ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how Frances Tustin's concept of the autistic object, which people consider one of her most fertile contributions in the clinical field, also has correlations in the neurobiological area which favor the recognition of how psychological factors participate in the determination of some forms of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). It presents studies on children from Romanian orphanages adopted in the UK with a high degree of autistic manifestations and examines data on the syndrome of monkeys raised in isolation which also developed autistiform symptoms. The chapter then presents two clinical fragments that give concrete examples of the value of psychoanalysis for ASD patients. The first could correspond to a case of "Autistic post-traumatic developmental disorder" (APTDD), as proposed by Reid. The other case comprises typical autism, allowing people to follow some of the contributions made using the psychoanalytic approach and the rewards they can bring.
