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Through the lens of an “Incomplete Attachment” I have described that the autistic child is experiencing dissociated states. What does this mean? From my perspective, the child has many parts of himself that have not become integrated as a whole. These aspects of the self have not been validated and recognized by “an other” so the child, in turn, cannot use and see himself. Thus the different parts of this child become dissociated and cannot work together to the benefit of the child. We can say that this child does not have the ability to go from one part of himself to another. The child also cannot go within himself to retrieve these dissociated parts.
How can I recognize dissociation in an autistic child? Dissociation is easy to recognize. We all have aspects of dissociation, but it is more profoundly seen in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The following are examples of dissociation: 1) reduced sense of pain – the child may burn himself, but not demonstrate any outward behaviors that say, “I am hurting.” The pain is there and he feels it, but he is split off from his ability to claim it and name the feeling, 2) Exceptional savant skills – such as extraordinary ability to remember days of the week of birthdays and dates associated with events, ability to do mathematical calculations that others can only do with the help of a calculator or great musical and artistic abilities. These abilities seem to coexist with what appears to be severe disabilities. Most people observing such a mixture of behaviors would be confused and conclude that there must be something “wrong” with a person who on the one hand has great musical ability or artistic ability, but cannot talk. I would say this is an example of dissociation in that the emotions are split off from the intellect of the person, 3) Cannot shift thinking from one subject to another – this is an example of not being able to go from one part of the self to another. The individual is demonstrating on the outside of himself what is occurring on the inside of him. In other words, his inability to go from one part of himself to another, and 4) the child can think through mathematical problems, but cannot think through and understand social interactions – the child has access to his intellect, but no access to the emotional parts of himself. The emotional side is harder to access if you have never had an attachment. It is through an attachment that one feels understood and seen and in turn can talk and have access to the emotional parts of one’s self.
These are only a few examples of what I think about when observing the autistic person through the lens of dissociation and an “Incomplete Attachment.” When one thinks about autism from this perspective than one can have hope that the child can develop into an integrated person. The work with the autistic person is to help them to become more conscious of the split off parts. This includes helping them to name their feelings along with the development of a trusting relationship with “an other.” As they become more conscious of themselves their dissociated parts will begin to work together.
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7 comments:
I see. Except the use of a diagnosis for 'dissociation' and attachment theory together are invariably used by the wacko branch of psychiatry that has determined that dissociation in autism is the by-product of widespread satanic ritual abuse, allied to Mind Control, which sees autistic children as 'dud' Mind-controlled robots (I did say 'wacko').
The basis for this? Well the now deceased Alice Miller was convinced and convinced many others that autism was caused by child abuse;
Alice Miller, one of the best-known authors of the consequences of child abuse, has maintained that Autism is psychogenic, and that it is fear of the truth about child abuse the leitmotif of nearly all forms of autistic therapy known to her. When Miller visited several therapy centers for Autism in the United States, it became apparent to her that the stories of children “inspired fear in both doctors and mothers alike”:
"I spent a day observing what happened to the group. I also studied close-ups of children on video. What became clearer and clearer as the day went on was that all these children had a serious history of suffering behind them. This, however, was never referred to […]. In my conversations with the therapists and mothers, I inquired about the life stories of individual children. The facts confirmed my hunch. No one, however, was willing to take these facts seriously" (Miller 1991).
In the UK, Adult Psychoanalyst and Child Psychotherapist Valerie Sinason has taken Millers work, in an effort to explain autism as a by-product of Satanic Ritual Abuse, typified by her course 'HOW TO REACH UNREACHABLE CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS (Autism, Asperger's, Dissociative Disorders, Selective Mutism, Severe Learning Difficulties)'.
Yes, its a nightmare - and the ideas, lifted partly from the 17th century, are gaining credence in the UK and elsewhere
I appreciate this post. Thank you.
Dissociative disorders and autism have similarities, both affect the right brain and stress responses. If an autistic child cannot correctly perceive his mothers facial expressions, they might not form a secure attachment, and also develop an associative disorder as a result of their false perceptions of danger-the question is which came first? There may have been abuse, or there may have been an inability to recognize a familiar face. Does this make sense?
Your article affirms something I've been "feeling" for some time. I would like to research this topic further. Would be very grateful for any recommendations re.literature on the theme of "dissociation and autism". Also, would be great to consult with you,if possible,Karen Savlov (by email, perhaps ?) about the experience of a family member. Many thanks, Christina.
The A-word is ill-defined and overused today. It can be used to
refer to conditions which have very
little to do with each other or with cases of the sort originally
described. You might find a kid so
labelled who has social insight but
can't use it effectively due to
aphasia, inattention, poor impulse
control,temporary neurological
disruptions, and unwise medication. He might have a very
difficult life as a result of
all this (and the misunderstanding
which it engenders) and react to
overwhelming emotional stress by
tuning out from time to time.
I know this by personal observation. 'Dissociation'
is thus a way of reducing stress
to a more manageable level. 616
I have a diagnosis of Aspergers. As a baby i had a traumatic birth. My mother said she new there was something very wrong with me when i was a small baby. she said i would alternate between normally responding to others, to being completely unresponsive and unable to look at others. I have a vivid recall of memories from my childhood which somethings are very disturbing. My mother and father neglected me from then on approximately aged 1-5.
I have developed a close friendship with a man I think may be autistic, perhaps have aspergers, and I am thinking he dissociates often. He is so intelligent, knows so many interesting facts that he quizzes me about, but somehow he had trouble keeping up in high school. One friend we share who knows more about his past and was close to his family has confirmed that his mother was abusive. I am so fascinated by him and love spending time with him, and I might even have fallen in love with him. He has never been married, and I don't think he ever will marry, but there is such an attraction I feel for him, and I wish I could help him.
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