Running head: “I Am Sam” 1

“I Am Sam” Movie Diagnosis Review

Brittany O. Davis

University of Mary
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Abstract

This movie diagnosis review is a portrayal of what it is like for a middle-aged man to

live with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In this diagnosis review, the symptoms, contributing

factors, and personal opinions about ASD as well as the movie’s portrayal of someone with

ASD will be summarized and commented on. The DSM-5’s diagnostic factors will also be

mentioned and be used as a reference of comparison for the main character Sam, a middle aged

man with ASD who, despite his condition, is still making effort to raise his child.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, Diagnosis, Portrayal

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“I am Sam” Movie Diagnosis Review.

Portrayal of Diagnosis

“I am Sam” revolves around the main character Sam, a middle-aged man who is raising

his daughter for the first few years of her life while working at a local Starbucks. This movie

held a particular interest in me. It made me realize that even if someone shows certain

behaviors related to ASD such as Sam, this disorder cannot hinder the love of a father who is

willing to do whatever it takes to raise a child independently. However, this narration is most

likely an inaccurate portrayal based on the fact that Sam was diagnosed to have the same IQ as a

seven year old and most of us know, if not all, that a seven year old would never have the

ability to truly raise a child on his own because he is still a child himself. Therefore, I found

some of the factors that were shown in the movie to be inaccurate for some people who live with

ASD.

The DSM- 5 Summarizes some of the relevant diagnostic factors used for ASD

specifically. Here are some of the factors and behaviors the DSM-5 points out: “1. Deficits in

social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of

normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to

failure to initiate or respond to social interactions. 2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative

behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and

nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in

understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal

communication. 3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging,

for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in
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sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers. Restricted,

repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the

following, currently or by history. 1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects,

or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia,

idiosyncratic phrases). 2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized

patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with

transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat food every

day). 3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong

attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative

interest). 4. Hyper- or hypo reactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of

the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific

sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or

movement). Within these particular symptoms that the DSM-5 chooses to focus on, each can be

rated on a scale of mild to severe. Most of these symptoms Sam does indeed possess; however,

his severity differs between each symptom and typically manifests closer to the mild side of the

spectrum.” (“DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria,” n.d.)

Personal Observation and History.

Watching the movie “I am Sam” gave me the idea that many of my perceptions and

opinions about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have changed. As someone who has multiple

diverse experiences interacting with children and adults with ASD, I have former knowledge and
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interest of this particular disorder and how it affects each individual who experiences and lives

with the diagnosis of ASD. I also work as an Applied Behavioral Analyst so I am aware of many

of the cognitive behavioral tactics used for intervention for children with ASD. One fact that is

important to acknowledge is that each individual with ASD is still only one individual with ASD.

Each individual possesses his own personality, symptoms, and tendencies. I believe that the

primary reason for the drastic change of my perception is the fact that each individual with

ASD, for the most part, does possess differences based on the wide range and degree of the

symptoms that is usually present with someone diagnosed with ASD.

One difference I noticed when watching the I am Sam movie was that Sam was

portrayed as very immature person as he held an IQ that matched a seven year old. Based on

my personal experiences, I was not aware that it is possible for someone with ASD to possess

an IQ that low. Or if it does happen, I have never worked with an individual with such an IQ at

the age Sam was at. This is an important fact to keep in mind when working with individuals

with disabilities and constantly making yourself aware of what level of cognitive functioning

each person is at.

Specific Symptoms observed.

Most of the symptoms observed were minor tendencies or behaviors which is one of the

most prevalent symptoms that exist for individuals who live with ASD. Some specific examples

for Sam was that he always wanted to eat a specific meal on a specific day of the week at IHOP,

watch movies with friends another day of the week, etc. His routine was very necessary for him

to be able to properly function day by day. He showed other common symptoms such as:
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tendencies to blink often and a tendency to hyperfocus on random objects during normal

conversation. Besides these more visible symptoms and his acknowledged lower IQ, Sam did

appear to be a functional adult for the most part who just required more time and accomodations

than a typical individual. Sam shows some delays with proper expressive language and his

mental age was said to be that of a seven year old. Sam also showed difficulties with

understanding pragmatics which has to do with the ways in which language and social

interactions are understood and used appropriately. Sam often said something that appeared off

topic or was socially inappropriate for his age; Sam also had difficulties with turn-taking and

understanding when a conversation is over. These symptoms directly show deficits in pragmatic

language based functioning.

Contributing Factors.

Sam did live a lower socioeconomic based lifestyle. His only job was working at

starbucks as a janitor and running smaller and easier tasks such as delivering coffee and refilling

the sugar and creamer. His daughter Lucy was watched as an infant and then a younger child

before attending elementary school by Sam’s elderly friend who lived next door to him. The lady

who assisted in raising Lucy showed compassion toward Sam and she believed him competent in

raising Lucy she could also see he would need some help at first in raising a child.

Summary

Overall, the many symptoms portrayed in this film was done as accurately as a movie and

an actor who does not actually live with ASD can produce. I appreciated the development of the

main character, Sam, and the ways many of the common misunderstandings about ASD was

explained and shown in the movie. This movie highly contributed to an overall increase in ASD
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awareness and a better, more developed understanding of what it may be like to live with a

disorder such as ASD. My overall passion and personal experience of working and loving

individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder only increased after watching this movie and

reflecting on the disorder in this diagnostic review.

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References

Autism Speaks. (n.d.). DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria. Retrieved from:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria

Zwick, E., Nelson, J., Herskovitz, M., Solomon, R. (2001). I Am Sam [Motion Picture].

USA: New Line Cinema