This video was very interesting as the investigators tried to understand why Adam Lanza did this, how his home life, and mother contributed to his shocking attack at his old elementary school. The investigators interviewed former teachers, neighbors, and friends to try to understand what happened.
In 2012, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT captured the news as 26 victims were killed by 20 year old Adam Lanza, a former student at the elementary school who eventually turned his gun on himself. The video examines Adam, his relationship with his mother, and school community. Adam was a very troubled boy growing up, he was shy, reserved, and diagnosed with asperger syndrome in middle school. Asperger is a developmental mental disorder that affects social interactions, movements, changes in events, and repetitive patterns of behavior. Adam moved to Newtown in 1998 and started elementary school at Sandy Hook Elementary, and later went to Sandy …show more content…
His mother appears to care for Adam and did what she felt was best, although she did not seem to trust doctors or others to help her son. She also had an interest in guns and going to the shooting range, which provided a unusually bonding experience for mother and son. The diagnosis of asperger’s seems to make sense given the things known about Adam’s behavior, although it appears that he did not get much treatment for this condition or work with any doctors. The discussion about violent video games and gun/shooting range hobby is also seen as a contributing factor. Adam did not have many friends, fit very well into society, and seeks video games to escape reality. The suggestion that violent video games is made, but not fully discussed or examined to know if this actually contributed to Adam’s behavior. Thinking about what can be done to eliminate cases like Adam, it appears the best thing that schools and communities can do is encourage involvement and students to socialize and be involved in the school community. If students are active and involved in school and their community, the likelihood of a repeat of Adam Lanza seems small. This was a tragedy that all of America felt in 2012, but can also be a learning experience to prevent this