http://www.springerlink.com/content/r383064374376383/
This is a link to one article in 1976 about Massie's analysis of very early interactions of mothers with their babies. His subjects were obtained from the clients who came to his psychiatric clinic with 'autistic-like' children around the age of 3. He realized that interviews with the parents was rarely of much use so proceeded to ask the parents if they had any early home movies that were available when their child was an infant and many did. He also solicited home movies of parents with their infants who at similar ages (3-4) had no evidence of emotional disorders. When comparing the interactions via a frame-by-frame analysis, he noted a distinct and disturbing pattern in the style of interactions with his parents who had autistic-like children. That is, the interactions revealed an inability to read and respond appropriately to the basic emotional signals of their infants. However, it is very important to point out that Massie presents his case studies in the context of the parent's own family backgrounds as he is clearly wishes to make the scientific community aware that his clients were caring, loving parents who simply didn't have the emotional capacity or awareness at that point in their lives to appropriately respond to the signals of their infants. He clearly did not feel that there was any evidence of intentional rejection. One sad example of such is of a mother (Dad's are usually taking the home movies of course) who wouldn't let her daughter make eye-contact from the get-go. Now, this same mother would hold her baby girl close and snuggle her but would position her head so that the her daughter was continually rebuffed in her attempts to look into her mother's eyes. When Massie questioned the mother about this puzzling behavior, the mother said that she felt self-conscious making eye-contact with her baby girl. Understanding the role of early experiences in the development of children is perceived as 'blaming' parent's for any problems their children develop--a perception I feel we can easily lay at the feet of Bruno Bettleheim and is total nonsense. Most parents do the best they can and some children are more challenging than others. But who is the adult in the interaction between an adult and their child and, therefore, the one that should be capable of encouraging more appropriate and healthy responses from their infants?! Judith Harris's carries this notion of children causing their parents to not parent well to the extreme. Catch this--she actually states something to the effect that 'if parents beat their children, is it not likely due to the fact that their children were more difficult and unlikeable than parents who do not beat their children?' What is more challenging than parenting?! And we parents do the best we can with the emotional sensitivity and resources we bring to the task. But we need to provide parents with far more emotional and informational support than we do at present. And I feel we are so intent on ignoring the role of early experience due to the political incorrectness of such, that we are committing a travesty against the science of human behavior as well as to parents and their infants. Joan [email protected] PS Massie and Szajnberg have a written a relatively recent publication, "Lives Across Time/Growing Up: Paths to Emotional Health and Emotional Illness from Birth to 30 in 76 People. > I know of a couple of individual cases (people that I've known) that > are consistent with a social deprivation hypothesis. > Anecdotal, of course. > How did Massie get his samples (the representativeness issue)? > > On Feb 7, 2009, at 4:49 PM, Joan Warmbold wrote: > >> Just BTW, I still believe that Henry Massie, M.D. was onto >> something with >> his research in the 1970's in which he analyzed videos of the >> interactions >> between parents and children BEFORE the onset of 'autistic-like' >> behaviors. His analysis determined that there was a distinct lack of >> appropriate response to the infants' signals. However, his case >> studies >> make it extremely clear that the parents were not in anyway aware or >> intentionally rejecting their infants, as per Bettelheim's >> destructive and >> cruel hypothesis. I won't go any further as I am very aware of how >> sensitive and politically incorrect any comment on a possible >> relationship >> between early experiences and autism is. But I do wish more of you >> tipsters would consider reading some of Henry Massie's work. If >> you wish >> to critique his research, please focus on the data and his analysis as >> opposed to his particular psychological perspectives. > > Paul Brandon > Emeritus Professor of Psychology > Minnesota State University, Mankato > [email protected] > > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([email protected]) > > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
