Interpreting Communication
"Atypical"
My expectations have already been established; "Atypical" must be a show examining the lives of person's diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Am I correct? Let's see...
Opening Scene: Non-verbal messages I am receiving: The main character has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder as evidence by stimming through the use of a pencil and rubberband, lack of eye contact, lack of facial expressions, and the title of the show.
The first character introduced: Sam's Behavioral Therapist? Nonverbal evidence; the environment, an office and the manner in which she is sitting several feet across from him with a notepad. As described O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, and Teven (2015), Sam and the therapist appear to have, "The functional competency of expression feelings" (p. 70) nonverbally through gentle smiles, head tilting, and eye contact by the therapist while Sam appears to listen intently expressing a comfort and well-established relationship.
Sam's parents? Sam's parents appear supportive and engaged in his life through purposeful and genuine interactions as evidenced by their eye contact with each other, turn-taking conversations without an eagerness to interrupt and many nonverbal codes such as smiling, laughing, and touch. Sam's parents also appear to be a happy, united front.
Sam's sister? Sam's sister's nonverbal communication expresses compassion and an eagerness to help and protect her brother. Additionally, it appears as if his sister is his biggest advocate as she often sits closely with him, smiles, laughs, and redirects him when other people appear to be causing Sam anxiety.
Sam's best friend? Obviously, a co-worker, Sam and his friend appear to have a comfortable relation in which Sam looks to his friend for advice. Additionally, Sam's friend utilizes many emblems, some inappropriate, "To substitute for words" (102) which appear to not cause discomfort or humiliation to Sam.
The plot; putting it all together nonverbally. It appears as and lighthearted show which begins with Sam discussing girls and dating with his therapist giving him advice. Regarding his family, his father appears supportive of him dating through an uplifting and engaging appearance, yet his mother is against the idea through her concerned appearance and sharp movements. Sam's sister and the friend also appear eager to support his efforts, and the young girl seated next to Sam above is the culmination of everyone's support and efforts.
References:
O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D.I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York:
Bedford/St. Martin's.
Rashid, R. (Director). (2017, August 11). Atypical [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.netflix.com/watch/80117462trackld=250318489
Lynnette,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you broke down your thoughts. I haven't heard of this show before but the way you described it (just by looking), makes me want to see it. It kind of reminds me of the ABC show Speechless about a teen in a wheelchair that suffers from cerebral palsy. JJ uses a power wheelchair for independence and is nonverbal but uses a speech generating device to communicate at times. Having this device probably creates an immediacy, a feeling of closeness, involvement and warmth between people (O'Hair, 2015).
Kenietra
Reference
O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D.I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York:
Bedford/St. Martin's.
Hi Kenietra,
DeleteI hadn't heard of the show either but thought it sounded interesting and for me, I was correct. I have also had the opportunity to view "Speechless" once, and in my opinion, it was right on regarding the internal realities of a family in which one member has a developmental disability diagnosis. All they are seeking to do is live a normal life just like everyone else and of course their normal will look different than yours and it should, just like your normal looks different than mine. What tends to be missing on so many occassions when a family is seeking acceptance; listening skills by those who are suppose to be supporting and empowering the family. This is one significant reason why the agency I am employed by has moved from a consultive approach to a coaching approach. With coaching, it is all about asking questions with the family driving the outcomes they would like to see occur, after all, the family is the expert on their child.
Thanks, again, Kenietra for viewing my post,
Lynnette
Your setup was really engaging. I haven't heard of this show before. What channel is it on? I am also wondering if you were correct when you watched it with the sound on?
ReplyDeleteHi Deann,
DeleteThank you for visiting my blog. Regarding the channel, I hadn't heard of the show either and actually found it on Netflix. Honestly, I clicked TV shows and this was one of the top recommended shows so I clicked play not knowing what I might discover. Now that I have watched; however, I will be journeying back to see a few more episode.
Regarding my second viewing with sound, did you by chance click on the "Am I correct?" after each nonverbal interpretation? Those were suppose to represent my viewing with sound responses.
Lynnette
Lynnette,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog post this week. I have never heard of this show. I do have Netflix, so perhaps I will add it to my list of the shows that I am interested in seeing. I really like how set up your blog. You made it very engaging to the reader to have them click on your "Am I Correct?" links. Very clever. Is this a show that you would be interested in watching yourself? I like how you picked up on the non-verbal cues while watching the show of the kid who was stemming, showing a lack of facial expressions, and lack of eye contact. According to our course textbook, non-verbal cues are considered ambiguous so it is a good thing to check them out to be sure, instead of regarding non-verbal cues as facts (O'Haire, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015). Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Jennifer
Lynnette,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post. I agree with your post. The “Atypical" is a good show. The show is a people who developmental disabilities. This is a good show on talkative and advice how to handle people that are disabilities. This show is very informative because you can learn a lot from the show about disabilities. This is why it’s important to pay kindness and helpful toward people who is a disability.
Iesha