Rain Man Psychology

The movie, Rain Man, started with the character of Charlie (Tom Cruise) looking for an inheritance. He finds his long lost older brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) who cannot show any emotional attachment. This did not interfere with his knowledge of his relatives and even the car his father drove. Raymond has a high functioning disability of Autism, with a sensory input deficit. He can speak about but cannot understand his own personal emotions as well as others.
Raymond’s routines and rituals protects his comfort levels. Breaking those routines caused emotional damage to him. He memorizes and recites information that he reads. This was his main stimulation other than television programs was. He regurgitates this information when anxious or

nervous or when Charlie interrupts his space. He is only aware of simplicity in the environment. He is very aware of his personal schedules as well as rules.
At the hotel room, Raymond is disturbed by placement of beds away from windows and misplacement of his books and baseball cards.

He shows an abstract interest in where things should be placed in the room. He displayed a certain motor movement of holding right hand with left and mimics noises and rocks while standing interchanging weight on each foot with the left foot in front. Charlie is not autistic but shows only an attachment to materials and have no emotional attachment to anyone including his newly found brother and his disability until later throughout their week together.
Raymond cannot express pain other than verbally at a minimal level. However he accounts for the sensation in his notebook along with the date, time and why it occurred. When forced to do things he is uncomfortable with, he self-abuses and screams as if in serious pain. This shows a deficit in social-economical reciprocity.
Raymond showed an awareness, through reading the statistics of danger that caused him to remove himself from the car and walk. The police and surroundings disturbed his car ride tremendously. His hearing is amplified to where he can even count within seconds how many tooth picks were dropped on the floor. When sounds intrigue him, he repeats them consistently as he heard them. He has an exquisite artistic capability in drawing with

detail.
In the scene of the smoke detector activation of a high pitch sounds, Raymond couldn’t cognitively understand smoke was present. He began to bang his head against the door to remove the over stimulation of the sound and not the smoke. He inflicted bodily harm with his outbursts. He finally connected in his own way to his brother. He displayed the learning how to tell a joke, how to dance, and kiss. When Charlie got emotional about him, Raymond put his head on Charlie’s in a minimal emotional attempt to show affection. Raymond was diagnosed with Autism.
Autism is a disorder categorized by severe complications in social interactions, communication along with unusual conducts.

In the past, autism was perceived as rare but is now known as being common. The role of Central Nervous System factors in pathogenesis which is the manner in development of a disease, is proposed by high rates of seizure disorder; research has emphasized the role of several specific brain regions in syndrome pathogenesis. Autism is an intense genetic disorder and undoubtedly arises because of multiple genes. Repetition of rates in families with one child are very high. Early intervention with various techniques can provide assistance in many cases. Some pharmacological agents may help with certain challenging behaviors, however they do not address the underlying cause of the disorder. (Volkmar,

Pauls)
Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, deviance in communication, and patterns of behavior with interests that are restricted, stereotyped, or both. Onset is usually before three years of age. The disorder was first a pattern first identified by psychiatrist, Leo Kanner in 1943. It is marked by extreme unresponsiveness to others, severe communication insufficiencies, and highly firm and repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests. (Comer, 539)
Presently, autism is recognized as one of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The definitions of the disorder used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth edition are divided into a four point checklist. The first being the persistent deficits in social interaction and social communication featuring: deficits in social emotional reciprocity, deficits in nonverbal communication that is used for social interactions, and deficits in developing and maintenance of relationships. The second part of the checklist covers restriction and repetition of patterns throughout behavior, activities, and interests that may feature two of the following: stereotyped or repetition in speech, motor movements, or object use all as one, excessive resistance to change, devotion to routines, or ritualized patterns of behavior as another, and lastly hyper-reactive or hypo-reactive responses to sensory input, or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment. The third section of the checklist is onset by early childhood. Last is the fourth section being significant impairment. (Comer, 539).
Some social skills do emerge over time, but even the highest-functioning individuals have striking difficulties negotiating the social world. Although frequently associated with some degree of mental handicap, the pattern of cognitive abilities in autism is unusual. Strengths are seen in non-verbal abilities and weaknesses in verbally mediated tasks. Isolated savant skills may be present, such as musical or drawing abilities or date calculations. Some children with autism never develop meaningful speech. For those who do, speech differs from that in normal children in various ways. Notable behaviors can be repetitive or stereotyped and occasionally include self-injury, and idiosyncratic responses to change. Children who have mental retardation without autism may exhibit some abnormal mannerisms or movements but do not exhibit the same degree of deviant social development as in autism; clearly autism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severely delayed children. Children with severe developmental language disorders may present diagnostic difficulties, although social skills are frequently preserved.(Volkmar, Pauls)
Clinical features show that babies normally have a remarkable interest in social interaction. Alternatively, in autism the human face is just an object of little interest. Disturbances are seen in early processes like joint attention and attachment. Later on, social interest may increase but even the highest-functioning individuals remain socially impaired. There are a lot of delays in the development of language. This is the most common presenting complaint. Most children with autism never speak at all. Those that do have speech that is extraordinary in various ways like unusual pitch, severe difficulties in social use of language such as pragmatics, repeating what is said or simply echolalia, and lastly pronoun reversal. These difficulties in development of symbolic-imaginative play and preoccupation by non-functional features of play materials. Taste or smell or anything that may involve them in labeled and stereotyped activities.(Volkmar, Pauls)
Kanner discussed the difficulties children with autism have when dealing with changes of their circumstances or routine; even seemingly trivial change can result in outward tragic distress. These difficulties seem to become more protruding after infancy, occasionally posing some difficulties for diagnosis. The example given from the Volkmar and Pauls, stereotyped movements become more prominent after age 3 years. The children may display behaviors that begin with unusual perceptual interests, such as examining objects out of the corner of the eye.
This can eventually progress to hand flapping, finger flicking, body rocking, and other complex mannerisms. Attachments to unusual objects, such as, string, metal toys, and so forth, may develop.
In the movie, Raymond displayed these type of behaviors. He showed a certain motor movement of holding right hand with a stiff left hand, mimics noises and rocks while standing interchanging weight on each foot with the left foot in front. For instance, he heard Charlie and Susanna having sex in an adjoining hotel room, Raymond walks into the room mimicking the moans of the both of them while distracted by the television. His attachment to the television was a strong interest that had him to sit on the bed while they finished and watch the television program. (Rain Man, 1988)
Neurocognitive theories have shown efforts that may have been made able to provide broad-based psychological models of autism. One notion assumes deficits in executive functioning skills, which are the skills that facilitate a person's ability to maintain problem-solving. Raymond showed this when the doctor asked him complex calculations and two simple problem solving questions. Raymond conquered the numerical computations, but could not understand the money related questions such as the cost for buying items like cars.
Other models include the construction of the capacity to assimilate information into logical or meaningful wholes. These difficulties are thought to result in the deficits in attention. Another concept is the theory-of-mind hypothesis. It essentially proposes that the characteristic problems in social interaction arise due to the difficulty in understanding sensations in other people and themselves. Therefore, children with autism are recognized to be unable to think about the intentions, desires, feelings, and beliefs of other people. Mainly, the children with autism spectrum disorder have many obstacles when engaged in social interaction.
Brain mechanisms engorges another focal point on specific social processes that are impaired in autism. For example, compared with normal controls, higher-functioning individuals with autism do not activate the fusiform gyrus considered as the face area during tasks that involve perception of faces. Social deficits are not, however, solely the result of difficulties in processing faces and information from faces. (Volkmar, Pauls)
Studies of brain neurochemistry have focused on many different neurotransmitter systems. Dopaminergic systems in autism are part of a specific research. Dopamine blockers reduce rates of stereotyped movements. Genetic factors are discussed using twin and family studies, in which evidence shows for some of the types of genetic contribution to the disorders of autism. Rates for monozygotic twins are significantly higher than those for dizygotic twins. Family studies have shown that the actual reappearance risks are low two to seven percent but the relative risk is fifty to two hundred times higher than the population.
The genetic basis of autism can be well established, but the mode of genetic diffusion is still unknown. The linkage between siblings is very minimal. Autism has also been associated with several different disorders with genetic causes like tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis. These cases signify a very small proportion of all cases of autism, but could provide important information about the genetic cause. The current lack of success in finding genes for autism is similar to those for complex diseases. (Volkmar, Pauls)
Course of autism includes treatments that can make a major difference within individuals diagnosed with autism. However, the disorder is still considered a life-long disability. The outcome of the treatment seems to have improved with early detection as well as intervention techniques. Symptoms may change with age, and the idea of independence along with self-help skills should be the major aim of treatment.
Factors predicting outcome include the presence of communicative speech and not just mimicking by around age five. Overall cognitive ability is also a strong analyst of outcome. The most classic picture is that the preschool age difficulties in social interaction continue throughout childhood and adolescence. Gains in social skills may be seen, has been described as a characteristic progression of social abilities. Kanner suggested that in adolescence some individuals make substantial gains, whereas others lose ground behaviorally.
Established treatments over the past decade displays several methods that have been used in the treatment of children with autism. One can find various guidelines for diagnosis and treatment in published research. Methods used drawing procedures from special education and behavioral psychology. In contrast, some applied and theoretical differences established in treatments share many features. Goals of treatment include reduction of problem behaviors that interfere with learning, and fostering growth in areas, including communication, cognition, and self-help skills. (Volkmar, Pauls)
A highly organized program is frequently needed. Goals of treatment vary dependent on the child's age and specific situation. For lower-functioning and younger children goals can include developing basic learning-to-learn skills and fostering communication. As the child gains more figurative abilities, goals can shift from associative towards more conceptual learning. The use of predictable routines and consistency is very supportive.
Behavioral therapy can effectively be used to foster desired behaviors and systematically decrease problem behaviors. Generalization of skills is very essential. Psychotherapy is not generally specified as part of treatment. This approach may occasionally be useful for older and higher-functioning individuals, but it should be only problem-focused.
Pharmacological agents do not seem to address the core insufficiencies in autism but may be helpful in treating specific symptoms like self-injury, aggression, stereotyped movements, and over-activity. Potential benefits and side-effects must always be taken into account. Over-sedation can result from some medicines and might be mistaken for positive therapeutic response. The ability to work with teachers and caregivers is a major advantage. Teachers collectively record behavioral data that can be used in monitoring the efficacy of pharmacological interventions. (Volkmar, Pauls)
The study also shows the potential importance of larger studies in autism. Various other agents have also been used, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants, various anxiolytics, and other agents. The continuous use of medications can improve the quality of life for children and their families. Alternative treatments include facilitated communication. Facilitated communication involved the guidance of the hand with autistic children, in order to help the child to communicate in many advanced ways. In contrast, controlled studies consistently revealed that the communication was not from the child.
In conclusion, autism can be socially inferior as well as socially stimulating. Similar to the movie and the research, it affects life tremendously but can change environments for a better outlook. It is a disability that can molded and nurtured into a less harmful world for both the person with and the family that is involved.