Thursday, November 28, 2019
Exploring autism in the drama film Rain Man
Directed by Barry Levinson, Rain Man is a chef-d’oeuvre comedy that functions as a drama film, exploring autism – a mental disorder that sets in mostly during childhood. The main character is Raymond Babbitt – an autistic man, a condition that has forced him to spend his days in a mental institution since his childhood.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Exploring autism in the drama film Rain Man specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Charlie Babbitt, the brother to Raymond, is the actor who portrays Raymond’s autism on the way to Los Angeles to secure his fair share in the Babbitt’s $3 million fortunes in form of inheritance. As aforementioned, the mental disorder portrayed in Rain Man movie is autism. Autism According to Autism Research Centre, autism is a â€Å"spectrum of neurodevelopment condition, characterized by difficulties in the development of social relationships and commu nication skills and the presence of unusually strong narrow interests, and repetitive behavior†(Para. 1). Autistic people have both verbal and non-verbal communication problems and they take words literally; that is, they take people for what they say. In addition, autistic people have trouble in understanding other peoples’ emotions, thus making it difficult to form any meaningful social relationships. Finally, autism bars its victims from normal social imagination, making them not to trust other people. Consequently, due to this lack of trust, autistic people resort into repetitive behaviors resisting change or any unfamiliar situations. Possible Causes of Autism So far, there is no scientifically proved cause of autism. Nevertheless, according to The National Autistic Society, research work suggests there might be genetic or environmental factors that cause or contribute to autism (Para. 2). Intense research work is currently underway to determine the exact cause of autism. Symptoms in the Film As Raymond talks to people, he does not look to them into their eyes. Avoiding eye contact is a symptom of autism. In most cases, communication involves both verbal and non-verbal skills and as aforementioned, autistic people have difficulties in understanding any of these forms of communication. Consequently, Raymond does not understand other people’s feelings thus making him avoid eye contact. One’s feelings in a conversation come inform of voice tone or facial expressions and given that autistic people do not sense voice tone or facial expressions, they avoid eye contact in the first place. Additionally, Raymond has fear of boarding flights. When Richie suggests they take a flight to Los Angeles, Raymond vehemently declines the offer, making them to drive in a car from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. Autistic people do not embrace change.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The National Autistic Society states that, â€Å"People with autism may not be comfortable with the idea of change†(Para. 4). Raymond cannot brace the change of taking a flight because his routine dictates that, he use a vehicle. Raymond shows little emotions except when under stress. For instance, the only time he reacts emotionally is when Charlie suggests they take a flight to Los Angeles. Lack of emotions is a common autistic symptom, a conspicuous sign in Rain Water as portrayed by Raymond. Other Symptoms not in the Film In addition to the symptoms displayed by Raymond, other autistic symptoms include hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. In this case, an autistic person may overreact or under react to a given situation. In addition, these people have special interests like in music, art, or computers among other areas touching human existence. Medline Plus asserts that, â€Å"some autistic people never learn how to talk†(Para. 2 ). This observation backs the fact that autistic people have communication problems. Due to the perceived inefficiencies in social interactions, these people tend to withdraw and love to spend time alone. Consequently, in most cases, their physical activity is minimal. Infants suffering from autism may resist cuddling and have no interest in playthings. Finally, autistic people have no understanding of their surroundings. They show no interest in common things that common people find fascinating in life making them appear indifferent. Treatments Portrayed in the Movie After the Babbitts realize Raymond is autistic, the only intervention they execute is to take him to a mental institution. This intervention helps Raymond for he seems to have developed cognitive abilities in the mental institution. For instance, he recalls his childhood and sings I Saw Her Standing There, a song he loved to sing to Charlie during their childhood before that accident which led the separation of Raymond from Richie and his family at large. Charlie even realizes Raymond’s sharp cognitive abilities and he takes him into a casino where Raymond is supposed to count cards in a gambling game. By staying together with people, he can identify with; that is, in the mental institution, Raymond develops and hones his cognitive abilities. Probably, if Raymond grew in the house together with the rest of the family members, his memory abilities would be underdeveloped due to lack of proper care, motivation, and support. Towards the end of the film, Richie changes his attitude and starts to empathize with Raymond. According to Eikeseth, loving and understanding an autistic person improve his/her chances of living a near-to normal life (158). Richie’s loving attitude and caring nature towards Raymond as the film closes, reflects psychological intervention of autism. Love and support works wonders in helping autistic people realize they too can live normal lives.Advertising We w ill write a custom report sample on Exploring autism in the drama film Rain Man specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Recommended Psychological and Physical Interventions Psychological interventions are highly recommended in autism intervention strategies. According to Kalat, â€Å"Psychoanalysts†¦attempt to infer the hidden unconscious, symbolic meaning behind people’s words and actions†¦ (8). Therefore, based on this argument, all psychological interventions seek to establish why an autistic person behaves the way he/she behaves. Despite the fact that autistic people share some common features, they do not behave exactly the same way. Therefore, psychological interventions try to determine why a given person behaves in a given way and sets rules that should be followed in addressing that particular problem. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the highly recommended psychological intervention method where autistic childre n learn â€Å"comprehensive, individualized treatment†¦social skills, communication, daily living skills, academics, self-management or coping skills, and family support†(Eikeseth 177). On the other hand, physical interventions include general physical exercise. As aforementioned, majority of autistic people have minimal physical activity, which weakens their body. Therefore, physical exercise helps these children greatly. However, given the fact that these people do not fit well in social circles, special programs have been designed to allow autistic people exercise with convenience. Conclusion Rain Man is a masterpiece directed by Barry Levinson exploring autism and its perception by other people. Raymond Babbitt is the autistic character while Richie; Raymond’s brother, is the character who unveils Raymond’s autism. Autism affects mainly the sociological relationships between its victims and other normal people. There are physical and psychological inte rventions that help autistic people live a normal life; ABA is one of the most reliable psychological interventions. As the movie closes, Richie becomes empathetic towards Raymond, a key factor in dealing with autism. Works Cited Autism Research Centre. Autism. N.d. Web. Autism Research Centre (ARC) forms an integral part of School of Medical Medicine at the University of Cambridge. The information found on this site is about autism covering all major issues surrounding autism. ARC receives most of its funding from the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Shirley Foundation, and the Three Guineas Trust among others. ARC offers links to other sites that deal with issues related to autism; for instance, Autism Europe Congress.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Eikeseth, Svein. â€Å"Outcome of Comprehensive Psycho-educational Interventions for Young Children with Autism.†Res Dev Disabil 30. 1 (2009): 158–78. Print. Kalat, James. Introduction to Psychology. 6th Ed. USA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2001. Medline Plus. Autism, 2010. Web. Medline Plus offers reliable up-to-date health-related information in simplified language that patients, families, and friends can understand. Medline Plus is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health. Medline Plus is linked to other sites like twitter where people can share health-related information creating awareness to the public. The National Autistic Society. What is Autism? 2010. Web. The National Autistic Society is the top United Kingdom charity for autistic people. This society works with LEGO UK, HIT Entertainment, Trafigura, and the Co-operative Bank as its major sponsors. The site offers information, support and initiative services in its bid to create a world where people understand autism. This report on Exploring autism in the drama film Rain Man was written and submitted by user Aayla Secura to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Dispose Objects in Visual Basic
Dispose Objects in Visual Basic In the article, Coding New Instances of Objects, I wrote about the various ways that New instances of objects can be created. The opposite problem, disposing an object, is something that you wont have to worry about in VB.NET very often. .NET includes a technology called Garbage Collector (GC) that usually takes care of everything behind the scenes silently and efficiently. But occasionally, usually when using file streams, sql objects or graphics (GDI) objects (that is, unmanaged resources), you may need to take control of disposing objects in your own code. First, Some Background Just as a constructor (the New keyword) creates a new object, a destructor is a method that is called when an object is destroyed. But theres a catch. The people who created .NET realized that it was a formula for bugs if two different pieces of code could actually destroy an object. So the .NET GC is actually in control and its usually the only code that can destroy the instance of the object. The GC destroys an object when it decides to and not before. Normally, after an object leaves scope, it is released by the common language runtime (CLR). The GC destroys objects when the CLR needs more free memory. So the bottom line is that you cant predict when GC will actually destroy the object. (Welllll ... Thats true nearly all of the time. You can call GC.Collect and force a garbage collection cycle, but authorities universally say its a bad idea and totally unnecessary.) For example, if your code has created a Customer object, it may seem that this code will destroy it again. Customer = Nothing But it doesnt. (Setting a an object to Nothing is commonly called, dereferencing the object.) Actually, it just means that the variable isnt associated with an object anymore. At some time later, the GC will notice that the object is available for destruction. By the way, for managed objects, none of this is really necessary. Although an object like a Button will offer a Dispose method, its not necessary to use it and few people do. Windows Forms components, for example, are added to a container object named components. When you close a form, its Dispose method is called automatically. Usually, you only have to worry about any of this when using unmanaged objects, and even then just to optomize your program. The recommended way to release any resources that might be held by an object is to call the Dispose method for the object (if one is available) and then dereference the object. Customer.Dispose() Customer Nothing Because GC will destroy an orphaned object, whether or not you set the object variable to Nothing, its not really necessary. Another recommended way to make sure that objects are destroyed when theyre not needed anymore is to put the code that uses an object into a Using block. A Using block guarantees the disposal of one or more such resources when your code is finished with them. In the GDI series, the Using block is put to use quite frequently to manage those pesky graphics objects. For example ... Using myBrush As LinearGradientBrush _ New LinearGradientBrush( _ Me.ClientRectangle, _ Color.Blue, Color.Red, _ LinearGradientMode.Horizontal) ... more code ... End Using myBrush is disposed of automagically when the end of the block is executed. The GC approach to managing memory is a big change from the way VB6 did it. COM objects (used by VB6) were destroyed when an internal counter of references reached zero. But it was too easy to make a mistake so the internal counter was off. (Because memory was tied up and not available to other objects when this happened, this was called a memory leak.) Instead, GC actually checks to see whether anything is referencing an object and destroys it when there are no more references. The GC approach has a good history in languages like Java and is one of the big improvements in .NET. On the next page, we look into the IDisposable interface... the interface to use when you need to Dispose unmanaged objects in your own code. If you code your own object that uses unmanaged resources, you should use the IDisposable interface for the object. Microsoft makes this easy by including a code snippet that creates the right pattern for you. Click Here to display the illustrationClick the Back button on your browser to return The code that is added looks like this (VB.NET 2008): Class ResourceClass    Implements IDisposable    To detect redundant calls    Private disposed As Boolean False    IDisposable    Protected Overridable Sub Dispose( _       ByVal disposing As Boolean)       If Not Me.disposed Then          If disposing Then          Free other state (managed objects).          End If          Free your own state (unmanaged objects).          Set large fields to null.       End If       Me.disposed True    End Sub #Region IDisposable Support    This code added by Visual Basic to    correctly implement the disposable pattern.    Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose       Do not change this code.       Put cleanup code in       Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.       Dispose(True)       GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)    End Sub    Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()       Do not change this code.       Put cleanup code in       Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.       Dispose(False)       MyBase.Finalize()    End Sub #End Region End Class Dispose is almost an enforced developer design pattern in .NET. Theres really only one correct way to do it and this is it. You might think this code does something magic. It doesnt. First note that the internal flag disposed simply short-circuits the whole thing so you can call Dispose(disposing) as often as you like. The code ... GC.SuppressFinalize(Me) ... makes your code more efficient by telling the GC that the object has already been disposed (an expensive operation in terms of execution cycles). Finalize is Protected because GC calls it automatically when an object is destroyed. You should never call Finalize. The Boolean disposing tells the code whether your code initiated the objects disposal (True) or whether the GC did it (as part of the Finalize sub. Note that the only code that uses the Boolean disposing is: If disposing Then    Free other state (managed objects). End If When you dispose of an object, all of its resources must be disposed of. When the CLR garbage collector disposes of an object only the unmanaged resources must be disposed of because the garbage collector automatically takes care of the managed resources. The idea behind this code snippet is that you add code to take care of managed and unmanaged objects in the indicated locations. When you derive a class from a base class that implements IDisposable, you dont have to override any of the base methods unless you use other resources that also need to be disposed. If that happens, the derived class should override the base classs Dispose(disposing) method to dispose of the derived classs resources. But remember to call the base classs Dispose(disposing) method. Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)    If Not Me.disposed Then       If disposing Then       Add your code to free managed resources.       End If       Add your code to free unmanaged resources.    End If    MyBase.Dispose(disposing) End Sub The subject can be slightly overwhelming. The purpose of the explanation here is to demystify whats actually happening because most of the information you can find doesnt tell you!
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Leadership and management style in practice king Abdullah of Saudi Essay
Leadership and management style in practice king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and sir Alex Ferguson - Essay Example This essay discusses that one of the key priorities ‘for all Saudi monarchs in the 20th century has been the modernization of the country’; in the past, the country’s development had faced delays because of the lack of sufficient funds for supporting such initiatives. However, since the appearance of oil as the country’s major product, the improvement of the country’s position in the international community has been continuous; the above trend has been supported by all the country’s governors, including King Abdullah. King Abdullah was appointed as the ruler of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1996; probity was perceived to be one of his key characteristics. It was for this reason that his appointment as the country’s ruler was believed to help towards the update of the country’s practices in the international relations arena. More specifically, up to the appointment of King Abdullah as the ruler of Saudi Arabia, the kingdomâ€℠¢s policy in regard to its relations with the neighboring countries was strongly influenced by the views of the American governments on this field. Reference is made specifically to the development of efforts for ‘establishing peace with Israel by setting the term for the withdrawal of Israel from all territories occupied since 1967’. King Abdullah was the one who first doubted the effectiveness of such policy, criticizing the lack by American governments of sufficient monitoring and review of the relevant plan. ... King Abdullah was appointed as the ruler of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1996; probity was perceived to be one of his key characteristics (The New York Times, 2010). It was for this reason that his appointment as the country’s ruler was believed to help towards the update of the country’s practices in the international relations arena. More specifically, up to the appointment of king Abdullah as the ruler of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s policy in regard to its relations with the neigbouring countries was strongly influenced by the views of the American governments on this field. Reference is made specifically to the development of efforts for ‘establishing piece with Israel by setting the term for the withdrawal of Israel from all territories occupied since 1967’ (The New York Times 2010). King Abdullah was the one who first doubted the effectiveness of such policy, criticizing the lack by American governments of sufficient monitoring and review of the relevant plan (The New York Times 2010). In this way, the ability of King Abdullah to use his power for enforcing the role of his country within the international community was made clear. Another important challenge that the King Abdullah had to face was the control of the negative criticism towards Saudi Arabia after the events of the September the 11th – where ’15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis’ (The New York Times 2010). The king had to establish a series of measures for improving the image of Saudi Arabia globally – which was severely harmed because of the practice of Saudi governors in the past to show tolerance to the development of extremism across the country (The New York Times 2010). In other words, the key advantage of king Abdullah compared to the country’s governors in the past
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
As a department head in the hospital, you and your colleagues need to Term Paper
As a department head in the hospital, you and your colleagues need to decide on whether to purchase new equipment - Term Paper Example A decision whether to own or lease a particular piece of hospital equipment would have to take into account many factors. The most obvious is the cost of the equipment. In the given scenario, the cost to buy is $75,000. Needless to say that this is a considerable sum of money to pay outright and therefore there is an alternative consideration at hand whether to lease the equipment for five years. The lease rental is $ 11,000 per year, for five years. Depreciation is one factor that needs to be considered as well as it would reduce the value of the equipment. Another factor would be revenues and number of people using that equipment. In an operating lease, the lessor would bear the cost of reduction in the value of the asset, but in the case of a capital lease, this would be transferred to the lessee. A lease is considered to be a capital lease if (a) the terms of lease contain a bargain price option, (b) the lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated useful life of the asset, (c) the present value of the minimum lease payments amount to 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset, and (d) the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the user at the end of the lease term (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). We are told nothing about (a) or (d) but can calculate (b) and (c). We are told nothing about the discount rate to use here to calculate the present value of the lease rentals. However if we assume a discount rate of 10 percent, the present value of the lease rentals will be as under: This calculated present value is more than 90 percent of the depreciated value of the equipment as at year 5. Ninety percent of the depreciated value of the equipment amounts to $40,500 in year 5. So it is definitely a Capital Lease. In the current circumstances, it would be better to buy the equipment rather than to lease it. This is because the salvage value of the equipment at
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Applied business research-week 9 and week 10 Essay
Applied business research-week 9 and week 10 - Essay Example Salary depends on age and years since they are within the .05 significance level. However, it does not depend on beauty. Hence, beauty is an irrelevant factor in salary determination and can as well be eliminated. Age is normally distributed since its skewness is .362 while its kurtosis is 3.49. Moreover, years is normally distributed since its skewness is .348 while its kurtosis is .536. similarly, beauty is normally distributed as it has a skewness of -.004 and kurtosis is .480 values that are close to zero. 7. The R2 is .184. This value indicates the proportion of variance in the salary_2 that can be explained by beauty, years and age in the model. Apparently, beauty, years and age, which are the independent variables, explain 18.4% of the variability of salary_2, which is the dependent variable. 9. Age and years are significant coefficients as their p value is less than .05. Every increase of an average of 1 year in the number of years that a woman is a model is associated with 0.9% increase in
Friday, November 15, 2019
Attachment And Associated Disorders In A Classroom Education Essay
Attachment And Associated Disorders In A Classroom Education Essay EE and JE are two brothers, age eleven and eight respectively, who attend the same mainstream primary. Both children were identified as having difficulties considered consistent within Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and therefore each was issued with a Special Educational Needs (SEN) Statement. Both children have recently started to experience social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) at an intensity which is of great concern for those professionals working with them. A more detailed description of these difficulties will be outlined in the following section. The school they attend opened an ASD Resource Base (RB) in September 2009. The siblings have been timetabled in the Base according to their language and cognitive developmental levels. They were mapped for this wave 3 intervention with the view of increasing their successful inclusion in the mainstream educational offer. For EE, initial assessment lead professionals to allocate 60% of his school time in the RB, along with eight other students of different ages but similar educational needs. All nine children have been assessed within P Scale levels (QCA, 2005). JEs learning difficulties are of a moderate nature and therefore he was grouped in a different ability group with other three students. All children in this group were assessed to be working at National Curriculum level 1. JEs group was scheduled four weekly sessions in the Base with the view to provide additional support in the development of the childrens Literacy, Numeracy and Social/Emotional skills. All teachers involved in their education are developing a shared understanding of the use of Provision Maps (PMs), personalised documents that provide an overview of the childrens allocated wave 2 and wave 3 interventions, as well as their long and short term educational targets. PMs are used to inform teachers planning, both in the mainstream classroom and in the RB. In addition, they provide staff with a shared understanding of each childs educational needs (Gross, 2008). PMs also contribute to the schools inclusive ethos, supporting Riesers (1995) proposal that SEN should be part of the schools equal opportunities policy rather than being considered as a separate issue (cited in Cowne, 2000). Any child on role at this primary can access to the provision that is additional to or different from the mainstream offer at any time their needs indicate so, whether they present with SEN or not. The purpose of this essay is not necessarily to challenge the subjects ASD diagnoses but to analyse the nature of the behaviours they are currently manifesting, which may provide some relevant explanations and result in useful interventions once and if attachment disorders are considered. Johnson (1992) and Williams, OCallaghan and Cowie (1994), authors cited in Geddes (2006), maintain that childrens attachment experiences have implications for those seeking to support them in their learning process. It is the authors assumption that the two boys in this study are using behaviour as a way to communicate their emotional needs. This essay will attempt to give meaning to their current behaviour using Geddes Learning Triangle Theory (2006) and apply this analysis to inform future practice. Recent behavioural changes in both siblings if considered jointly may contribute to critically identifying possible parenting issues, which could prove significant as both children are currently being assessed as potentional candidates for the Child Protection Register. Identifying Problem Behaviours: an outline of background information and recent behavioural observations. EE is the eldest of the siblings and will be moving to secondary education in September 2010. He was diagnosed with ASD when he was almost 3 years old. EE presents with severe difficulties in the three areas of development which constitute the triad of impairments at the core of the autistic spectrum: social and emotional understanding; all aspects of communication; and flexibility of thought and behaviour (Jordan, 2005). During his primary education, EE has been known as a compliant boy, very quiet and tranquil. He tends to keep to himself but responds well to adult lead activities. He finds it hard to stay focused on activities that are not of his own choosing but understands boundaries and responds well to positive behavioural management approaches used with individuals with ASD, such as making connections with key adults, clear expectations, and verbal praise (Kluth, 2003). Over the past two months, EE has shown increasing signs of anxiety in response to other children suddenly b ecoming upset. On one occasion, a little girl in his RB group accidentally hurt herself and began to cry inconsolably. The change in his muscle tone was very apparent to those working with him. He became very rigid and placed his hands on his stomach. After a minute or two, and once the girl had calmed down, EE asked to go to the toilet, which he never had done before during lesson times. While it is reported that EE has been receptive to criticism in the past, he is currently very sensitive to any sign of disapproval, getting easily upset if he feels he is in trouble and often denying any wrongdoing. If another child hurts him/herself and a graze is apparent, EE tries to communicate the incident to an adult. He has begun relating these incidents to his own experiences, intentionally expressing these connections to the adults working at the RB and consequently disclosing events of concern. He has pointed at scars on his body while naming his brother. When asked what happened, EE usu ally responds mummy slaps JE. EEs language difficulties are a barrier to him expressing his needs and historically he has not initiated a conversation with another person. The contexts in which EE feels the need to share his own thoughts are related to others or himself being in physical pain. Recently EEs appetite has also worsened and he is reluctant to join in at snack time, having to be regularly encouraged to eat. It would then seem reasonable to consider EEs behaviours, such as the changes in his appetite, noticeable anxiety and withdrawal, as symptoms possibly associated with a specific emotional disorder, such as depression or anxiety (DfEE, 2001). JE is a year 4 student and the second child of what is about to become a family of four siblings. JE also was diagnosed with ASD at the age of four. He has always had a very loud and active nature. His language impairment is more apparent in his expressive skills, especially when involved in some kind of conflict with his peers. JE is known for his tendency to be non-compliant. When contradicted or challenged, he initially would protest verbally, but would comply with key adults like his teacher or LSA. He had not shown any physical aggression until two months ago. JE regularly appears in a heightened state of anxiety and he has become increasingly negatively fixated on one particular child, with whom he has experienced difficulty interacting with throughout his schooling. His sensitivity to criticism has accentuated recently and his difficulties in initiating and maintaining positive and trusting relationships with both peers and adults are escalating. JEs most challenging behaviour is his determination to always be in control at whatever the cost, both in class and at playtimes. He appears increasingly restless and has expressed lack of sleep. The nature of JEs SEBD is gradually proving more challenging to those working with him, to the extreme of being at risk of permanent exclusion. He is developing a pattern of flight and fight (Geddes, 2006), demonstrating an increasing violence against school property and/or adults. Physical restrain is met with spitting, kicking, punching, and even with the shouting of false accusations. Sometimes the trigger to his outburst can be peers succeeding in tasks or behaviours which he has declined to attempt himself. At other times, the outburst occurs when he has been denied permission to go to the toilet or to access to a preferred activity. His ability to remain on task is deteriorating. When a member of the mainstream staff referred to calling his father to report his behaviour, JE begged for it not to happen, alegating that his father would hit him with the belt. Despite knowing of his tendency to lie, the leadership considered all recent developments involving both siblings, and the schools child protection officer referred their case to Children Services. Circular 9/94 (DfEE, 1994) defines (S)EBD as difficulties presented in a continuum between behaviour which challenges teachers but which can be considered within normal developmental bounds and that which is indicative of serious mental illness. In EEs case, the behaviours he is presenting could be considered typical within the autistic spectrum, yet it is the sudden change parallel to those observed in his younger brother that has alerted professionals working with him, triggering a multidisciplinary analysis of the possible causes underlying these behaviours. JEs disruptive and disturbing behaviours, the deterioration of his social skills and his escalating distress, have lead the author of this paper to consider a possible overlap between his SEBD and mental health difficulties (SEBDA, 2006). It would appear that his current case scenario fits within the DfES (2001) definition of conduct/anti-social disorders: Conduct disorder is a term used by mental health specialists to describe a syndrome or core symptoms, which à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ involve three overlapping domains of behaviour: defiance of the will of someone in authority; aggressiveness; and anti-social behaviour that violates other peoples rights, property or person. (DfES, 2001 p.24) A referral to Children and Adolescence Mental Health Services (CAMHS) followed this hypothesis, but in the interim that assessment is undertaken by the designated professionals, staff involved with JEs education relates to Geddes (2006) assertion of the practitioners need to reflect upon the effect that he is having on those working with him. Professionals agree that the severity of JEs behaviour at times of crisis appears to be negatively affecting professionals ability to think and respond using best practice, thus the system is becoming reactive with an increase in punitive responses and fixed term exclusions. JE is gradually becoming more rejected and unpopular amongst his peers and the adults around him, which is having a detrimental effect on his self-esteem and consequently his academic performance is decaying hastily. Difficulties in interpersonal relationship skills correlate highly with self-esteem, affect school performance and other psychosocial domains (Dana, 2009). JEs emotional and social difficulties seem to be spiraling within Danas assertion. Greenhalgh (1994) emphasizes that for those children affected with emotional and behavioural difficulties, their ability to learn is strongly linked to the childrens ability to relate to others. His assertion could be then considered in connection with the pioneer work of Bowlby (1969; cited in Bowlby, 1988) on Attachment Theory. Bowlby explains attachment behaviour as a set of behaviour patterns meant to develop during the childs early months of life. He adopts an ethological approach to the understanding of parenting and identifies the need for protection as the reason for the development of attachment between infant and caregiver. Attachment can be explained as the emotional bond that develops between the two, providing the infant with emotional security (Peardy, 1998). Cooper, Smith and Upton (1994) considered that behaviour problems in schools could be caused by the emotional difficulties emerging as a consequence of difficult family backgrounds or physical/sexual abuse. Ainsworths experiment called The Strange Situation (1978; cited in Geddes, 2006 and Pearce, 2009) contributed to the identification of the essential input of the mothers sensitivity to her infant in the development of attachment patterns. It is reported that JEs social and emotional difficulties, specially his inability of developing trusting and long lasting relationships, have always been present during his schooling, but has taken a more anti-social direction in recent times. Prior to critically analysing the attachment patterns observed in the teaching and learning environment of the RB thus the individuals SEBD can be analysed under the Attachment Theory framework -, it appears relevant to first consider the Attachment Theory in relation to children diagnosed with autistic disorders. Attachment patterns in children with ASD. Parenting children with ASD can be highly stressful (Koegel et al. 1992 and Dum et al. 2001; cited in Rutgers et al. 2007). Rutgers et al. (2007) explain how a number of researchers maintain that impairments in social interaction may have their impact on parental interactive behaviour, suggesting that parenting is particularly affected by the childs lack of adaptability, his/her demandingness and the parents acceptability of the childs disability. Despite this fact, Rutgers et al. (2007) conclude that children with ASD are able to show secure attachment behaviours to their parents regardless of their impairments in social interactions. The results of their study, also indicate that children with ASD who present with attachment disorders, follow a disorganised/disoriented pattern. Pearce (2009) describes this pattern as that defined by the childrens bizarre and contradictory behaviours towards the caregiver, exhibiting incomplete movements and poor affective displays. Rutgers et al. ( 2007) attribute the cause of these differences to the detrimental impact that the childrens social and language impairments can have on their parents interactive behaviour, especially when the children have severe difficulties in conventionally displaying their emotions. These authors maintain that with children with ASD, more sensitive parenting is not necessarily associated with more attachment security, whereas for children without ASD, more sensitive parenting is associated with more attachment security. These findings could be significant when identifying differences in the possible underlying causes of the siblings current SEBD. As outlined in the introduction of this essay, the aim of this present analysis is to underpin possible connections between the subjects SEBD and what Ainsworth et al. (1978, cited in Geddes, 2006; Rutgers et al. 2007; and Pearce, 2009) referred to as insecure patterns of attachment. Before considering possible attachment disorders as possible causes of the childrens SEBD, the siblings language difficulties have been taken into consideration. Teaching staff consulted the RB Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) in relation to a possible link between the childrens recent change in behaviour, their communication disorders, and their self-awareness. Law and Garrett (2004) cited the work done by Baker and Cantwell (1985) in order to determine the exact nature of the relationship between behavioural disorders and communication disorders. These authors concluded that early communication difficulties and behavioural problems are integrally linked in a common developmental trail that may beco me stronger as the child grows older. Both children have been receiving language therapy at school and since the opening of the RB, the hours of direct contact with the therapist have increased. During the first weeks of the school year, both children shown better than expected progress in all academic areas and SALT reported considerable improvement in their language and communication skills. Both children are demonstrating a strong need to communicate. Whether this need is to point at what is upsetting them or to link their present experiences to other environments is unknown. In consultation with the SALT, and in terms of their language development, it was agreed that both children are making good progress. It was then assumed that answers to the subjects change in behaviour needed to be found elsewhere. Understanding the nature of early experience and its disorders in the classroom could help staff understand the meaning of the childrens behaviour in school and indicate what kind of response and intervention may be effective (Geddes, 2006). Attachment patterns observed in the classroom: differences between the two siblings. Clements (2005) asserts that behaviour is driven by interactions between the individual and the environment, adopting an ecosystemic approach when understanding behaviour in children with ASD. Attachment Theory is yet another ecosystemic framework within which professionals have the opportunity to view pupils and their social and emotional difficulties holistically (Geddes and Hanko, 2006; Gross, 1987). Consequently, staffs understanding of the impact early experiences can have on the childrens behaviour at school could contribute to the emotional heath and well-being of all pupils (Geddes, 2006). Dowling and Osborne (1985; cited in Geddes, 2006) stress that children develop an understanding of relationships based on their experiences with parents and siblings, friends and extended family. Through these primary experiences, Dowling et al. explain how children will develop an understanding of rivalry for parental affection, sharing and ownership. Stern (1985) maintains that experience s of being in the company of an other are to be seen as active acts of integration, rather than as passive and unsuccessful intends of differentiation of their self. Both siblings seem to have recently suffered deterioration in their emotional well-being, yet they appear to be expressing these difficulties in very different ways: while EE is approaching adults for comfort, JE is attacking them. These differences, explains Bee (1997), could find an explanation in the biological argument explaining temperament and personality. The biological perspective considers that each individual is born with characteristic patterns determined genetically, which then establish the individuals responses to the environment and to other people (Ayers, Clarke and Murray, 1999; Bee, 1997). Goleman (1996) supports this statement and adds that each individual inherits a series of pre-set emotional features, which determine his/her temperament. It would seem, however, as if by adopting a biological perspe ctive to explain the differences in the siblings behaviours, the birth order of the children would then not be accounted for, nor any environmental factors. This would then contradict the advice of a number of researchers who advocate for the need to adopt an eclectic approach to the analysis of SEBD (Cooper et al., 1994; Cooper, 1999; Jones, 1999; Visser, 2002; Visser, 2005). JE is the second of three siblings and the family is currently expecting a fourth baby. EE was diagnosed with ASD soon after JE was born. Sterns (1998) assumption that experiencing the self in the company of another is to be seen as an experience towards integration might not have been such for JE. Links between Attachment Disorders and Mental Health Problems can be found in Greenhalghs (1994) work when he refers to Kleins (1946) concept of the paranoid-schizoid position, which is characterised by the individuals strong need for omnipotence, or in another words, the need to have things ones own way. They relat e omnipotence to the fear that allowing others to get their ways will stop the individual from preserving the experience of things being good. When identifying the problem behaviours in previous sections of this essay, it was mentioned JEs need to dictate his own way (e.g. he is to go to the toilet any time he wants to, not when he is scheduled to; he finds it very difficult to cope with the adults authority, often challenging it and reacting violently when feeling contradicted). Geddes (2006) applies the principles of the attachment patterns originally determined by Ainsworth et al. (1978; cited in Geddes, 2006; Rutgers et al. 2007; and Pearce, 2009) to the classrooms teaching and learning dynamics. She does so with what she names The Learning Triangle, established between the child, the teacher and the task. Rutgers et al. (2007) reached the conclusion that children with ASD tend to be less secure and more disorganised in their attachment pattern. This assertion could provide a th eoretical basis to critically consider JEs SEBD difficulties as being caused by a disorganised /disorientated attachment. When describing pupils whose attachment pattern is of this type, Geddes (2006) identifies the following responses to their schooling and learning: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the pupil is likely to: appear in a heightened state of anxiety; be highly vigilant and notice any slight distraction; have an absence of trust in the authority of adults; be insensitive to others feelings; place considerable importance on objects rather than relationships; may bully others perceived as vulnerable/reminders of their vulnerability; get into trouble a lot in relatively unsupervised settings such as the playground; experience overwhelming affect (feeling) which has no apparent meaning; sudden react to unseen triggers; be extremely sensitive to criticism and implied humiliation; have little development of the capacity to reflect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and sadly appear to enjoy very little. (Geddes, 2006; pp. 108) JEs problem behaviours seem to be consistent with most of the patterns described above. When JE joins a lesson in the RB, he is asked about his mood. All pupils in his group are invited to register themselves according to six basic emotions. JE has only managed to identify two of the choices, excitement and anger. Over the past month, JE has regularly indicated feeling angry but he cannot express the reason behind his emotion. Research on the origins of anger and rage link aggression and violence to weak bonding in infancy and weak parenting (APA Commission on Violence, 1993; cited in Geddes, 2006). Geddes (2006) also quotes Holmes (2001) definition of outbursts of rage as a form of displacement activity resulting of an individuals dilemma between fear and need. She also classifies the learning profile of disorganised students as that of being omnipotent and controlling when approaching the classroom, reaching to the same consideration as other authors previously refer to (e.g. Klein , 1946 in Stern, 1998). On the other hand, EE is responding well to a nurturing approach to his emotional needs, which Clements (2005) identifies as one successful strategy for those individuals with ASD who like EE are sensitive or anxious and ready to avoid situations. When considering Geddes Learning Triangle to critically analyse EEs SEBD, the evidence compiled with the SALT; the fact that he is approaching the adults in the RB when feeling upset and/or distress; his growing ability to work independently with the support of visual aids; and his good response to the nurturing approach staff is adopting, could contribute sufficient evidence to consider EE as a securely attached pupil who over the last two months has been experiencing some external strain. His condition of first-born and his kind and gentle manner would appear to have contributed to his development of a secure attachment with his mother. Over the years, he has demonstrated a capacity to adapt to school and to respond to the demands of the academic and social setting in which learning takes place, which Geddes (2006) identifies as features characteristic of secure attachment, a social and emotional skill that children with ASD are capable of achieving (Rutgers et al. 2007). Geddes goes to describe the secure attached pupil as a child who presents with high scores of ego-resilience and self-esteem, less dependency on the teacher with the past of time, but with a growing affect for him/her. The securely attached pupil can increase the intentionality in his/her interactions with others and s/he is generally more co-operative. This would seem consistent with the recent improvement in EEs expressive skills assessed by the SALT as well as his ability to allow a key adult to help him focus back on task after an incident that may have upset him. Conclusions and advice for further practice It would seem that EEs emotional distress needs to be further assessed within the work of a multi-disciplinary team in order to bring some light to his family situation. His anxiety could be rooted to home events that are yet to be clarified. From an educational point of view, staff needs to advocate for his emotional well-being and continue offering a nurturing approach to his current needs (Clements, 2005). The conclusion reached in this discussion regarding the possible implications of an identified attachment disorder for JE, along with the nature of his behaviours, imply that the educational priority for the immediate future is to provide JE with safety, reliability and predictability (Geddes, 2006). Visual cues, such as visual timetables, are already being used. Clear expectations and behavioural boundaries are common and consistent practice amongst the staff of the RB and, in few occasions, JE has shown some positive responses to the authority of one of the teachers. It appears necessary that these same boundaries are consistently used in the mainstream provision. In order to guarantee that, the teacher with whom he seems to be developing a positive relationship could be allocated as his key worker for a period of time. For children identified as having a disorganised/disoriented attachment pattern, Geddes (2006) also recommends the use of a physical container as a possible therape utic strategy. She advocates that this resource can be interpreted as a secure base. This approach needs to be further explored, but taking into account that JE is very fond of comic characters, providing him with a toy that he can place in and out of a box during the school day as required by his emotions could facilitate him with a tool with which to explore and regain interest in the world around him. JE shows interest in playing with his peers and it is often his lack of skills to initiate positive interactions at playtimes that causes him trouble. JE could benefit from adult support at playtimes to facilitate good role models and assertive approaches to conflict, social skills strategies recognised as useful in helping individuals to improve their self-concept and achieve optimal levels of self-esteem (Roffey, Tarrant and Majors, 1994). EE and JE have both been displaying abnormal behaviour patterns and despite very similar diagnoses of ASD, they have been exhibiting markedly different responses to what is assumed as external factors possibly stressed within the home. Through this examination of attachment and associated disorders, it has been hypothesized that the variation in the boys response could possibly be due to JE suffering from an attachment disorder in addition to his original diagnoses of ASD. For this supposition to be validated it is acknowledged that there is need for an extensive multidisciplinary investigation in the home dynamics and further analysis of JEs mental health. The value of investigating attachment and associated disorders when analysing possible causes of individuals SEBD is that it can inform staff to look further than the original ASD diagnoses. If the supposition of JE presenting with an attachment disorder of a disorganized/disorientated pattern is correct, working on developing JEs attachment to and trust of staff, as well as maintaining the specialised ASD provision within the RB, can only be of benefit to him. Unlike EE, JE is not responding to the strategies advised as best practice for children with ASD.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Samurai in Film :: essays research papers
From Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film Seven Samurai, to the recent box office sensation, The Last Samurai, the famed Japanese warrior, the samurai, has been the subject of hundreds of films. Classically depicted as carrying two swords and sporting a top knot (chonmage), the samurai has been portrayed not only as a warrior and expert swordsman, but as a man of discipline and principles consistent with the bushido. Samurai films exhibit two basic dramatic styles. The jidai-geki (period drama) which are stories based on characters and how they negotiate a variety of political, personal and romantic situations and the chanbara (sword fighting films) which are action packed with dramatic sword fighting scenes. Films in the samurai genre which deal with ‘ronin’ (masterless samurai), demonstrate strong elements of both styles as exhibited in Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961), as well as the many films about the legendary Musashi Miyamoto. In addition to Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, Kurosawa’s samurai classics, The Hidden Fortress (1958) and Sanjuro (1963) all star ‘samurai incarnate,’ actor Toshiro Mifune. While Kurosawa’s later films, Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985), are not based on the samurai, they are set in feudal times in which the samurai played a significant role. Kurosawa’s films greatly influenced the film industry in both Japan and the West – however during his career he gained greater notoriety and even support for his motion pictures overseas than he did at home. The Seven Samurai was the basis for American film director John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven (1960); Yojimbo for A Fist full of Dollars (1964) – the first in a series of 3 ‘spaghetti westerns’ created by Italian film director, Sergio Leone; and The Hidden Fortress which influenced George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977). The parallels between the samurai and cowboy archetypes and the influence one had on the other is as evident in Kurosawa’s Yojimbo as it is in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992). During his career, Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) starred in 134 films and played either a classic samurai or a common man of ‘samurai principles’ in nearly half of them. Besides his Kurosawa films, Mifune also starred in a number of Hiroshi Inagaki’s samurai films including the classic, Musashi Miyamoto (1954). His reputation worldwide landed him a number of starring roles in Western productions including the award winning television mini-series, Shogun (1980) based on the James Clavell novel.
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