Background
Case Participant
I have chosen to provide an analysis of an actual person on the autism spectrum featured in the digital media. Life, Animated is a documentary that covers numerous issues that a person suffering from the syndrome has to address daily. The film represents a highly artistic mix of actual video records from its main character’s life and animated scenes that are central to the understanding of an ingenious method that helped the boy communicate.
In this work, I observe Owen Suskind as a patient as if I were able to observe him in real time. The way his life is presented allows for a proper analysis of the case, as the syndrome and its symptoms are among the film’s core topics. Love is another crucial subject that is covered extensively throughout the film. It helps to realize the importance of everyday support and attention that people on the autism spectrum desperately need.
Owen Suskind gradually loses numerous cognitive and linguistic skills at the age of three. The boy demonstrates an almost complete inability to express various ideas and emotions. Nevertheless, watching Disney cartoons frequently allows him to develop specific role models. Moreover, Owen’s repetitions of phrases turn out to be more than echolalia, as he vividly starts to express his own conditions and thoughts by reproducing the Disney characters’ replicas.
Life, Animated is centered around the life of Owen Suskind, an inspiring story of overcoming numerous challenges associated with autism. Owen used to show signs of rapid development and high intellect before he turned three. At some point, in a matter of weeks, the boy suddenly lost numerous skills. What is more, he seemed to completely lose the opportunity to express his feelings and thoughts. Parents claimed that they felt they lost their son, as there were no options available to communicate with Owen.
Despite all the challenges that Owen’s parents faced, they put remarkable effort into assisting their son and analyzing numerous opportunities to re-establish proper communication with him. Parents began to understand that complete silence became a normal environment for their son. Hill and Frith (2003) state that the general public realizes the high prevalence of autism, with 0.6% of the population being affected. Moreover, Kapp (2011) claims that many societies did not believe autism was a disease. Nevertheless, Owen’s gibberish gave hope that he might eventually redevelop the ability to make up common phrases.
The person I observe in this work is a Jewish boy living in the US. His native language is English, and he goes to a special-needs school. Kapp et al. (2013) state that many autistic people go through a lonely experience of not belonging. Owen is bullied there and experiences multiple challenges on a daily basis. The boy’s parents try to implement various strategies that enhance Owen’s ability to understand complex social concepts and establish relationships. According to Morrison (2014), there are numerous symptoms that are associated with autism. At the age of three, Owen abruptly loses multiple cognitive and linguistic skills that had been considered advanced. Moreover, the boy cannot communicate with family members and peers.
Owen seems to be unable to realize the rationale behind people’s actions and shows no intention to interact with people. What is more, overly-focused interest in a particular topic and ritualized behaviors often point to the development of autism (Brownlow, 2010). Baron-Cohen et al. (1985) also claim that the inability to impute beliefs to others is independent of mental retardation and specific to autism. Therefore, the symptoms that the patient in my observation demonstrates vividly correspond to the DSM-5 criteria for autism.
Researcher Role
I retrieved the data primarily from the movie that features various types of information on the subject. Moreover, the documentary provides valuable insights into the topic, as Owen’s family members and doctors provide their perceptions of the issues that the boy experiences. Their observations and expertise allow for a comprehensive understanding of the case featuring the application of an ingenious therapy method.
My role in the observation is primarily passive, as I am not involved in the numerous processes that define the life and the treatment of the boy. I solely acquire the data available and seek to analyze it and provide the appropriate rationale. The work results may be slightly biased due to the type of media I used to collect the information. The movie features multiple emotional scenes that can directly influence an observer’s perception of the case.
Once family members realize that communication via concepts and phrases from cartoons provides the most convenient solution, they start emphasizing its role. Thus, I was deprived of the opportunity to model various other types of treatment that might have proven to be efficient. Brownlow (2010) states that communication difficulties range significantly among people with autism. Thus, the case of Owen could be considered mild, and certain other types of treatment could have provided similar results over time. Nevertheless, such assumptions do not allow me to claim that the tactics deployed in the case and brightly depicted in the documentary were not the most efficient options available.
Data Sources
Observations
Suskind used to show vivid interest in Disney cartoons, which eventually drew his parents’ attention. One day the boy came to his parents and quietly said a few words. Fortunately, they managed to realize that it was a meaningful phrase – “Just your voice”. This phrase came from The Little Mermaid, one of the cartoons that the boy enjoyed watching. Owen’s parents realized that the notice of the lost voice vividly had a meaning, which provides an essential diagnostic context.
The boy kept repeating those words frequently, which motivated his parents to visit a doctor who claimed that there were only two answers to the phenomenon. He said that it was either echolalia, a medical term for repetition in a therapy context, or a sign that Owen could redevelop some of the essential skills. Owen’s parents became desperate to emphasize the role of Disney movies and various phrases in them in order to encourage their son to create multiple concepts. In a social context, they have proven to be beneficial for the enhancement of Owen’s ability to communicate with people.
Interviews
Given the crucial role of Owen’s parents in the case, I would like to interview them. The case of Owen should be considered unique, as relatives not only provided support and followed the advice of medical workers but developed and established a sophisticated treatment framework. Support for independent living and participation in the workforce is crucial for people with autism (Singh & Elsabbagh, 2014). Thus, the parents’ insights and observations that were not mentioned in the documentary can be crucial for the development of a universal strategy that can be applied in the cases similar to the case of Owen.
There is a set of questions I would like to ask. How did you first realize your son had developed a mental health issue? This question can help to eliminate the gap in knowledge concerning the initial stages of autism. The boy’s mental health rapidly deteriorated in a matter of several days. Thus, the Suskinds would answer that at the age of three, Owen lost the ability to express his thoughts and emotions almost overnight.
I would also like to learn more about the strategies that allow for immediate results. How did Owen manage to develop the skills necessary to communicate with people? I believe that the answer would feature the notion of cartoons due to the importance of the concepts they feature. The boy’s parents would emphasize the highly artistic representation of Disney characters and the quality of cartoon plots that were both complex and appealing enough for Owen to use as role models.
Given the extraordinary tactics, I would like to realize their motivation to start the untypical treatment. How did you realize that your son could use concepts from cartoons as role models? I anticipate that the parents’ answer would be focused on the uniqueness of their son’s case because of the crucial role of the concepts from cartoons. Owen’s parents would answer that he vividly associated himself with the actions depicted in the films and the phrases the characters pronounced in certain situations.
Document and Artifact Review
The fact that the boy was impressed by the Mermaid’s lost ability to speak supports the theory. According to Mirfin-Veitch et al. (2020), noticing and reinforcing certain types of behavior can be effective in encouraging children to continue learning. Despite the importance of the parents’ observations in Owen’s case, I would like to see the actual records performed and kept by doctors. The more traditional approach to treatment should not be undermined even in such a case, as it can significantly contribute to the creation of a universal treatment strategy.
Moreover, I would access the list of cartoons that the boy watched more frequently than others. The role models that the animated movies feature may provide a better understanding of the various phenomena associated with autism. I would also like to analyze the Disney posters that Owen collected, as they show the concepts that the boy found the most appealing and meaningful. The above-mentioned artifacts can significantly enhance the analysis of the case.
Case Study Findings
Interpretive Summary
Reflections
Given the complexity of each case featuring mental health issues, it has always been hard to develop a single universal approach that can prove to be useful under entirely different circumstances. The case of Owen vividly shows that sometimes it is crucial to apply a more patient-oriented approach, as more attention may result in essential findings concerning strengths and challenges in various domains. Thus, the case taught me that there is always room for discoveries and new ingenious solutions that can facilitate and accelerate the treatment process. Moreover, the case and the knowledge acquired throughout the course helped me realize that the severity of cases differs significantly. Therefore, it is essential to understand all the possible outcomes that depend on a wide range of factors.
I firmly believe that there are numerous strategies that could be beneficial in Owen’s case. Frith and Happé (1994) claim that the theory of mind helps to make specific predictions concerning the impairments in socialization. Introducing the boy to various new communication strategies while encouraging him to play with peers could multiply his parents’ efforts. Moreover, I believe that a gradual replacement of Disney concepts and role models with more complex real-life strategies would prepare the boy for the numerous challenges that adults face. Owen Suskind vividly demonstrates significant progress throughout his inspiring story. Nevertheless, the initial success should be considered the cornerstone of a complex and highly functional perception of life that he can develop.
References
Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”?. Cognition, 21(1), 37–46. Web.
Brownlow, C. (2010). Representing autism: The construction of ‘NT syndrome’. Journal of Medical Humanities, 31(3), 243–255. Web.
Frith, U., & Happé, F. (1994). Autism: Beyond “theory of mind”. Cognition, 50(1-3), 115–132. Web.
Hill, E. & Frith, U. (2003) Understanding autism: Insights from mind and brain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 358(1430), 281–289. Web.
Kapp, S. K. (2011). Navajo and autism: The beauty of harmony. Disability & Society, 26(5), 583–595. Web.
Kapp, S. K., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Sherman, L. E., & Hutman, T. (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology, 49(1), 59–71. Web.
Mirfin-Veitch, B., Jalota, N., & Schmidt, L. (2020). Responding to neurodiversity in the education context: An integrative review of the literature. Donald Beasley Institute.
Morrison, J. (2014). DSM-5 made easy: The clinician’s guide to diagnosis. The Guilford Press.
Singh, I., & Elsabbagh, M. (2014). Autism research beyond the bench. Autism, 18(7), 754–755. Web.