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Michael Fordham's book is in three sections, the first two being in effect a collection of papers, some of which have been published elsewhere. In this book they have been modified. The last section is a series of case studies in autism.
It has been estimated that there may be about 3,000 cases of childhood autism at present in England and Wales. It is unlikely that most of us who read this book will do so in order to extend our knowledge of childhood autism for the purpose of treating autistic children, but it would be a mistake to suppose from the title that this book is about a narrowly specialized corner of the analytic field; in fact, the special study of autism appears as one starting point in an extensive exploration of theory and practice in analytical psychology. The emphasis is, of course, on children, but it is made clear that the subject is always relevant to our wider concerns—including ourselves.
Little is given in the way of formal description of autism as a syndrome, though a reader without experience of autistic children could build up a substantial picture of the condition, especially from the case-studies. There is a very brief reference to the classification of autism. Consideration of aetiology is mainly of the part the mother may play; reference is made to the conflicting views on this. The author does not accept any simple opinion, but for practical purposes he does not accept the view of the mother as a pathogenic agent from whom the child must be separated for treatment.
Concerning treatment, only psychotherapy is considered, and the author judges the most useful form to be what he calls a mixture of analysis and ‘special care’: analysis here means interpretative intervention and cannot be done when approaching the autistic core. Then the child's need is ‘to have the condition recognized without intrusive action