Prepared by the researcher : Abdel Samad Al-Maaza – PhD researcher at Mohammed V University, Media and Communication Sciences Laboratory
Democratic Arabic Center
Journal of Media Studies : Twenty-sixth Issue – February 2024
A Periodical International Journal published by the “Democratic Arab Center” Germany – Berlin
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Abstract
The media plays an essential role in the current era because it contributes to the transfer of ideas, data and opinions on societal issues; drama is considered a media medium that has excelled within the media field because it has many distinct characteristics.
In the current article, the content of Moroccan dramas that dealt with the issue of autism was analyzed as follows: the dramas film “six month and day”, the TV series “ALI YA ALI”, The TV series “Half Moon”, and the TV series “HAMIMOU”.
The researcher concluded that the Moroccan drama depicts the person with autism spectrum as being ill, Clever and genius, supernatural, strange, behaviorally disturbed, a pure angel, is being exploited.
Introduction
Recently, A new type of disability has emerged that has become a real threat to societies, Where individuals and groups wonder about the identity of these disabilities, They try to ask questions about how to deal with people with this type of disability, We mention among the disabilities a group of syndromes such as Turner syndrome, Asperger…etc they are syndromes that make affected individuals and they become to be a different from the other normal people, they appear to have a group of defects, both on the level of mental side, behavior, and social side.
Autism is among the most common disabilities that affect person and causes limitation in social side and relations side, they appear to be in lack of social interaction, they present a problem at the level of mental processes, Behavioral and psychological disorders, strange habits, Difficulty adjusting to psychological and social situations.
Autism appears in so many ways that it difficult to categorize it into a specific category, it manifests through various manifestations and symptoms, it varies from person to person, they appear in different forms ranging from easy to complex properties, Also, People with this disorder suffer from real problems at the level of social communication, The problem is due to many reasons that differ according to schools and cognitive approaches, On the one hand, it focuses on the role played by heredity and genetic characteristics, On the other hand, there are approaches that believe that the early years and the mother’s relationship with the child are factors responsible for the problem.
In addition to all of the above, The media plays a key role in defining this disorder, it contributes to the transfer of many knowledge, ideas and data on the subject, Through all of this, he forms opinions, beliefs, and social attitudes on the subject, Drama is considered a media model that excels within the media field, Several factors contributed to this success, the most important of which are ease, dialogue, story adoption, and many perceptual effects such as music, noise, and movement that characterize the latter.
In recent years, Morocco has developed this type of media, as the number of dramas has increased, and the Moroccan films and drams, among the most important Moroccan Dramas that deal whit the issue of autism, we mention the movie “ALI YA ALI” the TV series “HAMIMOU”the TV movie “six months and day” and the TV series “half Moon”. This research attempts to analyze the content of these dramas to know the most important stereotypes that passed on about autism.
Research problem
The research problem falls within the attempt to know the impact of the media, especially Moroccan drama, in transmitting images about autism, the study starts from the importance of the subject, which is classified among the most complex and most difficult topics at the level of understanding, It is considered a topic in which the debate is still ongoing, Whether scientific societal.
Autism is characterized as a disturbance in the social relations and self-identity of the individual to an inappropriate degree for the age, Pathological and unusual attachment to things, Resistance to change, abnormal cognitive experiences, Excessive, Frequent, and unusual anxiety, inability to acquire speech, Abnormal movement patterns”[1]. But all these symptoms differ from person to person, And it appears through multiple manifestations, as it appears very sharply for some, therefore, families wonder about the nature of their children’s disabilities, and why don’t they behave in a normal way like other children, Therefore, they turn to the Moroccan media to find answers to their various questions, Therefore, the media tries to answer societal questions, as it adopts drama as a media model that is easy and has the power to influence the audience. In addition, it enlarges small images and reduces large images, and use dialogue, music, and scene circumstances.
Through all of this, we can ask a question in the following form:
What are the images that Moroccan dramas pass on about autism?
The importance of research
The research is of societal importance as it deals with a societal issue, because it is associated with a category that knows a large presence, through statistical indicators that indicate the number of people with autism in Morocco 300000, this issue raises many questions about the nature of the problem.
Moreover, the research is of institutional importance because it deals with the issue of media, the latter is considered an institution that plays many educational, guiding roles.
- The theoretical side
In this aspect we will try to discuss the most important definitions and the theoretical framework rotted in the research, where we will address the issue of media and the most important definitions that have provided definitions for this concept, then we will address the issue of autism and the most important definitions that have defined this concept, we will also refer briefly to some of the theories that framed the field of media and autism.
- The concept of media
The concept of media was initially associated with the concept of journalism, where it was the first responsible for the transmission of the news, where the press played a key role in connecting individuals with each other, by making others learn about the events that take place in society, “The newspaper is considered a work that enjoys the legal protection established by the rules for the protection of literary and artistic property, it includes many articles on different topics and various news”.[2]
Through the above, the media also plays the role of transmitting the news, where it can be defined “as the sum of the techniques that broadcast the same message to mobilize many people depends on the same source and its main function is to multiply the message to the largest proportion of people”[3].
In addition to that, Prioritization theory is one of the theories that is widely used in media research because it is a theory that determines the importance of programs that are presented to the public, Priority order theory can be defined as” a group of topics that are usually arranged in order of importance”[4].
In the current research, the theory can be taken as a procedural form, as it will help us to identify the importance of the issue of autism in the media, does the media program dramatic programs that deal with the issue of autism? After the great success achieved by Moroccan drama and the large number of dramas, the films and dramas series that dealt with the issue of autism are not many, but they are considered very limited compared to the rest of the dramas that deal with other social issued such as women, children, adolescence…etc
- The concept of autism
The concept of autism is one of the difficult concepts at the level of definition because it differs from person to another in terms of severity and symptoms; a problem is defined at the diagnostic level.
Symptoms of autism appear before thirty months and include a disorder in development, sensory responses to stimuli, speech language, and cognitive abilities, unusual attachment to people, events, and things[5]
The concept of autism appeared for the first time with the scientist Leo Kanner in 1943 when he referred to the most important characteristics of autism for eleven children who were suffering from a previously unknown syndrome, this include inability to build social relationships with others, Delayed acquisition of speech, non-communication use of speech, Repeating speech, Opposite of pronouns, Stereotyped and repetive play, Weak in imagination, Good memory and normal physical appearance.[6]
- Applied side
We will try to address in this aspect the research methodology and the research tool that is chosen, then we will present a presentation of the most important results that have been reached, and we will have a general discussion of the research in the end.
- Methodology and research tool
The researcher chose the descriptive approach it is an approach accommodates with the nature of the topic as well as the nature of the research that we will describe and define the research topic.
The “content analysis” technique is suitable for research because we will try to analyze the content of a group of dramas that dealt with the issue of autism.
We can define the content technique as a “Research technique for objective systematic and quantitative description of the content that appears through communication”[7]
We will try to analyze the follow Dramas:
- The series TV “ HAMIMOU”
- The TV movie “ ALI YA ALI”
- The TV movie “six months and day”
- The series TV “ half Moon”
Research results
There are many images that Moroccan drama tries to convey about autism, it is as follows:
- The image of the patient
- The image of intelligent genius
- Image of supernatural
- The image of the different person
- The image of stranger
- The image of the behaviorally disturbed
- The image of the creative artist
- The image of exploitation
- The image of the pure angel
- The image of the patient
In Moroccan Dramas a person with autism is portrayed as ill, the people believe that autism is linked to the disease as the problem will go away and the latter will recover, and his health will be restored if medications are provided to him and he is subjected to a series of medical treatments, this image appears in the series “HAMIMOU” as well as in the TV movie “ALI YA ALI” it is an image that classifies these people in the circle of disease.
- The image of intelligent genius
The person whit autism is shown on the TV Drama as a person clever and intelligent as a person whit supernatural abilities and faculties at the level of intelligence, where he performs difficult arithmetic operations, he can solve difficult mathematical problems; these skills are beyond imagination and are considered according to general estimation impossible and unacceptable to the human mind.
- Image of supernatural
Many portrayals in dramas about autism are passed off as supernatural, this adjective indicates a set of behaviors, practices and actions that he performs, these are exceptional and impossible actions that the human mind cannot accept, Rather, we find in some episodes that classify the person whit autism as miracles, where we find some pictures associated with some extraordinary mathematical operations, like what the young man “HAMIMOU” did in the grocery store, where he was able to calculate a group of commodities without the need for a calculator.
- The image of the different person
The topic of difference remains one of the most important images that the drama tries to portray about autism, because this image remains objective and related to the way the brain processes information and how it operates.
Society consists of many individuals, who differ from one person to another, and people with autism are considered different and have a different way of living, Thus, Moroccan dramas call for coexistence with this group despite the difference, this is shown largely in the movie “SIX MONTH AND DAY”.
- The image of stranger
The image of the stranger is similar to the image of genius and the image of the different, because people’s general thinking causes them to classify a person on the autism spectrum, by seeing the forms of behavior that the latter performs, they judge him as strange, this strangeness appears in many situations, in the way of dressing, Walking, Sitting, Talking…etc
- The image of the behaviorally disturbed
Moroccan drama shows a person whit autism as suffering from a disorder at the behavioral level that he performs behaviors that are inconsistent with social situations and he makes repetitive movements, Jumps, he plays in a strange way…etc he is not considered a person who has adapted to the society he belong to, A person whit autism also appears through panic attacks, fear, and strange ways of expressing his feeling.
- The image of the creative artist
This image is related to the artwork of the person with autism that he creates plastic, painting, and he loves nature, for example, in the movie “six Months and a Day”, in the movie “Ali YA ALI” we see the child “ALI” who loves plants and has a desire to enter this world, he also has a creative imagination and can identify all kinds of plants, for the TV series “HALF MOON” the girl “ KHOLOUD” loves birds and has creative inclinations in this field.
- The image of the pure angel
This image indicates the kind heart and love that a person with autism spectrum possesses, this image means that these people are not subject to accountability, whether religious or legal, and they do not commit mistakes because they have a pure heart, this image derives its reference from the religious.
- The image of exploitation
This image is related to the situation experienced by a person with autism spectrum, that he suffers from the exploitation of the people who are with him, therefore, we find the contents of dramas depicting the manifestations of exploitation suffered by the latter, which are many and different, therefore, they take advantage of his mental abilities and some of the capabilities that he has, they also exploit him and employ in forced labor and fulfill their various needs.
- Discussing results
To discuss the results it can be said that the images presented by the drama about autism are multiple, it combine objective images, such as the image of difference, and non-objective images, such as the image of an innocent and pure person, that these images try to describe the situation of a person with autism, “it can be said that Moroccan drama plays a communicative role within society, that we mean communication exchange of linguistic and non-linguistic information and messages, whether this exchange is intentional or unintentional”[8].
By analyzing all Moroccan dramas that dealt with the issue of autism, we find that the images that presented show that there is a misunderstanding of the nature of the disturbance, therefore, it is classified into certain categories without taking into account its distinctive characteristics, children with autism have qualitative differences compared to other children, they differ from developmental disabilities, especially in the social field”[9].
Therefore, we find in the Moroccan drama the classification of autism in the category of people who have social and communication skills (example: TV series Hamimou) or he has extraordinary creative skills and can speak and built sound language (for example: movie six Month and day) or a person who has achieved school integration and studies in regular sections such as “Half Moon”.
A person with mild autism spectrum symptoms, that he can create dialogues and has a normal IQ, he is classified under the Asperger’s category, that people with this syndrome Although they tend to have unnatural rigidity in language such as lack of conversational skill,[10] they are classified under mild autism, whose owner achieves integration, acquires many skills and they have academic performances.
Moreover, Moroccan drama often classifies autism as a mental illness, that his perception is different from ordinary people, this difference appears through his ways of communicating and how he deals with others and himself, he acts like crazy sometimes, Especially in HAMIMOU series, Although it is similar in some symptoms with autism, like the desire to withdraw and create a world of one’s own[11]. Autism cannot be classified as a mental illness or schizophrenia, because mental illness is treated through medication, and autism skills are developed through intensive educational programs.
- Recommendations
- The Moroccan media should avoid improvisation in dealing with the issue of autism that the subject must be dealt with professionalism and objectivity.
- Sources of information must be sought
- Examining books and conducting interviews with specialists in the field in order to learn more about the phenomenon.
- Subjectivity must be avoided and the issue of autism should be dealt with objectivity.
- All images whether positive or negative about autism should be portrayed.
- Institutions enacting laws and legislation should benefit from these dramas, should become a reference for anyone who wants to learn about the subject.
Summary
It can be said that Moroccan drama still suffers from many shortcomings and negatives points, because it still has not gotten rid of the traditional images in understanding autism, this is due to Moroccan society and its structure, Which is still dominated by old attitudes, opinions, and representations, despite the improvements and factors that helped create a more advanced product, at the content level, Moroccan drama still depicts old and unacceptable images about autism, in addition, it still maintains societal representations and still depicts this phenomenon according to these representations.
References
Bennetto, L, et Rogers, S, (1996), autism spectrum disorders, In James Jacolison, A. M. eds, Psychiatric Secrets, New York Hanly and Belfast, Inc.
Robert et James,( 1992), Abnormal psychology and modern life, New york, Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
Françoise Raynad and Alain Rieunier(1977) Pédagogie dictionnaire des concepts clés, ESF éd Paris.
Ammemaire, Haussler et all (1999) Autism society Onatrio, (W.D) the importance of Early diagnosis in autism .Willowdale.Ontario.
Jamal ElOUAFA (2014) vieillir en terre étrangère mourir en terre natale, Publication de la faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines de Rabat, Maroc.
Sturmey, P, et al (1994), Defining and assessing autism, in J, L, Matson (Ed) autism in children and adults, Etiology assessment and intervention Pacific Grove CA Books , Cole Publishing.
Sturmey, P, et al (1994), Defining and assessing autism, in J, L, Matson (ed) autism in children and adults, Etiology assessment and intervention Pacific Grove CA Books , Cole Publishing.
ROLLAND DE REOUGERVE (1988) l’application du droit d’auteur en matière de presse en France ‘ Paris 2.
Moles, A (1986) théorie structural de la communication et société, Paris, Masson.
JAMES WATSON (2006) media communication an introduction to theory and process” 2 Ed London: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN.
Sturmey, P, et Sevin, J (1994) Defining and assessing autism, In, J, L, Matson, (Ed) Autism in children and adults , Etiology, assessment, and intervention, PACIFIC CA BOOKS COLE PUBLISHING.
[1] Sturmey, P, et Sevin, J (1994) Defining and assessing autism, In, J, L, Matson, (Ed) Autism in children and adults , Etiology, assessment, and intervention, PACIFIC CA BOOKS COLE PUBLISHING, p.13 36.
[2] ROLLAND DE REOUGERVE ‘l’application du droit d’auteur en matière de presse en France ‘ Paris 2 .1988 p 19
[3] Moles, A (1986) théorie structural de la communication et société, Paris, Masson.
[4] JAMES WATSON (2006) media communication an introduction to theory and process” 2 Ed London: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. P : 35
[5] Sturmey, P, et al (1994), Defining and assessing autism, in J, L, Matson (Ed) autism in children and adults, Etiology assessment and intervention Pacific Grove CA Books , Cole Publishing, P.23
[6] Sturmey, P, et al (1994), Defining and assessing autism, in J, L, Matson (ed) autism in children and adults, Etiology assessment and intervention Pacific Grove CA Books , Cole Publishing, P.12.
[7] Jamal ElOUAFA (2014) vieillir en terre étrangère mourir en terre natale, Publication de la faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines de Rabat, Maroc, P : 12.
[8] Françoise Raynad and Alain Rieunier, Pédagogie dictionnaire des concepts clés 1977 ESF éd Paris p 76
[9] Ammemaire, Haussler et all, (1999), Autism society Onatrio, (W.D) the importance of Early diagnosis in autism .Willowdale.Ontario.P.485.
[10] Bennetto, L, et Rogers, S, (1996), autism spectrum disorders, In James Jacolison, A. M. eds, Psychiatric Secrets, New York Hanly and Belfast, Inc, P. 313. 316.
[11] Robert et James,( 1992), Abnormal psychology and modern life, New york, Harper Collins Publishers Inc, P. 524.
