SPED 5013 A Mile in His Shoes

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American College of Education *

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5013

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Communications

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May 9, 2024

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A Mile in His Shoes Natosha Beary American College of Education SPED 5013: Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners Dr. Megan Lee February 5, 2024

2 A Mile in His Shoe Have you ever thought about what it might be like to not have the ability to hear the birds sing or your family’s voices, to struggle to learn how to read, or not be able to walk. Oftentimes we take for granted what we are able to do and how difficult it may be for someone to do the same things that we ourselves and can do. Most people know the old saying, “walk a mile in his shoes”. This idiom urges people to display empathy towards others without casting judgement until you have experienced the same struggles (US Dictionary Staff, 2023). In the movie, A Mile in His Shoes , the main character, Mickey, struggles with the symptoms of having Asperger’s Syndrome. In this review, you will learn more about Mickey’s disability and how it affected him in his journey on a mission to prove his father he is capable. This portrait of Mickey, gives us all a better understanding of what people with Asperger’s face in their journeys to be more independent and how discrimination can affect even those with disabilities. The movie, A Mile in His Shoes, is based on the 2008 novel The Legend of Mickey Tussler by Frank Nappi (Wikipedia contributors, 2023). The movie is based on an 18-year-old boy named Mickey, who is diagnosed with autism. Mickey is working on his farm in Indiana, throwing apples at a wash tub, when a minor league baseball coach, Arthur Murphy (“Murph”), discovers him. Murph recognizes the talent that Mickey has and attempts to convince his parents to allow him to join his team, “the River Rats”. Mickey’s father, Clarence, is very reluctant and generally describes Mickey by his weaknesses or what he “can’t” do. Murph is able to convince Mickey’s mother, Molly, to talk with his father to allow Mickey to join the team. With much resistance, Clarence allows Mickey to join the team. Murph pairs Mickey with a teammate, named Pee Wee, who takes him under his wing and helps guide him throughout the video (Wikipedia contributors, 2023). The team is very accepting of Mickey, except for the star pitcher “Lefty” due to his insecurity of his performance on the mound. This insecurity leads to Lefty and

3 A Mile in His Shoe some friends luring Mickey to a remote spot in the woods and beating him up causing a concussion. The case, of who hurt Mickey, is later solved as he is pitching to one of the assailants. Mickey sees a clue on the batter’s fingers and becomes over stimulated and starts to get upset. Murph goes to the mound and calms Mickey down and Mickey is able to finish the game. His father is able to see that his disability is not his weakness but part of his strength. As we begin to take a closer look into the character Mickey, we learn that he is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of autism. This disability is among the 13 disabilities defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). This disability can be defined by a developmental delay that generally affects verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, educational performance, and display repetitive responses to sensory experiences (Landa, 1:05). Often people with Asperger’s display symptoms such as flat, robotic tone, dislikes change, lacks eye contact, obsesses over a topic or thing, struggles to interact socially, and can have hypersensitivity ( Asperger’s Syndrome , 2003). These are just a few symptoms that are observed with people who are diagnosed with Asperger’s. In the movie, we can see how Mickey demonstrates several of these characteristics. When we first meet Mickey, we see his concern for his pet piglet, Oscar. Mickey likes to interact with Oscar throughout the video and can often be seen talking to him. Once a human begins to interact with Mickey, we see how he struggles to maintain eye contact and his inability to use verbal communication appropriately when speaking to adults. In one part of the video, Mickey is pitching on the mound and the loud cheering begins to upset him. The coach was able to distract Mickey and have him refocus on the catcher’s mitt for him to make an accurate throw. A pivotal moment in the video is when a player on the team, Pee Wee, meets Mickey and helps him to understand things that people may say or do. He guides him throughout the video and helps him to become more independent in his daily life, as well as

4 A Mile in His Shoe in his career as a minor league pitcher. This relationship provides an example of how humanity should treat individuals with disabilities. Having empathy and compassion for others only provides a sense of acceptance and understanding that our differences or weaknesses should not always define who someone is in a negative context but be as a strength. There are a few occurrences where Mickey’s exceptionality is specifically addressed. When Murph meets Mickey’s parents, the mother makes sure that he is aware Mickey has Asperger’s. She informs Murph of what this looks like in him, since all people with Asperger’s do not display the same symptoms. Another instance in the movie, Murph introduces Mickey to the team and informs them of his exceptionality and what he likes and dislikes. Allowing others to understand someone with Asperger’s is beneficial in helping them to be successful with everyday skills in society. In the movie, we see that Mickey is an amazing pitcher which is what the movie is solely based on, his ability to be a phenomenal pitcher with Asperger’s. Not only does the movie put a light on his exceptional ability to pitch, it also highlights other areas where Mickey thrives. In on part of the video, you can see him giving his father a certain size wrench and tells him how close it is to the next size. Another scene Mickey is giving stats, that he has memorized, which amazes Murph, and Mickey tells him that he is really good in math. Mickey’s academic weaknesses are not discussed in the movie, but it does give an idea of the social and behavioral concerns that he demonstrates. The movie does a fantastic job showing how Mickey feels and sees the world through his eyes. When he becomes overwhelmed due to his overstimulation of sound or when things are new, you can see his vision get blurry. This is a way the movie is able to depict the struggles that people with Asperger’s face. With some redirecting and breaths, Mickey is able to deescalate himself and finish whatever he is facing.

5 A Mile in His Shoe Murph’s character is always willing to help Mickey through any situation he faces. When Mickey first gets onto the baseball field, you can see where he is overwhelmed by the new surroundings. Murph does not let this keep Mickey from showing others his talent. He gets Mickey to pitch to him just like he does back on the farm. Mickey begins to calm down, and you can see where the relationship between the two builds, and Murph is learning how to help Mickey deescalate in various situations. Another instance of the relationship the two had was when Mickey had a concussion, and he struggled with his accuracy of pitches. Murph took Mickey back to his house and had him throw to a wash tub with apples, just like he did back at home. This made Mickey happy and allowed him to get comfortable with his ability to throw hard and consistent. These prompts and occurrences of positive praise are great accommodations for Mickey behaviorally. We also see how Murph accommodates Mickey on the field by painting a red dot in the catcher’s mitt to get Mickey to focus and see it as an apple. This makes Mickey more comfortable due to the resemblance of an apple in the mitt. In each situation, you can see how these accommodations help Mickey to stay calm and focused and gives him more opportunities for success. Another accommodation provided was giving Mickey time to process what was going on and his response to questions. When Mickey was questioned or when he was overstimulated, he would stutter, which made him feel even more overwhelmed. Murph recognized this and provided him with enough time to calm down and respond. This film gives viewers an idea of some of the difficulties that people with Asperger’s face, and how they may be perceived by others. While the film may hold some kind of grandeur idea with a boy on a farm making it to the minor leagues, especially when he is autistic, it still provides viewers with an idea of the capabilities of those who are labeled as autistic. Oftentimes people with Asperger’s are viewed to have deficits that make them incapable of functioning in

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