Pity can be a person's greatest weakness. While pity can help those who need help, it can also hinder the individual's growth. Apathy can bring oneself ruin, but pity can harm those around him. A person cannot fully live on a person's piety. He must be able to stand on his own if he truly wants to live. A Child is Waiting, released in 1963, tells the story of a young woman who takes a teaching job at an institution for the mentally disabled. There, he struggles to find the best method to help his students, both academically and emotionally. The film begins with Reuben Widdicombe's father accompanying him to Crawthorne State Mental Hospital, a boarding school for mentally ill children. After Reuben is convinced to leave the vehicle, his father quickly drives away, leaving Reuben in an extremely distraught state. Two years later, Dr. Matthew Clark, a psychologist and principal of the school, decides to take a chance on hiring Jean Hansen, a former Juilliard student and pianist, as the school's music teacher. Miss Hansen, trying to find purpose in her life, quickly bonds with Reuben and takes pity on the child as his parents, who are now divorced, have not visited him for the past two years. She, believing that this will improve Reuben's attitude, tricks Reuben's mother into coming to the institution, saying that the child was sick. Hansen discovers that the parents are also emotionally disturbed and the mother, agreeing with Dr. Clark that it was best for Reuben not to see her, attempts to leave. However, Reuben sees his mother leaving and chases her car. Reuben escapes later that night but is found the following morning. Miss Hansen finally comes to understand Dr. Clark's philosophy. Hansen...... center of paper ......aiting accurately describes children with autism. From atypical development to intellectual functioning, the film was very accurate with the information found in Exceptional Lives. But much of the accuracy is due to the fact that many of the children were actually residents of the institution where the film took place. Many of the students were actual children with autism. The film's director wanted to shed light on mental retardation, a topic often ignored or avoided in the society of his time. The film, through Dr. Clark's philosophy, argues that if an autistic child were ever to have the chance to learn to trust himself, pity and coddling could not be tolerated. Although Dr. Clark's methods were rigid and somewhat controversial, he strongly desired to give his students the opportunity to live fully. 'The brain is not the whole being, Mr Widdecombe.”