What conditions does Raymond suffer from?
According to the movie, Raymond is an autistic savant. Though somewhat mild, his autism has led to impaired social interaction and communication, and restrictive and repetitive behavior. Also, his echolalia causes him to repeat vocalizations made by other people even if he doesn’t understand them.
Furthermore, his savantism gives Raymond many areas of expertise, abilities, and brilliance that are in contrast with his overall mental limitations. The mental retardation which has hindered the social development of his brain gives Raymond superior mental abilities such as lightning-fast math calculating, speed reading, and superior recall.
Name 3 situations that trigger anxiety in Raymond. What behaviours did these situations produce?
1) When Charlie first met Raymond and began touching his book collection, Raymond began performing the Who’s on First? by Abbott and Costello, attempting to solve the impossible but preoccupying himself away from what was causing the anxiety.
2) At the airport Raymond does not want to get on any of the airlines because they have all crashed and he is afraid they will while he is riding it. Charlie attempts to force him onto the airline but Raymond breaks out into a hysterical fit.
3) When attempting to make himself breakfast Raymond turns the toaster oven on and the smoke detector goes off. The loud repetitive noise frightens Raymond and he attempts to escape. Unable to do so he begins banging his head against the door until Charlie can calm him down.
Identify one example of Raymond exhibiting echolalia.
The primary example which demonstrates that Raymond has echolalia is while Charlie and Susanna are having sex and Raymond overhears them. He does not under the noises by repeats them consistently after they are made by Charlie or Susanna.
Describe 3 instances where Raymond’s actions or behaviour demonstrates that he is a savant.
1) The toothpicks fall off the counter and Raymond is able to count the exact number of toothpicks on the ground in only a matter of seconds.
2) Raymond was able to count every single card in the deck while playing 21 in Las Vegas, always knowing what the outcome would be.
3) In the doctor’s office Raymond was able to multiple complex numbers by each other in seconds and got the correct answer.
Which living environment do you think would benefit Raymond the most? Charlie’s house or Wallbrook? Why?
I believe that a combination of both would be the best for Raymond. Though Charlie may be correct in wanting to provide a loving home for Raymond and build a long-term relationship, Raymond still needs close supervision by a trained professional. Raymond is unable to and never will be able to the coup in society without aid, which Charlie can provide but not all the time. Therefore someone is needed to monitor and analyze Raymond’s gift and help us better understand the human brain.
