Arnie Grape: Movie Analysis

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

To begin, it is safe to say that Arnie is portrayed in the movie to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to the DSM-V, autism falls into five brief descriptions. Firstly, those who are on the spectrum lack the ability for proper social communication and social interaction. They fall short in social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviors, and the ability to understand relationships or lack of interest in peers. Second, people with autism have limited, recurring patterns of behavior, activities, or interests. In essence, motor movement is repeated, there is a firm devotion to routines, an intense focus on interests, and hyperactivity or hyporeactivity is present. Third, the DSM-V states that symptoms must be present in the early developmental period. These symptoms are the expected clinical presentation of autism in kids and teens, given that the symptoms are shown early on and not later. Fourth, the said symptoms must

I am very glad I got to watch this film, it gave me insight on how much harder learning and school is for a child with a learning disability. I would recommend this film to all aspiring teachers. I plan to

Arnie further displays common signs and symptoms of Autism as evidenced by his cognitive delay,

There are a lot of people who live with autism, and by the time they are adults, are able to take care of themselves. “My autism is the reason I’m in college and successful. It’s the reason I’m in math and science. It’s the reason I care,” (Jacob Barnett). Jacob is a math and physics prodigy, and he lives with autism. All over the internet there are stories about people with autism living normal, or even extraordinary lives. People who work with them learn to accept their quirks and eventually realize that they can function just as well as anyone else. This is one example of someone who learned how to overcome the issues that autism presents, and go on to be something really special.

Autism is a rare disease that can be characterized by a “neurodevelopmental disorder categorized by the inability to relate to and perceive the environment in the realistic manner.” (Anthes, 1997) The signs of autism are mainly found in infants to young children usually between the ages of newborn to two years. The main symptoms that are discussed are “impairment in social interaction fixation of inanimate objects, inability to communicate normally, and resistance to changes in their daily routine.” (Anthes, 1997) Autism is a very understood disease but one thing most people do not know is that autism not only effects a child’s life mentally and physically, it also effects their social ability to have friends, play normally and even grow up

Are you able to comprehend the confrontations faced by an autistic child? In the book “the curious incident of the dog in the night time” by Mark Haddon, You are able to understand the challenges faced by the main protagonist Christopher Boone. In order to gain a sense of maturity an individual must overcome difficult challenges. This will be demonstrated by examining Christopher Boone’s ability to learn to become independent and understand social interaction and emotions.

In Lasse Hallström’s film, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, the struggles of living with a mental illness is displayed through Arnie Grape, the protagonist’s younger brother. Grape’s disability is never discussed in the movie, as the movie focuses on Gilbert Grape, the principal character, and his struggles with life and family responsibilities. With the use of various resources, such as a psychology textbook (Lilienfeld 2014), credible health associations’ websites, and The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DMS-5), one is capable of analyzing the nature of Arnie’s disorder and make a valid assumption that he is dealing with a mental illness: autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder characterized by “various degrees in difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors” ("Learning About Autism," n.d.). It becomes clear, through Arnie Grape’s social and cognitive impairment, that he has Autism, despite the fact that the film does not clearly state that he has a mental illness.

Personally, I believe that the film was an example of responsible media pertaining to the communication disabilities presented. The characters were all realistic and

I agree this simulation experience was both saddening and scary. It is extremely hard to imagine a child or an individual with autism having to experience something like this all the time. This discussion allowed us to understand what it was like to be in their shoes. I didn’t lower the volume, but that didn’t mean I didn’t count the seconds until the video would end. I agree that the cafeteria and classroom is not conducive environment for a child with autism.

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

Another reason why I think this movie is such a great, inspirational movie is because of how a woman with autism can accomplish something so inspiring that shows people with autism shouldn’t be viewed as someone who can’t do much or someone who doesn’t have the skills and knowledge to do what normal people can. Temple Grandin has probably made a big difference in what people think of ones who have autism and I think that is great. Just because a person has autism doesn’t necessarily mean that people don’t have autism should view them as someone lower than themselves. People with autism are only stronger-willed and even though they may have difficulty with life, Temple Grandin shows that it doesn’t matter if you have autism or not because you can achieve your goals, you just need that determination in your life. From this movie, I have learned that no matter how small other people may think of you, you have the

There was actions and symptoms that did portray autism spectrum disorder really well, but there was also times where it seemed like she didn’t have autism but schizophrenia. For the most part autism was accurately portrayed so I do think viewers would get an accurate sense of this disorder and I think this would have a hard impact on viewers due to how intense Temple’s autism is. Viewers can come away from this film and see that all disorders aren’t the same. They have different diagnostic criteria levels and think and communicate differently. Temple shows viewers that you can accomplish things even when others think you can’t. Just because of her autism doesn’t mean she can’t have it all and live like one without this

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.

The director did a fantastic job writing this film. All of the points he wanted to get to the audience, I feel did. The actor, Sean Paul, did a wonderful job impersonating someone with a developmental disability. The director’s goal was to have people that were his targeted audience, try and think about what they take for granted and show that people need love and support just as much as anyone else that is important to them. People never know what other stories other people have and are going through. It is always nice to be kind and to be a supportive human being.