Forrest Gump Developmental Disability

The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis and portrayed by Tom Hanks who portrays the principal character. The story is based on the life of a man named Forrest Gump born in Alabama in 1940’s with a IQ score lower than normal which did not stop him from accomplish things most people could only dream off. According to the film the main character was born with a developmental disability in the form of Autism, which I think it’s a mild case, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to function the way he did throughout the movie. Even though the developmental disability itself is never mention during the movie, the symptoms, behaviors, and deficits are obvious, making the character fall somewhere in the ASD. The film overall transmits a great deal of positive messages regarding the disorder of the main character in accordance to what we can expect of the times in which the events took place. Some of the good messages include: unconditional love, friendship, perseverance, positive attitudes, camaraderie, and understanding. Ultimately as Therapists when facing a case of Autism, we will center our interventions on their limitations and most urgent needs and try to improve their communication, academic, behavioral, social, and daily life skills. The …show more content…
The Disability Education Act of 1990 defines Autism as a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction. It is usually evident before the age of three, and adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Autism is considered to be the most common form of the pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), which includes neurological disorders that affect a person’s capacity to communicate, understand language, play, and relate to others (Long & Robertson,