Maria Rhode is Emeritus Professor of Child Psychotherapy at the Tavistock Clinic/University of East London and Clinical Associate of the British Psycho-Analytical Society. She has co-edited three books and contributed numerous papers and chapters on childhood autism, psychosis and language development. She has just completed a pilot case series concerning early intervention for toddlers at high risk of autism.
Recommended Reading
Tustin, F. (1966/86) 'A significant element in the development of psychogenic autism.' In Autistic Barriers in Neurotic Patients, London: Karnac, 1986.
Klein, S. (1980) 'Autistic phenomena in neurotic patients.' International Journal of Psycho-Analysis 61: 395 - 402
Brief Outline of Lecture:
Psychoanalytic work with children on the autism spectrum remains controversial. This lecture reviews areas of convergence and disagreement between psychoanalytic and cognitive approaches to autism and considers what the psychoanalytic treatment of autistic children can teach us about emotional development more generally as well as about primitive states of mind encountered in work with adults. It will include an overview of theoretical developments that have emerged from the treatment of autistic children, particularly in relation to the body image, the sense of self and the use of language. Illustrations will be provided from first-person accounts as well as clinical vignettes.