You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
With a feeling of optimism and a deep concern for people, Bettelheim and his staff have, in this book, explored the world of autistic children. He presents not only extensive case histories, but also statistical results, theory and a broad review of the literature on autistic children. Beyond this, Bettelheim, through the richness of his experience, is able to help us sense the inner devastation which these children experience, and the impact they have on their environment.
The first section of the book concerns the development and dynamics of autism. It focuses on the active encounter of the infant with its world. How it is encouraged or discouraged has a great deal to do with how the infant develops. To speak only of the passive satisfactions needed by the baby is to miss the central point. Even in that most orally placid of activities, nursing, the infant is an active, aggressive participant. He seeks, grabs and vigorously takes. The rewards of this experience are not only in the full belly and the sense of security, but also in having attained the “awareness” that his efforts have produced results. However, to act only in a physical sense is not enough for developing a human personality. There must be the ability to communicate feelings and appreciate responsiveness in return. It sometimes happens that an infant, in his encounters, finds, or at least interprets, that no action on his part can influence another. This occurs in its most disheartening form when the child believes that the parent wishes the child did not exist. One result is the infant's inability to comprehend cause and effect because, in his world, there is no such connection; e.g., a cry does not bring the mother in response. To re-emphasize the importance of activity: causality has no meaning if the infant tries but never succeeds, or if it succeeds but never has to try, as in overprotectedness or mechanical satisfaction of needs. The outcome, eventually, is the withdrawal from a world which does