ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of Sophia, who came into treatment at age 3 years 10 months at the prompting of the grandmother; up to then she had been rather tenderly accepted by the family as a 'dummy', being unable to solve problems designed for 18-month babies. Her clinging to the analyst's gaze became more evident after the third month, constantly seeking the analyst's eyes for approval. A clinical fragment at the 14th month of treatment illustrates the emotional storms that can arise as a result of the differentiations entailed by symbol-formation. On Sophia's broad diagnosis suffice it to say that she amply complies with the requirements established by the DSM-IV for the diagnosis of 'autistic disorder'. The shift towards transitionality of phenomena in the analytic space and expansion in Sophia's personal space coincided with a lessening of persecutory anxieties.
