Summary of Po’s Experience
Autism is a developmental disability characterized by significant communication, social, and behavioral challenges among affected individuals, and in most cases, it begins from early childhood. As a result, patients interact, communicate, and behave in manners different from other healthy individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). This paper aims to explore the movie, “A Boy Called Po”, whose plot is based on the struggles of a widower, David Wilson, in raising his autistic son, Patrick Wilson. Contrary to popular opinion that people who have autism are intellectually disabled, Po was a smart and gifted child who kept his mind preoccupied with reading newspapers and stocks. However, like other autistic children, he faced various challenges in his social life, including bullying and emotional trauma. Po was a victim of bullying at school, whereby an intolerant student took advantage of any opportunity to physically and verbally harass him for being different. This also shows the failure of the institution to protect him. Furthermore, with his mother’s death, he became emotionally traumatized; he became less attentive in class, and his grades started declining. Often, Po separated himself from others, which further made him susceptible to the bullying antics.
With intensified bullying and ill-equipped school capability to accommodate individuals with his disability, Po’s visit to the clinic increased. David also had unsympathetic employers who made him work on projects with tight deadlines; thus, he had little time to tend to his son. However, he took some time off, and with the school janitor’s assistance, Po’s bully was expelled, and the school became more accommodating towards his needs. Throughout the movie, Po attended two rehabilitation centers (Asher, 2017). In the former, he participated in short sessions that aimed to stimulate his mind through participating in an array of activities, and combined with the help of his behavioral therapist, his state greatly improved. Nevertheless, in the latter, which was after his mother’s death, treatment was more intense, and this led to him escaping the facility. It is essential to note that David was faced with the lack of insurance covering autistic patients, making it difficult for Po to access quality care.
Po’s Autism in Relation to the WHO/ICF Model
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) is the World Health Organization’s (WHOs) framework that classifies health and disability-related domains; thus, allowing them to be measured (World Health Organization, 2018). In relation to the model, Po had an excellent body structure as he was in control of his movements and mental functions, and had a good vision and hearing capability. Second, he participated in various activities around him, as he was great at learning and applying knowledge. He cultivated this by regularly reading the newspapers and studying stocks, which eventually led to David, pocketing over four hundred thousand dollars instead of the twenty thousand dollars that he was expecting from his retirement (Asher, 2017). These positive results are also reflected in the participation and personal factors categories. However, the only issues he faced stemmed were environmental-based; for instance, David was initially an absentee father due to his busy work schedule, which he later quit. Moreover, the school did not have appropriate policies in place to protect him from bullies. Lastly, there lacked insurance coverage for autistic individuals, which led to his father, finding it challenging to finance his treatment.
Coping Strategies
Autistic individuals develop compensatory strategies to enable them to cope with their difficulties. These can be either positive or negative. For instance, Po deals with the lack of social skills by engrossing himself in reading the papers, studying, and investing in stocks. These strategies were positive as they enabled him to expound on his intelligence. Furthermore, he immersed himself in his rich, imaginative inner world when the outside world, including his father, struggled to understand him. In the imaginative world, he hangs out with Jack, a fictionalized version of the school janitor, who is also autistic. On the other hand, Po had negative coping strategies comprising the destruction of items when infuriated.
David was Po’s primary supporter, whereby initially, he did not substantially fulfill this role as his work consumed him; however, later on, he quit his job to focus on his son’s health. In addition, he was unable to access insurance to cover Po’s treatment bills; nevertheless, he paid for Po’s sessions in a rehabilitation center and secured him a behavior therapist. Lastly, the school system policies were initially blind to the needs of autistic children, which led to Po becoming a victim of bullying. However, later on, with the help of the janitor and his father, Po’s bully was expelled, and the institution became more accepting of his needs, and as a result, his state improved.
Po’s Overall Response to Autism
Po’s response to his autistic condition was moderately above average. Based on the WHO/ICF model, he scored well on all categories, apart from the environmental factors. These factors were entirely out of his control as they were influenced by his father and school. Therefore, although he faced different environmental challenges, Po had great coping strategies, that negated their impact. Moreover, Po’s strength is shown when he is seen to be coping better than David, following his mother’s death, as he keeps on reminding him to be strong, yet he is an autistic and motherless child.
References
Asher, J. (2017). A boy called Po [Video file]. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Web.
World Health Organization. (2018). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Web.