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Introduction
In this 1988 movie, the story of Charlie Babbit’s discovery of his father’s demise and appearance of his autistic brother is narrated (Morrow & Bass (Producers), & Levinson, B. (Dir.), 1988). In their first encounter at a mental institution, Charlie learns that his brother has a rare mental disorder that makes him have an outstanding memory.
Although he is a self-centered hustler, Charlie’s discovery of his brother and the condition he is suffering from instills some changes in him, making him start minding Raymond. The purpose of the movie was to introduce the audience to a relatively rare mental disorder known as savant syndrome.
Based on the Diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders (DSM), it is most likely that Raymond Babbitt’s condition would be ‘High-Level Autism.’ According to Susan and Hoeksema (2009), autism is a non-psychiatric disorder characterized by a tendency to view life in terms of the needs and desire of the patient.
However, the clinical definition by the American Psychiatric Association (2011) of autism is “…a mental disorder of the category Persuasive Developmental Disorder.” Accordingly, autism is defined as a disorder with severe deficits and pervasive impairment of several areas of mental development.
Therefore, this paper argues that the DSM definition of savant autism in ‘The Rain man 1988’ would most likely be ‘high-level autism.’
Brief movie review and Raymond’s autistic character
The movie ‘Rain Man’ revolves around the story of Charlie Babbitt, a self-centered individual whose only aim is to gain wealth. In his early years as an adult, Charlie struggles to get rich through any means. He has argued with his father over his wealth, especially a 1949 Buick Roadmaster and an estate in Cincinnati, Ohio. On learning of his father’s sudden death, Charlie rushes to Cincinnati to secure ownership of the estate through inheritance.
However, he is surprised to realize that his father had donated the entire estate to an undisclosed beneficiary but left him the right to own the Buick Roadmaster. Considering his greed for wealth, Charlie is shocked and angered by this fact. On learning that the money is to be directed to a mental institution, which takes care of his unknown brother, Charlie decides to kidnap the brother and obtain the wealth.
The experience of dealing with an autistic individual, whose tight schedules and outstanding memory are abnormal, makes Charlie decide to change his perceptions, although he intends to use his brother’s memory to gain in gambling. However, Raymond’s behavior, relationship with Charlie and other people provide evidence that his condition would most likely be diagnosed as high-level autism based on DSM.
Autism as seen in the movie
Noteworthy, Charlie realizes that the cause of his brother’s condition was an accident he experienced when left alone to care for Charlie, then as a baby. The accident had caused severe impairments in Raymond’s brain. Raymond’s behavior is seen throughout his contacts with Charlie. For instance, on their way from the Cincinnati mental home, Raymond refuses to travel on air, insisting that they must travel on the road.
Charlie realizes that Raymond has a superb memory indicated by his ability to remember almost every event, but his understanding of the topic or subject matter is relatively little. Also, Raymond can count hundreds of items at once, which surpasses the normal human range by far. It is also worth noting that Raymond has strict routines that he follows when carrying out any task.
For instance, on arriving back to Los Angeles, Raymond insists on following the routine he had been using at the mental facility. He also repeats specific phrases such as “…who is on first…” and songs such as “…I saw her standing there…”
These repetitive behaviors make Charlie remember that Raymond was his elder brother, who had been protective and fond of him in his childhood. It is also clear that unless distressed, Raymond does not show evidence of emotional expressions. He seems to be relatively shy as indicated by avoiding eye contact.
Analysis of Autism
According to DSM, clinical experts should identify twelve conditions in a patient before they conclude that the condition is autism. However, only three major criterions are the most important in indicating that Raymond has the condition.
First, the patient must show inflexible adherence to specific rituals and routines, which are generally non-functional (American Psychiatric Association, 2011). This is one of the major characteristics demonstrated by Raymond in the film. For instance, under the mental facility, Raymond had adopted a routine of having toothpicks and syrup before breakfast. He insists on this routine once he is under Charlie’s care.
Secondly, clinicians must identify the presence of repetitive use of language in a stereotypic or idiosyncratic manner. Similarly, this condition is present in Raymond’s condition, as indicated by his repetition of phrases and songs, as indicated above.
Thirdly, clinicians must identify the presence of behavior characterized by “poor or lack of social and emotional reciprocity” (American Psychiatric Association, 2011). In his case, Raymond is unable to communicate with his brother and other people around him in an appropriate manner.
In the society, people with this condition are likely to be stigmatized for their lack of coherence in communication, strictness in following routines, and inability to provide for themselves. In this movie, it is clear that Raymond’s parents had decided to leave him under the care of the mental facility to avoid living with him. They even failed to inform the younger brother of Raymond’s existence. This is an example of stigmatization against autistic people.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2011). Diagnostic and statistical of manual of mental disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Morrow, B., & Bass, R. (Producers), & Levinson, B. (Dir), (1988). Rain Man [Motion Picture]. New York, NY: Mirage Entertainment.
Susan, N., & Hoeksema, R. (2009). Abnormal psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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