Although his theory has now been discredited, for many years Bruno Bettelheim's "refrigerator mother," psychogenic theory of the aetiology of autism was at the center of theory and practice (Bettelheim 1967). It still affects many people both in Europe and the United States, although practice in Great Britain is relatively free of its influence.
Nonetheless, there still is controversy about the basic issues in autism, and what causes the problems for children. In this analysis, the intention is to provide some background on the problems that autistic children experience, developing theories, and implications of two contrasting theories for practice.
Part of the controversy surrounding the study of autism involves the diagnosis of autism itself and distinguishing those problems, or difficulties, that are unique to autism, or unique as a cluster of problems creating the autistic condition. For example, there are those who would claim that Donna Williams, who has written extensively about her own experience as an autistic child and adult, does not qualify for that diagnosis. Yet, what she described as her difficulties are problems consistently noted with other autistic children. What are some of these problems?
Autistic children often seem withdrawn and nonresponsive. Before more was known about autism, they were often thought to be deaf because of their lack of response to speech or reaction to noises. They are known for the rapt attention they pay to certain objects or activities and for their tendency to repeat movements, sounds, and gestures. Autistic individuals often seem to live life by rote and rule, rather than being able to interpret situations. They have difficulty processing information, and they seem to have difficulty comprehending information communicated through spoken language. Behaviorally autistic individuals are emotionally unresponsive, verbally noncommunicative, and likely to be rigid and stereoty...