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Mental Retardation in Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump, a cheerful and good-hearted, but mentally retarded young man with a low IQ, fights in and survives the Vietnam War, and also meets with a variety of important people of his time (between the 1950's and the 1970's). By chance, Forrest actually helps, through some of these meetings to shape certain national events from the 1950's on. However, his own mental deficiencies make him unable to realize any of this. He experiences meetings with Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. He also comes to be seen by such people as representing his generation (the baby boomers.) Still, everything that happens to Forrest happens merely through a combination of his good attitude and his good luck.
Describe the relevance of the movie as it relates to persons with disabilities or exceptionalities:
I found the movie very touching and warm-hearted, especially when Forrest gets his true love, Jenny, in the end. Still, it was not terribly relevant or accurate as it relates to persons with real mental retardation. Tom Hanks did portray a mentally retarded person convincingly, but still, it is highly unlikely that a real mentally retarded person, however kind-hearted or optimistic, would...
In that sense, unlike a movie like Radio, the fictional aspects of the story really showed through.
Describe the text material that was relevant to the portrayal of the exceptionality:
. On page 178, under "Characteristics of Individuals with Mental Retardation," it states that mental retardation is a developmental disability that affects development in a general manner. This seemed true of Forrest Gump in the film, in that his verbal development is below average. He has a very limited vocabulary. But, on the other hand, Forrest's motor skills, compared to Radio's, for example, are not as bad as one would expect. Forrest's social skills also seem at times smoother than those of an actual mentally retarded person (although this may simply be due to his strange good luck).Also on page 178, under "Cognitive Development" (e.g., information processing and problem solving abilities) he doesn't seem to have as much trouble processing information or expressing himself as Radio. His problem-solving skills are never really tested, though, since so many of Forrest's problems get solved through a combination of his good-heartedness and…
Mental Retardation in Film: Radio Main Actors: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Debra Winger Year released: 2004 A mentally retarded young man, nicknamed "Radio" due to his love of radios (real name James Robert Kennedy; played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) is befriended by a high school football coach in Anderson, South Carolina, Harold Jones (played by Ed Harris), after some of the coach's star players play a mean trick on Radio and he
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Vocational training can help place within the adolescent mind the strategies they will need to adapt to life as an adult. Further research is needed within the field of adolescents with the condition. According to research, "Unfortunately, most psychiatrists are ill-equipped to handle this situation, having received little or no formal training in this area," (Sebastian 2008). Therefore, more research can only open up new information to psychiatrists and physicians
The severity of mental retardation covers a wide spectrum, as discussed before, and variation in ability of individuals within this spectrum is wide (Tammi, 2006). In order to understand and to assist such persons, it is important to know the category in which they fall and the possible causes of the condition. In most cases, a little psychological instability leads to a mental retardation and therefore psychological interventions can
Jones relates that statement of Corrigan: "Our work suggests that the biggest factor changing stigma is contact between people with mental illness and the rest of the population. The public needs to understand that many people with mental illness are functioning, fully contributing members of society." (Jones, 2006) Jones states that "the social cost of stigma associated with mental illness is high because it translates into huge numbers of
Experts report improved interactions with peers, support for the parents to act as teachers at home, improved motivation for the child, and aiding the family in learning about other support available in the community (Ammerman & Herson, 2000). Medications may play a role if the child has other concerns such as AD/HD or seizures (Ammerman & Herson, 2000). Inclusion with Mental Retardation Educationally, some research suggests that students with mental retardation learn