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No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. According to Frances Tustin, the core of autism is found in sensory modificationsβand tactile modifications in particular. Keywords: autism, sensory self-absorption, autistic shapes, autistic objects, skin, depth, sense of boundaries, contiguity. The sense of touch plays a central role in our experience: it emerges from the start, matures before the distal senses, and constantly connects us with the external environment.
According to Francis Tustin, the lastly mentioned obviousness is challenged in certain cases of autism. Tustin locates the core of autism in modifications of the sense of touch.
My exposition is outlined as follows. First, I will examine how touch, in collaboration with the other senses, normally opens into a dimension of depth. Third, I will show how Tustin views autism as a protective reaction to such unthinkable anxieties. This naturally gives rise to questions on how her theory fits with the more recent findings.
That is to say, in comparison with the current autistic spectrum, Tustin is thinking of a more narrow clinical category, covering only levels 2β3 of the ASD. While the children she has in mind are characteristically mute or echolalic, do not play, seem withdrawn from social interaction, might show little or no signs of awareness of another-persons as such, display bizarre responses and ritualistic behaviors, and need strong support for basic daily activities e.
