In Rain Man, Raymond's area of phenomenal skill is his memory: He can remember specific details to a degree that seems supernatural. This combination of autism and specialized skill can exist but it is not at all typical of those with autism.
The cause (or causes) or autism are not yet known, although there is clear genetic component. Scientists do not even know if autism is in fact a single (or small number) of disorders or actually a large number of disorders with a variety of different causes (Geschwind 391).
Currently the gold standard of treatment for autism is a combination of special education interventions and behavioral modification therapy. Neither of these (alone or in combination) is highly effective (Myers and Johnson 1164). Certainly standard treatments for autism will not create the kind of person we see in the character of Raymond. Most autistic people will never have the kind of skills that Raymond has, and this movie might therefore raise a false sense of hope in families who have a member with autism.
Autism is an essentially isolating disorder...
While people with autism probably feel love for their families and certainly families love their relatives with autism, the condition causes many hardships. For the average person and his or her family, there are no compensations for the rigors of living with autism the like of which we see in the movie. In this way I believe that the movie cold prove to be a disservice to families seeking an accurate depiction of living with autism.
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association (2000). "Diagnostic criteria for 299.00 Autistic Disorder." Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) ed.). Retrieved 2009-11-30.
Geschwind, David. "Autism: many genes, common pathways?." Cell 135 (3): 391 -- 5, 2008.
Myers S.M. And C.P. Johnson. "Management of children with autism spectrum disorders." Pediatrics 120 (5): 1162-82. 2007.
Treffert, Darold A. And Gregory L. Wallace. "Islands of Genius" (PDF). Scientific American, I nc. Retrieved…
