Affective disorder continued
21/01/10 10:59 Filed in: Autism Spectrum Disorders
What do I mean when I say that ASD is primarily an affective disorder? There are of course problems with cognition – many autistic people find it difficult to perceive the mental states of others (Theory of the Mind); people with autism have problems with seeing the whole picture (Weak Central Coherence); and they also have problems planning, organizing, monitoring progress toward goals, and approaching problem solving in a flexible manner (Deficient Executive Functioning). The research of Peter Hobson sees these as secondary conditions that arise from impairment in the emotional aspects of interpersonal relatedness.
The tools of complex thinking (what Vygotsky calls the higher mental functions) are constructed when the infant is emotionally engaged with other people. Social engagement provides the foundation for both thinking and language.
Kanner’s early formulation was right on the mark (too bad he modified it later and came up with the term “refrigerator mother’). He labeled what he saw in eleven children in his first paper as “autistic disturbance of affective (i.e. emotional) contact”.
ASD is first and foremost an impairment in the emotional aspects of interpersonal relatedness. The Kaufman’s in their book “Son-Rise” were on the right track. Research is now validating much of their early work. The place to start when working with children (or adults with ASD for that matter) is with their lack of interpersonal relatedness at the emotional level. Many programs target the cognitive level and this frequently results in just simply teaching them some rote rules of social behavior.
The tools of complex thinking (what Vygotsky calls the higher mental functions) are constructed when the infant is emotionally engaged with other people. Social engagement provides the foundation for both thinking and language.
Kanner’s early formulation was right on the mark (too bad he modified it later and came up with the term “refrigerator mother’). He labeled what he saw in eleven children in his first paper as “autistic disturbance of affective (i.e. emotional) contact”.
ASD is first and foremost an impairment in the emotional aspects of interpersonal relatedness. The Kaufman’s in their book “Son-Rise” were on the right track. Research is now validating much of their early work. The place to start when working with children (or adults with ASD for that matter) is with their lack of interpersonal relatedness at the emotional level. Many programs target the cognitive level and this frequently results in just simply teaching them some rote rules of social behavior.