“The Use of I and Me”: Music Therapy with an Autistic Child

Abstract

This paper provides an account of three significant stages in 18 months of music therapy with an autistic child, Rosa, whom I met when she was nearly two and a half years old. First I introduce her, summarising my understanding of “autism” and the role of music therapy: the approach is psycho-dynamic, influenced by Klein, Winnicott, and Tustin. Then I give a detailed description of a session six months after we started working together. I conclude with an interpretation of the change in our relationship a year later. Four autistic features emerge: (i) destruction and negation followed by repair and affirmation; (ii) confusion of zones; (iii) infantile sexuality; (iv) a sense of emptiness.