Rain Man

AUTISM AND SAVANT SYNDROME
M Osorio
Keiser University

Abstract
United Artist released the movie Rain Man in 1988. It was a classic road trip story of two brothers, Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom Cruise, and Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman. Charlie is traveling across the country with his brother Raymond, the main character of the film, who has an autistic savant disorder (ASD). He hasbecome the world's best-known savant due to Dustin Hoffman's remarkably accurate and sensitive portrayal of autism and savant syndrome. A general population unaffected by autism had never heard of the condition until film Rain Man was released. His role accomplished more towards bringing savant syndrome to public awareness than all the efforts combined. Autism is an immune disorder, which severelyhampers the ability of the child insofar as it refers to the socialization with other children and adults. The autistics have extremely underdeveloped language and auditory processing skills, they lack the ability to communicate both verbal and nonverbal, and do not know how to give and receive affection. Children with autism can be caught in their own world if they do not receive treatment andearly intervention.
Keywords: autism and savant disorder, autism and savant disorder

Autism and Savant Disorder
The issue of Autism and Savant Syndrome was brought to the cinema and masterfully dealt with in the film Rain Man. The central character, played by Dustin Hoffman, prepared him-self by coexisting with the inspirer of the movie, Kim Peek.
The character of the person with autisticsdisorder is unable to communicate properly, whether verbal or non-verbal, such as pointing, eye contact, and smiling. Social interaction, such as sharing emotions, understanding how others think and feel, and holding a conversation is extremely difficult or impossible for a person with such a disorder. Repetitive behaviors, also called stereotyped behaviors, such as repeating words or actions,obsessively following routines or schedules, and playing in repetitive ways is frequently common among autistics. Most of these signs manifest in a child before he turns three, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills (Neil K. Kaneshiro, 2010).
Savant Syndrome, on the other hand, is a highly functioning individual that may have very advanced or above normalabilities in mathematics, music, art, memorization, or speed-reading abilities such as the character portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. Savant talent has traditionally involved exceptional memory for rather unusual material, for example memorizing the telephone book. According to Darold A. Treffert, MD of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, savant syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary,condition in which people with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some "island of genius" which stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap. Whatever the particular savant skill, it is always linked to massive memory. It is important to note that “savants” and “talented autistic people” are not the same thing. A person with autism who is able to calculatewell, play an instrument or otherwise present himself as highly capable is not by definition a savant (Treffert, 2009)
Raymond has a problem communicating and learning. He cannot express himself or probably even understand his own emotions in a traditional way. There are dangers everywhere for Raymond; his routines and rituals are all he has to protect himself. The way he acts, sleeps, eats,uses the bathroom, walks, talks, etc. give him a sense of security, any break from the routines is terrifying, and he does not understand the concept of money (Bass, 1988).
According to Kaneshiro (2011), at the onset, the parents of an affected child may start to notice symptoms. They may start to notice something is "not quite right" on or about the 18th month of a child's life. Some examples...