Identifying Information
The movie “Radio” originates from a true story based in Anderson, South Carolina in the year 1976. James Robert Kennedy, otherwise known as Radio, is a mentally disabled eighteen-year-old African American male from a family of a low socioeconomic status. Radio lives with a single mom of two sons. His mom works long hours at the hospital and does not provide adequate supervision, and his father passed away when he was younger. While Radio’s mom is working, he wanders around the city alone pushing a cart with a Radio.
Harold Jones is a forty-year-old Caucasian male. He is a teacher and the coach of the local high school football team. Jones is married and has a daughter that is a junior at the high school. Harold’s family …show more content…
This disorder is characterized by impairments in social interaction, social communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors. In the DSM-5 autism falls on a continuum including: Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorders. The cause of autism spectrum disorders continues to be under speculation. When the events the movie is based on occurred, autism was said to be caused by social factors such as parenting. If a parent was emotionally distant, their child was more likely to develop autism. In the movie, Radio’s mom is not around often because she is working excessive hours, which could be the reason he is not able to interact with others as …show more content…
According to Oltmanns and Emery (2015), “Brain growth appears to be unusually rapid in children with ASD, at least until the age of two or three. Then the brain is arrested, so that cerebral and cerebellar brain volume are smaller than normal at older age” (p. 428.) This can be credited by the fact that autism is diagnosed before the age of three. The specific structures of the brain affected are the cerebellum and the limbic system. The cerebellum is where sensorimotor input is integrated, and the limbic system regulates emotions. The amygdala and the frontal lobe may also be involved. Another biological factor that influences the diagnosis of ASD is the functioning of mirror neurons. These neurons fire when someone performs an action and when the person observes someone else performing the same action. Mirror neurons are involved in imitation, understanding other’s intentions, empathy, and language learning. Lastly, is the effect of endorphins, which are in excess in people with ASD. These people “lack interest in others because their excessive internal rewards reduce the value of the external rewards offered by relationships “ (Oltmanns & Emery, 2015, p.
The movie “Radio” originates from a true story based in Anderson, South Carolina in the year 1976. James Robert Kennedy, otherwise known as Radio, is a mentally disabled eighteen-year-old African American male from a family of a low socioeconomic status. Radio lives with a single mom of two sons. His mom works long hours at the hospital and does not provide adequate supervision, and his father passed away when he was younger. While Radio’s mom is working, he wanders around the city alone pushing a cart with a Radio.
Harold Jones is a forty-year-old Caucasian male. He is a teacher and the coach of the local high school football team. Jones is married and has a daughter that is a junior at the high school. Harold’s family …show more content…
This disorder is characterized by impairments in social interaction, social communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors. In the DSM-5 autism falls on a continuum including: Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorders. The cause of autism spectrum disorders continues to be under speculation. When the events the movie is based on occurred, autism was said to be caused by social factors such as parenting. If a parent was emotionally distant, their child was more likely to develop autism. In the movie, Radio’s mom is not around often because she is working excessive hours, which could be the reason he is not able to interact with others as …show more content…
According to Oltmanns and Emery (2015), “Brain growth appears to be unusually rapid in children with ASD, at least until the age of two or three. Then the brain is arrested, so that cerebral and cerebellar brain volume are smaller than normal at older age” (p. 428.) This can be credited by the fact that autism is diagnosed before the age of three. The specific structures of the brain affected are the cerebellum and the limbic system. The cerebellum is where sensorimotor input is integrated, and the limbic system regulates emotions. The amygdala and the frontal lobe may also be involved. Another biological factor that influences the diagnosis of ASD is the functioning of mirror neurons. These neurons fire when someone performs an action and when the person observes someone else performing the same action. Mirror neurons are involved in imitation, understanding other’s intentions, empathy, and language learning. Lastly, is the effect of endorphins, which are in excess in people with ASD. These people “lack interest in others because their excessive internal rewards reduce the value of the external rewards offered by relationships “ (Oltmanns & Emery, 2015, p.