The Brain is Invisible, so how do we recognize the cause of socially unacceptable behavior — health conditions or character flaws?

The Miracle Worker tells the story of Anne Sullivan, a nineteenth century teacher who would not accept parents’ lack of understanding the needs of their daughter, Helen Keller. Helen had been deaf, mute, and blind from infancy, was not fully able to communicate her needs, nor to understand how to interact with her family and the world around her. In 1887, when Helen was seven years old, Anne Sullivan, age 20, was hired as a live-in teacher to provide Helen with education and social skills. Anne was a recent graduate from the Perkins School for the Blind. No one expected progress, Helen’s parents simply reached a point where they could not cope with her erratic behavior. Everyone was at a loss due to their limited ability to communicate social norms to Helen.

Anne created a routine of daily tasks for Helen, hoping to spark mutual understanding. Anyone who has seen the movie The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan, and Patty Duke as Helen Keller, surely remembers the scene at the water pump. Anne is repeatedly using American Sign Language to spell w-a-t-e-r into Helen’s palm while pumping water from the family’s well. Suddenly, Helen gets it! She fully understands the pump, the pump handle moving, and the water coming out to the spout. She fully understands that the sign language gestures Anne is showing to her are communications. Helen takes Anne’s hand, and spells w-a-t-e-r back…