Do you know anybody with developmental delays who throws tearful fits like a child below pre-adolescence?

Question

I haven't seen the movie, but it's called I AM SAM; and it's about Sam, a mentally retarded single father who raises his little daughter, Lucy. Sam has the mental capacity of a 7-year old, and when Lucy turns 7 herself, she surpasses her father and begins to avoid becoming smart like her. There are many scenes when Sam has explosive outbursts like a child below pre-adolescence. He often yells when he has those outbursts, complains, and even cries. When Sam takes his daughter out to BIG BOY, he realizes they don't have the same pancakes he wants, and he yells and complains at the waitress. When Sam realizes that he can't have custody of Lucy, he yells and complains tearfully "WHY ISN'T LUCY COMING (sob) HOME WITH ME????".

He is restrained by authorities when Lucy is taken away from him, and he screams and cries like a child.

If you know anybody (a sibling, friend, son / daughter) with mental delays who complains and acts like a child, tell me what you know with specific detail.

Answer 1

Cant help u with detail but look up autism

Answer 2

I have a 42-year-old sibling with a developmental disability.  I have a 25-year-old nephew who is autistic. I have also been a special education teacher for decades.  So yes, I often have seen people who act out in ways that seem very inappropriate for their ages.

Some people have made reference to autism in their answers, and it is true that people who are autistic may have some greater difficulty learning "self-regulating" skills than most of us do.  They may be far more bothered, to the point of pain, by physical sensations;  for example, my nephew cannot abide loud noises such as fire alarms, sirens, noisy motors, etc.  Even though he is a grown man, he will scream and cry, and sometimes hurt himself when he is exposed to such sounds.  

The behavior you are describing, though, is different from an autistic "meltdown."  The one scene you describe, in which Sam loses custody of his daughter, is really not that unusual for anyone, no matter what their cognitive ability.  Plenty of people of average intellegence would become hysterical if their child was taken from them.  Most parents wouldn't react calmly!  

As far as an adult crying and becoming upset because they can't get the pancakes they want, I would blame that more on lack of training as a child.  Because I don't ever want my students to behave like that, we begin working from day one on communication skills and appropriate social behavior.  Far too often, people feel sorry for kids with disabilities, and they don't have high enough expectations for them to understand  that they should be expected to behave in socially acceptable ways.  We teach our 5 and 6 year olds how to get their needs and wants met appropriately, using whatever means of communication they have available to them (speech, gesture, sign language, picture communication, etc.)  And we never, ever give them what they wanted in order to get them to stop pitching a fit, because that teaches them that pitching a fit is the way to get what they want!  Instead, we assist them and support them to make their requests appropriately, and then reward the appropriate behavior.

Another thing that needs to be taught is that we can't always get the things we want, and that there are going to be frustrations in life.  All kids, not just kids with disabilities, need to learn that they can't always be the first, that they need to take turns, that there are times when the answer is no, etc.  I am willing to put up with the fussing and crying that sometimes happens now, knowing that the skills that the kids are learning will help them to be more socially accepted as they grow up.  And we do teach even our littlest guys ways of calming themselves (deep breathing, taking a break, using a sensory fidget toy, etc.), because we all have moments when life is bound to p**s us off, and we need to have a way of dealing with it appropriately.

So I would say that at least some of Sam's outbursts were because he didn't learn some important skills when he was a child.  (It's never too late to learn, though!)  That's certainly not exclusive to people with disabilities - you can see supposedly "normal" adults acting like bratty children every day of the week!

Answer 3

Yes, many do especially when profoundly upset.  What other kinds of information are you looking for?  I assume this is a homework assignment, but I don't know how to help you out.

Answer 4

I just went to a conference on autism. It was very enlightening. The presenter explained that children with autism have difficulty communicationg. On way in which they communicate is through their "Ticks." He further went on to say that in adults we call tantrums anxiety attacks, however in children we call them tantrums. If you want to know if a child is playing you and looking for a reaction, look into their eyes and you will know that they are trying to communicate something to you. If you look at them and they do not make eye contact they are having an anxiety attack. The word tantrum seems trivial whereas an anxiety attack seems to hold more weight. I feel for these children and adults. Hope it helps

Answer 5

I have had students in their 20's who will throw tables, bite, kick, throw f***s, etc.  One attempted to throw a microwave at one of his teachers.  I have had students who have had extreme physical outbursts of aggression as large as 6'9", 350#.  All of my students have Cognitive Impairments, some have Emotional Impairments as well.  Other medical/psychological issues have included Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, BiPolar, Borderline Personality Disorder, Post  Traumatic Stress Disorder, Self-Injurious behaviors, and so on.  My classroom has only 10 students with 3 other staff besides myself, and some days that is not enough.  The word boring does not describe my job, and I love it.