to him upon birth. Fortunately, he stumbled upon a beautiful girl named Jenny, someone who would mold and shape how Forrest developed throughout his life. After countless taunts and torment upon Forrest, Jenny urged him to run, as fast as he could, from the bullies who pursued him-- and while he did this he managed to break away from the braces that normally supported him, but he also broke away from the exact shackles that confined him. Therefore, Forrest’s braces represent him breaking away from the prejudice he faced and displays his humble attitude of rejecting the insensitive feelings of others. Through the film, Forrest Gump, director Robert Zemeckis demonstrates the importance of simplicity when evaluating controversial topics such as the Vietnam War, racial prejudice, ableism, sexual assault, and education reform in the United States.

The Main character in Forrest Gump by Winston Groom is Forrest Gump. Forrest's exceptionality is not specified, it is said that he has a IQ of 70 and it is implied that he has some sort of autism but he most likely has Asperger’s Syndrome because he has difficulty communicating and trouble going through social situations. He is verbal but he has a language processing disorder that makes his responses seem less intelligent then a “normal” person’s responses. He also interprets figurative phrases like many people with Asperger’s do (Aspennj.org, 2017). Forrest Gump has a kind pure childlike heart, he just wants to have a kind and honest life by always trying to do the right thing, the one thing he doesn’t like is being called an idiot. In the