In the movies Rain Man and Temple Grandin, we are introduced to characters that have Autism Spectrum Disorder, a developmental brain disorder that impairs social, communicational, and behavioral skills. According to Center of Disease Control website, about 1 in 88 children are identified with Autism. Throughout the movies, we get a true sense of what it’s like to deal with autism and what it’s like to know someone who is autistic. We also see societal reactions by those who do not fully understand the disorder as well. Until one has been around an autistic person, they will never fully comprehend it, but this move exemplifies the disorder in a way that truly open our eyes.
Before I even watched the movie, I did have some background knowledge on Autism. My mom’s best friend has a son who is a non verbal autistic. When I was around him when I was younger, he seemed very normal at first. He just seemed very quiet and shy, but shortly after I attempted to him, I realized that he was different. I had never previously met anyone with autism, so I didn’t even know what it was. His name was Anthony, and he always would have his eyes glued to the T.V. His mother told me that he loved movies, and that he would watch the same movie over and over again. I would observe him grabbing the remote and rewinding the movie to his favorite part of the movie. I was amazed that he was able control the T.V. Also, if you give him a laptop, and he’d find his favorite movies online and start watching them over and over. He didn’t talk at all but could say a few words, such as: hello, bye, food. Most of the time though, he would make noises and move his hands around. It’s very incomprehensible how crazy the brain works, especially for someone with autism....
... middle of paper ...
...ake a look into an autistic kids mind, especially if they cannot talk. What if autistic kids have genius brains, but cannot communicate it? I would hope for the future that we can somehow hook something up to autistic people’s brain and have them communicate their thoughts to us. Maybe we will discover something incredible and allow the person to finally communicate in some way.
In the end, autism spectrum disorder seems like a very hard disorder to have and to handle. Society looks at people who are different very strangely. Sadly, some even make fun of them. Others believe it’s punishment from God. But, at the end of the day, it’s something the we need to deal with in the best possible way, because who knows, we may have another Temple Grandin type person. Hopefully in the future we will find out exactly what causes autism, and hopefully we can eliminate some day.
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.
Dr. Temple Grandin once said “I am different, not less.” Throughout all her high school years Temple Grandin was constantly teased just because she had autism. She could not control her autism and had no choice in the matter; but to the outside world, Temple Grandin had autism and thats all that mattered to them. She was labeled as the “autistic girl,” and to her, it seemed like not a single person viewed her in any other way.
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...
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.
Any deviation from the norm is likely to upset the children and change their normal life. The same is evident in Rain Man, whereby Raymond reduces to a set of controls that are now regarded as the norms of his life. Parents with children suffering from autism ought to help them develop trust in the people living around them. This task is to ensure that there is no disruption in their normal way of life. Additionally, those around children suffering from the condition have to ensure that they live a strong supportive network that would not disturb them. Ideally, social communication amongst children suffering from Asperger results in a real problem. Therefore, parents have to help develop positive conscience amongst their children to help guarantee safety and abilities to interact with others and maintain cordial
Every year doctors diagnose thousands of adults and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Due to the growing awareness of autism and recent developments in technology, scientists and doctors can now discover and observe the effects of autism on society, and people. Starting with its discovery, researchers have been able to diagnose people more effectively. Doctors are beginning to discover what causes this disorder, and are currently trying to find ways to prevent and treat it. Many places have opened their doors to people with this disorder, creating autistic friendly environments where people are patient and understanding. Schools have also become accommodating to autistic children and adults. Autism also puts great strain on family and home lives.
The video begins by introducing a revolutionary new possibility in the understanding of what autism is and how to approach those persons afflicted. Through a technique called "facilitated language" many autistic children were seemingly freed from the inability to communicate. Many were able to "speak" freely through a letter keypad with the help of a facilitator or guide. There are stories upon stories of success - of students, teachers, families, etc.
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.
It was very interesting to learn that those who suffer from autism see the world very different from those who do not have autism. Their over sensitivity to sight and sound must be very difficult for them to deal with and does give good reasoning to their sudden outbursts as children. The over sensitivity to touch also, how frustrating to the parents of these children! This could be a sign of a child not feeling well or having some other type of medical illness so it is understandable how autism was commonly misdiagnosed in the early stages of learning about this medical problem.
What exactly is Autism? Well it is one of many mental conditions that affects precisely one in 110 kids in the U.S. More specifically, Autism is a developmental disability. In other
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.
I believe that “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” gives a good portrayal of how someone with autism may act. In the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”, Arnie is a 17 year old boy with some degree of autism. Since autism has such a broad spectrum, this movie does a good job showing how one specific person with autism may act. Throughout the entire movie the viewers can see that Arnie is different and doesn’t behave like a typical 17 year old. One big clue that Arnie has a developmental delay is in his speech. He has an underdeveloped vocabulary and very minimal grammar skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Some children with ASD may have delayed speech and language skills, may repeat phrases, and give unrelated answers to questions.” We can see these
Autism has been misjudged for many years and some people have gone without treatment and were locked up in mental hospitals for the rest of their lives due to the ignorance of the public... The main problem is that there has not been any productive treatment available to help them in the past. The typical case of autism can be frightening to those who are not educated in the characteristics on how one can be affected by autism and its symptoms. It would be easy to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the reactions of people that have autism. There are several ways to diagnose autism, however it is in many cases not being recognized, and especially in children who have debilitating handicaps such as schizophrenia. There are also the children that may seem very normal and may only have a few symptoms, such as rocking or not being able to
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.
...to grow and increase yearly, one can imagine the effect on society these rates already have, and can possibly have with continued growth. It will not be long before autism becomes the normal society. That is a concern will should all share as creatures of earth. All families that are faced with autism will find happiness with the life shared with an autistic individual. Sadly, these individuals face bullying, and social rejection. They deal with health care rejections, and limited services available into adulthood. A future unknown. Although these individuals are different, that doesn’t mean they are less. As humanity, we need to treat everyone as an equal part of this important reality we call existence. Autistic individuals are the quietest souls, but that may only be because we haven’t learned to pay attention. Autism speaks, so isn’t it time to listen (htt1)?