Transferential relation with autistic children: a contribution from Winnicott's approach

Abstract

This article reflects about the transferential relation in the psychoanalytic clinic with autistic children. It is verified that, from the work of Melanie Klein (1930), the analysis of transference with autistic children is carried out through verbal interpretations and the place of the analyst is that of an interpreter. From the thought of Winnicott, the analyst gains another place in the transferential situation with the autistic child, far beyond the function of an interpreter. Winnicott emphasizes the ideas of holding, interpretation, and the model of a "good enough mother" as a guide for the transference and the importance of non-verbal sensory links in the transferential relation.

transference; interpretation; holding; autism