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This paper records some of my experiences of being with, and trying to understand, a small group of children who had already been diagnosed as autistic. I saw them in their special classes at school, and at home with their families. I make no claim to be presenting either a scientific investigation or any conclusions about autism. Reports of such studies are available in various scientific journals. However, I must record that my experiences with these children left me wondering if an autistic child really exists as a separate entity. No child in this group seemed to have a sense of self, of being an individual, of being aware of himself or herself as having a separate body, or a separate psyche.
My conceptual framework, as outlined in this paper, is based on my experiences of observing, feeling and thinking about what was going on, as I spent two years with these children. There are, of course, other conceptual frameworks from within which one can classify an autistic child's behaviour and from which management of the condition may be given. This very fact of multiplicity suggests that no one view of the cause, and no one way of treatment, has been effective.
It is therefore in the spirit of continuing enquiry that I offer my observations and experiences with this small group of children. Perhaps this record of my experiences will encourage others to be with these children and their families, and to explore further the possible meanings of the condition.