Autism Case

Autism

According to the doctors Dominick Maino, Stephen Viola and Robert Donati, "a single etiology for autism or for any of the disorders on the autistic spectrum has yet to be determined". The treatment options for individuals with autism differ with each patient; each treatment plan is tailored specifically to each individual. Some treatments include interventions, medicines, and therapy. The quality of life issues associated with autism include impaired social interaction and communication abilities, impaired learning abilities, behavior problems, etc. An individual with autism would be challenged when it comes to learning at the same pace as individuals without this condition, would have a hard time socializing with others, and behaving appropriately according to society's expectations.

An individual with autism may be impacted in several ways. Socially, they struggle with social interaction so this would make it harder for them to gain relationships with other people outside of their family. Emotionally, they might feel alone, confused and frustrated because they can't understand things easily. Physically, they are unsure of how to behave properly in public, they don't keep eye contact, might be sensitive to loud noises or strong scents. Cognitively, they don't understand things well, tend to keep to themselves.

Autism in the Media

From what I've seen in the media dealing with the portrayal of autism, it is portrayed quite accurately. For example, the movie Radio is about a man with autism who is befriended by a high school football coach. The movie never comes out and says what his condition is exactly, but it seems to be some form of autism or Asperger's. At the beginning of the film, Radio is harassed by the boys on the football team and the people in the town don't respect him. However, by the end of the film, they've all grown to accept him for who he is despite is condition. I think that autism is represented accurately in this film because of the way Radio acts. For instance, he tends to keep to himself, doesn't make eye contact, is socially awkward, and doesn't know what acceptable behavior is. This movie depicts autism in a positive way while still showing the negative way it can be treated by the people who don't understand the condition.

Simon Birch

When Simon Birch approaches the home plate to bat at the beginning of the movie, I felt bad for him due to the rude comments that the other team was making towards him. They should've had more respect for him; they didn't know his condition or anything about him for that matter. When Joe's grandmother tells Simon to get out of the window because he'll scare Ben, that was extremely inconsiderate and disrespectful of her. When Simon saw the armadillo and