I Am Sam Psychology

Understand how autistic spectrum conditions can impact on the lives of individuals and those around them

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

Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

“It takes a village to raise a child.” I never quite understood that saying when I was growing up, but my experiences teaching and working in school settings have showed me how true it really is. Obtaining a degree in school psychology will allow me to give the support that students, families and educators need to ensure that every student will thrive.

“Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, deviance in communication, and patterns of behavior and interests that are restricted,

Readings: • The Autistic Spectrum • Chapter 4 • “First Causes” pg. 115125/Summary pg. 140-141 • Chapter 13  This week’s agenda: Unit 2!

“I Am Sam” is a film directed by Jessie Nelson, it describes the relationship between a father Sam who has a mental capacity of a 7 year old and his daughter Lucy. The film focused on “Love” and whether love is enough to raise a child. In our modern society it seems that “Money” is the golden key to open the door to succuss, even though money covers a significant part of care that is given to a child. There are still some part of areas that money cannot for fill. Many parents made the mistake into thinking that a new born child is harder the rise than a ten years old. Which is not the case in most of the times, whereas older children can develop wilder interest come to a toddler.

I chose the movie I am Sam to challenge my own opinion on how people with disabilities should be treated under certain circumstances. I am Sam is a movie about a mentally challenged man, named Sam, striving to raise his daughter, Lucy, alone. Diagnosed with Autism, Sam’s intellectual capacity cannot exceed the age of 7. As we watch Lucy grow up under Sam’s roof, we are able to see the love they have for each other. When Lucy reaches the age of 8, social workers see this as an issue, so they place Lucy in a temporary home while Sam goes to court to try to win Lucy back. Sam’s lawyer, Rita, took this “pro bono” case to impress her coworkers. At first, Rita doesn’t believe Sam is capable of raising Lucy along with the social workers who

I am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, starring Sean Penn as Sam who has an intellectual disability that had sole care for his daughter Lucy Diamond played by Dakota Fanning. The two of them encounter problems with the Department of Child and Family Services as they believe the presence of Sam’s intellectual disability negates his ability to parent. A lawyer Rita Harrison played by Michelle Pfeiffer plays an important role in this film as she is the only one to have belief in Sam’s ability to parent. This M rated film has won awards such as the Stanley Kramer award for their ability to place an emphasis on social concerns. People with disabilities are often discriminated against the rest of society as a result of their impairments. Jessie Nelson’s use of mis-en-scene and semiotic elements engage the members of the audience to position them to have their own perspective of Sam’s situation as presented.

A young 18-year-old boy name Arnie Grape lives with his family in a home located in a small city. While Arnie suffers from an autism disorder it makes the lives of his relatives a bit complex because they’re constantly watching over Arnie since he cannot fend for himself in many situations. Nor can he be left unattended, because he cannot understand social expectations and norms, so he is always getting in some type of trouble. Arnie is diagnosed with autism where he goes through challenges of social interaction challenges and language difficulties.

The individuals involved in the interview are a man diagnosed with Autism (subject S) and a female lawyer (subject R). They are connected through a professional-helping relationship. The incidents leading up to the interview are with regards to a custody battle concerning subject S and his seven year old daughter. His doctors have declared that the intellectual capacity of subject S does not exceed the age of seven. The issue arises when Child Protective Services deem subject S unfit and incapable of raising his daughter due to the fact that he is unable to hold down a steady job and that his daughter will eventually

“I am Sam” is a great movie to watch in diversity class. It focuses on a diversity issue that is overlooked in society today. The main issue of the movie was that the main character Sam has an Intellectual disability and he is struggling to take care of his daughter. Intellectual disability is a disability that interferes with a person’s cognitive abilities and the functions they use in everyday life. This includes everything from their social skills to the way they behave (Chadwick, Wesson, & Fullwood, 2013).

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and

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.

Personally, I loved the movie, I Am Sam. I loved how it portrayed someone who has developmental disabilities and what some issues they run into in their life. I liked how dramatic and emotional the movie was. When a movie is emotional like this one, it makes the audience pay attention more and wonder what happens in the end so it makes them finish the movie or book. I liked how it showed the problems or issues Sam had trying to take care of Lucy. It broke my heart when she said, she did not want to read the word because her dad could not read it. She did not want to be smarter than her father which I thought was amazing.