Autism as a Mode of Being

This workshop introduces a new perspective on autism. This perspective— promoted by many high-functioning autistic people today—describes autism as a unique mode of being in the world rather than a disorder. Viewing autism in this way provides us with a chance to be more sensitive to the wants and needs expressed by autistic people and offers a more effective position from where communication can be established. In the workshop, participants will be granted a glimpse into the world of autistic people through the art and writings created by them. In doing so, a clear distinction between the scientific approach and the actually-autistic approach to autism will be drawn. The goal is to initiate a dialogue revolving around the question of the treatment of autism, discussing a transition from the framework of “curing” to a framework of “caring”. Contemporary clinical approaches to autism will be presented from within a psychoanalytic framework that focuses on the autistic use of language.

Participants  will be able  to…

• Establish an understanding of the intricacies of autism.
• Acquire a new perspective on autism, as a mode of being rather than a disorder.
• Engage with art and texts made by autistic people and discussing the ethic and politics of the movement of Neurodiversity.
• Study a facilitative approach that is sensitive to the uniqueness of autistic life.
• Recognize and utilize the strengths of this perspective in the care for autistic children and adults in a clinical, institutional and domestic setting

Many disability caretakers today engage in work with autistic people. Work with autistic children and adults is sometimes very difficult due to communication difficulties and slow therapeutic development. Due to these difficulties, it is very important to acquire a deeper understanding of autism that is sensitive to their perspective. Research shows that caretakers that work with autistic people and have established a deeper and more human understanding of this condition are more successful in facilitating their suffering and enduring the course of treatment. This workshop comes to provides such a perspective based on seven years of academic research on autistic subjectivity. Accordingly, it is relevant for professional caretakers but also to parents and peers of autistic people.

Psychologists, psychotherapists, disability caregivers, practitioners, early childhood teachers, school teachers, parents, high functioning autistic people

• Brenner, L. S. (2020). The autistic subject: on the threshold of language. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Grandin, T. (2006). Thinking in pictures: my life with autism. New-York: Vintage.
• Sinclair, J. (1993). Don’t Mourn for us. Our Voice. Autism Network International. Retrieved from http://www.autreat.com/dont_mourn.html