Caught on the surface: Tustin on autistic experience

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Autism is characterized by sensory modifications, particularly tactile ones.
• Sensory experiences can become self-absorbed, leading to a flattened sensory environment.
• This flattening impacts relationships with the external world and others.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Frances Tustin's core insight on autism related to sensory modifications.
• To explain the concept of
• collapse of intentional depth
• in autism.
• To illustrate how Tustin's theory explains key autism features.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of Frances Tustin's work on autism.
• Exploration of sensory modifications and their experiential consequences.
• Application of Tustin's theory to understand autism characteristics.

Main Results:

• Tustin's theory posits a core of autism in tactile sensory modifications.
• A 2D experiential flattening of the sensory environment occurs due to self-absorption.
• This leads to a collapse of intentional depth—spatial, symbolic, and intersubjective.

Conclusions:

• Tustin's ideas provide a framework for understanding autism's core sensory and experiential aspects.
• The collapse of intentional depth explains social interaction and behavioral pattern deficits in autism.
• Sensory modifications are fundamental to the autistic experience and social challenges.