Media can be used as an educational tool, it has the ability to teach individuals things they would typically stay ignorant to. The film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape showcases autism. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Arnie, an eighteen year old that appears to be living with autism in the 1980’s. The movie shows how Arnie’s cognitive disability affects his family and his day to day life. Through the work of the screenwriter, Peter Hedges, the viewer is able to see an accurate portrayal of autism and how it changes the lives of the people surrounding Arnie. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is able to do all of this while maintaining clinical accuracy and informing the masses on a topic that is not widely discussed. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape focusses on …show more content…
These common attributes include: repetitive patterns of behavior, following routines, inappropriate giggling, and patterns of extreme reactivity or lack of fear. Some good examples of Arnie’s routines and repetitive behavior include: Gilbert talking about how every year Arnie and him go to watch the RVs and campers drive through Endora, and there are multiple scenes throughout the movie where Arnie climbs into trees and plays ‘where’s Arnie’ with Gilbert and Amy. On several occasions Arnie laughs at things that are inappropriate. A good example is when the whole Grape family is sitting at the table and the death of the father comes up. Arnie begins to giggle uncontrollably prompting his mother to become hysterical. Arnie also shows lack of fear when he continuously climbs up the water tower despite threats made by the police. Finally another typical trait that many with autism possess is extreme reactions to pain. Several times Arnie goes to Gilbert battered and bruised, but he seems to barely register it. But with all of these traits that Arnie shows, it seems like the screenwriter and producers promote these characteristics in a negative …show more content…
The screenwriter and the directors of the movie were able to embed so much information on autism that it makes the movie an excellent learning tool. It also shows how a whole family can be affected by autism, and how it takes more than one person to look after a cognitively impaired individual. The relationship Arnie has with Gilbert and Amy is remarkable. Gilbert is his main guardian. Gilbert is most concerned with Arnie and with making sure nothing harms him. But Gilbert is still caught up in how it could be potentially embarrassing to be associated with Arnie, and through the film we see Gilbert evolve into a better person who no longer cares what others might think about his relationship with Arnie. And Amy takes the maternal role in the family. Amy does not have a job so she can stay home and provide for the family. She has to make sacrifices because their family dynamic is so different because they have an autistic brother. Amy and Gilbert have to lead such different lives so they can accommodate Arnie. Leonardo DiCaprio, Peter Hedges and the director of the movie do a good job making sure that Arnie follows stereotypical actions that are associated with autistic children. He giggles at inopportune times, he follows the same pattern on several occasions, and shows little pain. To me they rely too much on those stereotypes. And by doing that they make Arnie look like he is a lesser person
The short documentary video “Prisoners of Silence” focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders with a clear emphasis on autism. It further delves into the rather controversial method of treatment for autism known as facilitated communication, which was first developed in the early 1990s. The video follows the introduction and ultimately the downfall of such a treatment as controversy quickly ensues after a series of sexual abuse cases and ample scientific evidence are produced.
afternoon a silver camper had engine trouble, forcing them to stay in town for a
According to Ronald B. Adler and Russell F. Proctor II “competent communication involves achieving one’s goals in a manner that, in most cases, maintains or enhances the relationship in which it occurs” (Adler and Proctor, 22). There are many different ways to be competent in communication. The way someone communicates depends on the personality of the communicator and who they are trying to communicate with. It also greatly depends on the situation in which the communication occurs. For example a “joke that would be ideal would probably be inappropriate at a funeral” (Adler and Proctor, 22). There are many different factors that determine whether someone is communicating competently, and there is a huge range of different behaviors
This scene may sound weird to neurologically-typical (NT), or “normal”, people, but it does demonstrate the coping strategies of people with autism, as exhibited through this scene from Rain Man. Charlie Babbitt, a neurologically typical adult, does not understand how his brother, Raymond Babbitt, who is a high-functioning autistic, functions in his little world that he has created. Manifestations of autism such as this indicate to people how an autistic was seen as “like a wolf” (Pollak 258) in older definitions. Recently, though, people are beginning to understand that the problem is organic, or biologically based, as opposed to the psychogenic, or psychologically based, hypothesis of the past. With the release of Rain Man came the increased understanding of autistics and a willingness to find out what autistics are thinking, thus i...
After watching the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” it focuses more on Gilbert Grape than any other characters in the movie. Gilbert Grape is a young man who resides in a small community called Endora. Gilbert at the beginning of the movie states “Describing Endora is like dancing to no music”. Gilbert’s youngest brother Arnie is soon to be 18 years old and has a developmental disability that never was disclosed in the movie. Furthermore, Bonnie Gilbert’s mother has been locked in her own home since her husband committed suicide seven years ago. Moreover, Bonnie is at the stage of stagnation. She is over-weighted and doesn’t think of doing anything for herself or for any of her children. Therefore, leaving Gilbert with the full responsibility of caring for his family especially Arnie.
The two movies I choose to compare and contrast are I Am Sam and Radio. In both of these movies the main characters expressed signs of being exceptional learners. In I Am Sam, Sam Dawson, is the main character that shows autistic tendencies accompanied by intellectual disabilities. “The most common syndromes associated with intellectual disability are autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).” (berns peter, 2016). (Nelson, 2002) (Tollin, 2003) (Taylor, 2015) Radio is a young man who is said to have ‘mental retardation’ a term that has been changed to intellectually disabled because of Rosa’s Law. Radio stumbles upon a football practice where his world about to change for the better.
Giving others who do not suffer from autism or caregivers an insight on how the individual may be feeling and what they are going through. This book can also help numerous medical professionals such as speech-language pathologists and pediatric doctors. As Grandin stated in the book that not all sufferers act, think, and feel the same so this novel may not be beneficial to readers who are looking for information on a wide scale of individuals who suffer from the illness. She also stated that there is no cure for autism, however some medications can help with some symptoms such as depression or anxiety. What intrigued me the most about Grandin was that she never gave up and worked on her social skills. Not only did she became a spokesperson for autism, but also became a professor at Colorado State University in which both require public speaking and being comfortable in front of people.
Mental illness can have a tremendous effect on not only the individual suffering, but to their family. "Mental illness often has a ‘ripple effect’ on families, creating tension, uncertainty, troubled emotions and big changes in how people live their lives" ("Families and friends"). A family member who suffers from a mental illness can have a great impact on numerous physical, psychological and social aspects of the family. Creating nursing priorities can help to create developmental and behavioral functions of a family to help the family bond and cope with a mental illness. The film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” by Lasse Hallstrom, portrays a family who struggle to cope with the enormous impact that a mentally challenged child “Arnie” can have on a family. Although the whole family is involved in Arnie’s care, it is clear that Gilbert, Arnie’s older brother, takes on the primary giver role. Throughout the movie, many scenes tend to dramatically show the amount of stress, frustration, aggression, and separation on the family that is ultimately created from Arnies mental illness. In this paper we are going to discuss the impact of chronic illness on the grape family, two family centered priorities we have chosen using the Calgary Family Assessment Model and one nursing intervention for each priority using the Calgary Family Intervention Model.
ASD individuals may find it hard to communicate and socialize with others around them. However, because each child is unique, they have their own unique abilities and ways of responding to new experiences. Other issues children with ASD have include; anxiety, sleeping problems, and learning disabilities. Those who are diagnosed with ASD or any other disability are usually judged and bullied. In the documentary Violet’s mother says she is afraid of her child being labeled and underestimated because she is diagnosed with autism. A child’s disability can also affect their family members. Family members may have a difficult time understanding and getting to know the autistic child in order to provide for them. They struggle to find interventions such as treatment and therapy for them, the right medical care, and trying learn to cope with all this. At times parents and caregivers can also feel stressed or irritated knowing they have to fulfill all of the child’s needs. Siblings on the other hand, may find it unfair that the autistic child gets the most attention and
In his essay "Autism and Culture," Joseph Straus discusses the recreation of the concept of autism as a cultural and social category rather than a medical one. He also discusses how, as autistic community has emerged, autistic people have begun to look for historical figures that could be identified as autistic. Straus calls this practice "extremely problematic" (Straus 464) because he feels that the concept of autism is a modern social construction and that classifying historical figures as autistic denies this. However, associating prominent historical figures with autism has the benefit of providing autistic communities with role models and a sense of community through their shared history. Attempting to diagnose historical figures with
Mental disorders are a common condition that many people and families have to live with and go through in their lifetime. The disorders are more common than one may think, and in fact they are all around us we just may not know. In the 1993 film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, the movie stars Johnny Depp who takes the role of a small-town man, Gilbert Grape, who takes care of his fatherless family of five. The movie shows many characteristics of autism, depression, and eating disorders. It shows examples of the life that those effected with the disorders have to live with every day.
What is Autism? It’s a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Christopher Boone from the novel A Curious Incident in the Nighttime and Temple Grandin, who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry both fall on the high-functioning spectrum of autism. Even so, they do not display the exact same traits and behaviors. Whereas Grandin thinks in pictures and employs this unique gift for practical use, Christopher thinks in patterns and fails communicate his talents with others. However, they both speak their mind and have trouble understanding facial expressions and emotions.
Before completing the assignment of reading “Thinking in Pictures,” by Temple Grandin, I did not have much knowledge about autism. My only understanding was autism was some sort of neurological disorder that is seen similar to mentally handicapped individuals to someone with little understanding, like myself. I am very thankful to have been given an assignment like this one that gives me more knowledge of something I should already have in my line of work (though I am sure that was the whole purpose of the assignment, to educate the ignorant). I now have a better understanding of the cause, learning process and functioning of different levels of this defect.
The purpose of the article “Navigating Love and Autism” by Amy Harmon is to emphasize that autistic people can achieve love, even though the struggles of autism are present. In this article, Jack and Kirsten both have autism and are working to build a dating relationship. For Kirsten and Jack, being comfortable is a huge aspect in their relationship. After their first night together,
Autism is a problem that people have with communicating. It can affect many contrasting types of people in divergent ways and there is not yet a complete cure for it. People need to know about this disability and what people can do with people who have it.