Rain Man: the Story of Care to a Brother with Autism

Rain Man: the Story of Care to a Brother with Autism

  • Submitted By: jake11
  • Date Submitted: 11/01/2010 10:15 PM
  • Category: Biographies
  • Words: 411
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 650

Self-centered, avaricious Californian Charlie Babbitt is informed that his long-estranged father has died. Expecting at least a portion of the elder Babbitt's 3 million estate, Charlie learns that all he's inherited is his dad's prize roses and a 1949 Buick Road master. Discovering that the 3 million is being held in trust for an unidentified party, Charlie heads to his home town of Cincinnati to ascertain who that party is. It turns out that the beneficiary is Raymond Babbitt, the autistic-savant older brother that Charlie never knew he had. Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. Able to memorize reams of trivia and add, subtract, multiply, and divide without a second's hesitation, Raymond is otherwise incapable of functioning as a normal human being. Feared that Raymond is to receive his father's entire legacy, Charlie tries to cut a deal with Raymond's guardian. When this fails, Charlie "borrows" Raymond from the institution where he lives, hoping to use his brother as leverage to claim half the fortune. During their subsequent cross country trips, Charlie is forced to accommodate Raymond's various autistic actions, not the least of which is his insistence on adhering to a rigid daily schedule: he must, for example, watch People's Court and Jeopardy every day at the same time, no matter what. On hitting Las Vegas, Charlie hopes to harness Raymond's finely-honed mathematical skills to win big at the gaming tables but this exploitation of his brother's affliction compels Charlie to reassess his own values, or lack thereof. Autistic person can be taught and reinforcing good work skills and positive social behaviors, such programs help people...

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