The Black Balloon Charlie Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Some of the affection moments that Charlie feels for his family are portrayed when he happily participates in a bubble bath with his brother to celebrate their outstanding performance in the school’s musical production (Downs, 2007). Compassion towards his brother is also portrayed when the to brothers share laughter when Charlie allegedly pissed on Thomas’s leg. Laughing portrays that he did not have a bad motive when behaving that way and only did that to make his brother happy. He portrays a sign of distress when he seems to be thoughtful after his brother confesses to him that during his childhood, he used to sleep with a wish that the following day will find him changed (Downs, 2007). His reaction indicates that he is not comfortable with his condition and disappointed that his brother does not appreciate his unfortunate condition. Autism This is a disorder of neural development that is characterized by compromised social interaction and communication, with the victims portraying repetitive behaviour. According to Shah (2001), autism is a genetic condition that has a variation on the normal wellbeing rather than a defect. We will write a custom essay sample on The Black Balloon: Charlie or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It is a pervasive developmental disorder that is defined in relation to behaviour as there is no proof for any biological cause. Volkmar, Lord, Bailey, Schultz, and Klin, (2004) indicates that the prevalence of autism is 3 to 4 times in males than females (140). They also posit that, for every 10,000 people, four or five adults possess the condition (140). However, autism is more prevalent in children with the rate being estimated at four to five children for every one thousand children population (Knott, Dunlop and Mackay, 2006:611). Statistics indicate that close to 75% of people with autism have mental impairment and approximately 25 to 30 percent of the victims have other opportunistic medical conditions such as epilepsy or sensory impairment (Shah, 2001:130). A 2008 Swedish study found out that people diagnosed with the condition were more likely to possess other psychopathological conditions such as psychosis (Sheppard, Ropar and Mitchell, 200 9: 435-452). However, its strong disabling nature makes it be regarded as a malfunction. Victims with a mild form of the condition can easily blend socially. However, others like Charlie whose condition is severe require care for the rest of their lives. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011), approximately 64 600 Australians possessed autism in 2009 with the number having doubled from 2003.