Critical Approach
The Critical approach to medical anthropology requires you to examine your own intellectual assumption about how the world works. Including things we take for granted as facts or truths. For instance, how we perceive life or death. Studying the culture foundation of science in medicine has become a primary objective for medical anthropologists in this approach. Topics in the field look at the role of biomedicine, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in our understandings of health. The critical approach requires the study of culture, social, historical, political, and economic factors and their involvement in the development of a certain illness.
As we know, autism is a developmental disorder that affects brain development. The number of children diagnosed with autism increases every year. However, there is no explanation for this increase, however, improved diagnosis and environmental influences are two factors to consider (Autism Speaks). There have been many studies around this issue, but no definite answer has been found. Depending on the spectrum patients with autism are diagnosed it, they need special learning and social and intellectual attention to accommodate for their disability. The government and local organizations work together to provide children with autism public schooling to give them the treatment they need in order to develop. The figure shows the increase in local budgets in covering for special education costs.
The article on How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody by George Dvorsky, he explains how modern American culture views towards autism has changed and explains that autism has impacted the world in a positive way. Autism has crafted modern culture, “from the music and books we read, to the technological devices we all take for granted” (Dvorsky 2012). About two to three decades ago, kids with autism were teased and called nerds and geeks. These terms were used to put down kids who had a hard time socializing and who show some kind of intelligence that caused them to be alienated from the “normal” kids (Dvorsky 2012). It wasn’t until 1988 when the movie, Rain Man, that there became awareness for autism. People started to realize that autism is common. Two decades after this move launched, the socio-cultural landscape surrounding autism changed. The acceptance of neurodiversity represented a culture adjustment (Dvorskey 2012).
Below is a clip from the move Rain Man, you can see his autistic behavior.
As we know, autism is a developmental disorder that affects brain development. The number of children diagnosed with autism increases every year. However, there is no explanation for this increase, however, improved diagnosis and environmental influences are two factors to consider (Autism Speaks). There have been many studies around this issue, but no definite answer has been found. Depending on the spectrum patients with autism are diagnosed it, they need special learning and social and intellectual attention to accommodate for their disability. The government and local organizations work together to provide children with autism public schooling to give them the treatment they need in order to develop. The figure shows the increase in local budgets in covering for special education costs.
The article on How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody by George Dvorsky, he explains how modern American culture views towards autism has changed and explains that autism has impacted the world in a positive way. Autism has crafted modern culture, “from the music and books we read, to the technological devices we all take for granted” (Dvorsky 2012). About two to three decades ago, kids with autism were teased and called nerds and geeks. These terms were used to put down kids who had a hard time socializing and who show some kind of intelligence that caused them to be alienated from the “normal” kids (Dvorsky 2012). It wasn’t until 1988 when the movie, Rain Man, that there became awareness for autism. People started to realize that autism is common. Two decades after this move launched, the socio-cultural landscape surrounding autism changed. The acceptance of neurodiversity represented a culture adjustment (Dvorskey 2012).
Below is a clip from the move Rain Man, you can see his autistic behavior.
Dvorsky, George. "How Autism Is Changing the World for Everybody." Io9. July 26, 2012. Accessed August 11, 2014. http://io9.com/5928135/how-autism-is-changing-the-world-for-everybody.
"What Is Autism?" Autism Speaks.2014. Accessed August 10, 2014. http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism.
"Overview of Special Education in California." Overview of Special Education in California. Accessed August 15, 2014. http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/special-ed-primer/special-ed-primer-010313.aspx.