Sam Dawson Case Study

The thought that having a mental disorder or disability keeps you from being able to live a happy life is widely believed. Sam Dawson proves that a person with a mental disability is capable of loving and being happy but not necessarily capable of taking care of a child. Mr. Dawson needs help for himself and is unable to care for a child in his mental state. His mental disability may not affect his ability to feel but it does affect his ability to provide for his daughter so she is safe and well cared for. Mr. Dawson is incapable of taking care of his daughter because he is mentally disabled, financially incapable, and socially incapable to care for her correctly. If Sam Dawson truly wants the best for his daughter Lucy, he will give her to

another family that can care for her better.

First of all, Mr. Dawson is mentally disabled and incapable of understanding and providing his daughter with her needs. On the FindLaw website a checklist can be found that states the “Ground Rules for Terminating Parental Rights”. The fifth on the list says “Long-term mental illness of parent.” This example itself is enough to take Sam’s custody of Lucy. Mr. Dawson does not have the mental capacity to understand or care for his daughter. One example is when he failed to show up on time to visit his daughter and multiple times failed to appear. This caused Lucy to be upset and mad. She believed that her father didn’t care for her. After putting his daughter through the pain of being separated from her father, her own father failed to comfort her and assure her that she is loved. Mr. Dawson can hardly take care of himself or deal with his own feelings. He

most definitely cannot help Lucy when she is feeling down or needs help if he can hardly help himself. Mr. Dawson, instead, quit his job and refused to go to work. Previously, Mr. Dawson was a diligent worker at a local Starbucks making just above minimum wage. He quit his job thus cutting off his income. Sam did not work for a while until he took up his own business of dog walking. Who’s to say he won’t quit his current job as a dog walker because he “needs a break.” If Sam yet again quits his job, he will not have an income to pay for housing or food for him and his daughter. When Lucy was an infant, Mr. Dawson did not know something as simple as feeding a baby every two to three hours. If it weren't Miss Annie Cassell, Lucy would be a malnourished child with possibly serious issues. Mr. Dawson, simply, inadequately understands how to raise a child due to his mental handicap. Therefore, he should not be granted custody of Lucy.
Secondly, Mr. Dawson is financially unstable and incapable of securing a steady cash flow in order to provide for his daughter. Sam Dawson was previously a custodial worker at a local Starbucks, one of the many in the area. He was given an hourly rate just above minimum wage. After becoming upset, Mr. Dawson promptly quit his job without any thought for himself financially. Sam Dawson’s mental disability caused him to quit his job; therefore, losing his income. Mr. Dawson now walks and takes care of dogs daily. He feeds and walks them. Mr. Dawson is paid under the counter. Sam Dawson’s dog business is not stable enough. Any one thing can cause his customers to cease sending their dogs to him. Education is also a key issue that is affected by Mr. Dawson’s income. He may have found a free tutoring program, but are free things usually better than bought items? Paying for tutoring provides an educated and diligent tutor but a free tutor may not help your child at all, for there are no consequences if they don’t. Free may sound good, but paying for a proper education is more reliable and will likely help a child more positively. In this case, Mr. Dawson cannot afford to pay for a tutor. Sam Dawson’s old apartment did not even provide Lucy with her own room. Until this whole problem, Lucy has not been provided with a room. Mr. Dawson only realized that these living conditions were wrong when pointed out. Sam Dawson has purchased an apartment with a room for Lucy but only after being told to do so. Sam Dawson cannot afford something as important as a good education and housing arrangements for his daughter nor does he have a steady flow income. If put with another family, the family would provide Lucy with the best education and have stable jobs. Mr. Dawson cannot care for Lucy properly because he has an unsteady job and financial instability.
Finally, Mr.

Dawson cannot care for his daughter properly because he is socially incapable. Sam Dawson, in a way, lives in a world of his own. He primarily talks to his fellow disabled friends and his daughter. Mr. Dawson does not usually understand what is being said by other people. This can cause problems while Mr. Dawson is raising Lucy. How do you expect Mr. Dawson to talk to Lucy’s teachers? He is incapable of understanding past the intelligence of a seven year old. When Lucy gets older and her schooling becomes more difficult it will become harder for Mr. Dawson to understand academically, what Lucy needs help with. One example is when Mr. Dawson was looking for a lawyer. He asked Miss Rita Williams to be his lawyer to which she said she would ask a friend of her. When Sam comes back, out of pity and peer pressure Miss Williams says that she had already agreed to be Mr. Dawson’s lawyer. Mr. Dawson was manipulated into thinking that he had misunderstood her, just so Rita Williams could look good in front of her friends. Another example is when Mr. Dawson was working at Starbucks. He spilled coffee all over a lady and did not realize his mistake. She quickly got mad at him while he told her her coffee was a good choice. Sam Dawson does not process other people's emotions; therefore, he is unable to understand his daughter’s emotions well. Yet another example is

when