ABSTRACT
This chapter describes various aspects of the body image of a boy with autism as they emerged during his therapy between the ages of 6 and 9 years, and to explore connections with his picture of his primary object and with fears concerning eating. It attempts to relate patterns in this child's material to similar ones in adult patients with eating disorders. The chapter considers a number of vignettes to illustrate different ways in which Anthony, a boy with moderate to severe autism, experienced his body. It is a common observation that anorexic patients often have a body image that can be unrealistic to the point of being delusional. Anorexics seem to be preoccupied with the space their body occupies even more than with how much they weigh. Children with autism are, like anorexic patients, preoccupied with issues concerning their identity and survival; again like anorexic patients, they may attempt to cope by exerting complete, delusional control over their environment.
