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Tommy, Delia, Anne, and Donna, four children diagnosed by a team of specialists as schizophrenic and autistic, spent much of their time “doing nothing” at the beginning of our adventure together. Two of the children had other handicaps as well: Anne was considered retarded and Donna had suffered brain damage during early infancy. The four children came daily to the nursery of a special school setting where their teacher, a motherly, affectionate woman, attempted to teach them how to play with puzzles and games and to do the little chores children their age normally master.
Della, at six, was compliant. Smilingly, she stayed within the walls of her echolalia and let the world pass by. A capable child, she had mastered much of what was expected of her but had no feeling connection to the tasks she performed. She was the only one in the group who had mastered speech.
Tommy, a four-year-old towhead, spent much of his time wandering about aimlessly, listening to some internal signal known only to himself, and whined and shuddered every now and then. Though he loved to be held and “mothered” when his whining spells were upon him, he shunned physical contact otherwise and artfully managed not to see other people present.2,3
Anne, a pretty six-year-old, just liked to sit and quietly smile to herself or play endlessly with little objects. She either amply held them in her hand or waved them about in the manner of an infant in a crib with his first rattle. Often she forgot what she held in her hand and sank back into her stupor.
Donna, a sturdy five, loved to lurch and hurtle across the room