he particular patient is escaping from reality, yet they would not necessarily be talking about someone who suffers from the developmental disorder. (Bettleheim, 1994). It was widely accepted that a childs autistic condition was the result of extremely, cold distant, rejecting and overly intellectual parenting. The childs extreme withdrawal was viewed as a refusal to engage in social or physical contact, rather than inability. (Bettleheim, 1994). After Kanner and Asperger's discovery, parents were observed to treat their autistic children without the warmth and affection, which is normally observed between parent and child. Freudian psychology had a ready-made theory waiting for this syndrome and this observation: that if certain basic psychological bonds between parent and child fail to form that the child will fail to progress. A Freudian theory of autism remained in vogue in the 50s and early 60s. Though the theory fit Freudian psychology hand-in-glove, there are two obvious alternative possible explanations that the Freudian theory dismisses. One is that the parents' observed stilted interaction with the child was the result of the child's Autistic behavior; the other is that Autism is an extreme instance of a genetically-inherited personality trait that was present to a milder extent in such observed parents.SymptomsPeople with classical autism show three types of symptoms: impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication and imagination, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests. (Hart, 1993). The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Many students with autism resist human contact and social interactions, and they have difficulty learning the subtleties of social interactions. (Hart, 1993) They may fail to respond to their names, avoid making eye contact with others, and seem uninterested in developing social relationships. Individuals with autism also experience pr...
