Autistic States in ChildrenFrances Tustin (1913-1994) was one of the first professionally trained child psychotherapists in Britain. Although internationally recognised for her pioneering therapeutic work with autistic children, her approach is considered by some to be controversial, as her psychogenic view of childhood autism challenged the belief that it is biological and genetic. Autistic States in Children is widely regarded as a vitally important work for understanding the causes of autism in young children. Vividly describing her clinical encounters with autistic children, Tustin argued that autistic states were above all self-protective ones. In her observational studies, she noted how autistic children's interaction with physical objects, such as keys, toy cars, or other play items, had a rigid and ritualistic quality, far removed from the typical kind of fantasy play seen in other children. Such objects are not used by autistic children for their intended purpose, Tustin argued, but rather in sensation-dominated ways that interfere with mental development. She also drew a fundamental distinction between two autistic groups: an ‘encapsulated’ group, which is withdrawn and non-verbal, and an ‘entangled’ group, who are hyperactive and chaotic but have some language. Autistic States in Children influenced not only those in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis but countless others who have contact with autistic children, especially families, and remains essential reading for anyone seeking a creative and compelling understanding of autism. This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by Maria Rhode. |
From inside the book
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... confusion which suggest they have this difficulty. For example, when Jimmy fell and bumped his knee on the ground he would kiss the spot on the ground where he had bumped his knee to make it better, as if he were not sure which was his ...
Frances Tustin. The confusion between themselves and other people is shown in the speech of some autistic children who get the words 'I' and 'you', or 'me' and 'you' the wrong way round, saying for instance, 'Do you want a drink of water ...
... confused mother, his possessive grandmother and his weak father were already quarrelling over his future. But he had one protection they could never violate – he had not yet been born. So began Buster's long and eventful siege against ...
... confused. This failure to achieve self-identity was well exemplified in Mrs High's observations of autistic children which appear in Chapter 1. The theoretical implications of the foregoing generalised descriptions will be discussed in ...
... confused and entangled with other people. This is not a genuine relationship, although to the superficial observer it might look like one. In terms of their mode of protection, I call them confusional entangled children. (Margaret ...
Contents
Autosensuous aspects of psychogenic childhood psychosis | |
Autogenerated encapsulation | |
Autistic objects | |
Confusional objects | |
The asymbolic nature of autosensuous states | |
Awareness in autistic states | |
Psychotherapy with autistic states in children | |
Transference phenomena in autistic states | |
16 | |
Thinkings | |
Confusional entanglement | |
Autosensuousness as a basis for classification of psychogenic childhood psychosis | |
Psychodynamics and treatment of autistic states | |
The pathological operation of autosensuousness | |
Psychological birth and psychological catastrophe | |
The struggles of an autistic child to develop a mind of his | |
Autistic elements in neurotic disorders of childhood | |
Concluding remarks | |
Index | |