To date there have been few accounts of psychotherapeutic work with individuals with autistic conditions such as Asperger syndrome, yet this group often presents with high levels of psychological distress and confusion which they find difficult to communicate to others. The use of clinical assessment techniques derived from personal construct psychology is described and four case studies are presented to illustrate the potential utility of this approach. The advantages and disadvantages of such an approach are discussed.
ATTWOOD, T. (1998) Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley.
2.
BANNISTER, D. & FRANSELLA, F. (1971) Inquiring Man: The Theory of Personal Constructs. London: Penguin.
3.
BARLOW, D.H. , HAYES, S.C. & NELSON, R.O. (1984) The Scientist Practitioner. New York: Pergamon.
4.
CHADWICK, P. , BIRCHWOOD, M. & TROWER, P. (1996) Cognitive Therapy for Delusions, Voices and Paranoia. Chichester: Wiley.
5.
DAGNAN, D. & RUDDICK, L. (1995) ‘The Use of Analogue Scales and Personal Questionnaires for Interviewing People with Learning Disabilities’, Clinical Psychology ForumMay: 21-24.
6.
EPTING, F.R. (1984) Personal Construct Counselling and Psychotherapy. Chichester: Wiley.
7.
FRANSELLA, F. & BANNISTER, D. (1977) A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique. London: Academic Press.
8.
FRANSELLA, F. & DALTON, P. (1990) Personal Construct Counselling in Action. London: Sage.
9.
HAPPÉ, F.R.G. (1994) Autism: An Introduction to Psychological Theory. London: UCL Press.
10.
HARE, D.J. (1997a) ‘The Use of Repertory Grid Techniques in the Assessment of People with Learning Disabilities: A Case Study’, Journal of Learning Disabilities for Nursing, Health and Social Care1(3): 115-120.
11.
HARE, D.J. (1997b) ‘The Use of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with People with Asperger Syndrome: A Case Study’, Autism1(2): 215-225.
12.
HARE, D.J. & PAINE, C. (1997) ‘Developing Cognitive Behavioural Treatments for People with Asperger’s Syndrome’, Clinical Psychology Forum110 (December): 5-8.
13.
HOWLIN, P. (1997) Autism: Preparing for Adulthood. London: Routledge.
14.
KELLY, G. (1955) The Psychology of Personal Constructs, vols 1 and 2. New York: Norton. Reprinted by Routledge, 1990.
15.
KELLY, G. (1969) ‘Personal Construct Theory and the Psychotherapeutic Interview’, in B. MAHER (ed.) Clinical Psychology and Personality, pp. 224-264. Chichester: Wiley.
16.
KIRK, J. (1989) ‘Cognitive-Behavioural Assessment’, in K. HAWTON, P.M. SALKOVSKIS, J. KIRK & D.M. CLARK (eds) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychiatric Problems: A Practical Guide, pp 13-52. Oxford: Oxford Medical Publications.
17.
POWELL, S.D. & JORDAN, R.R. (1993) ‘Being Subjective about Autistic Thinking and Learning to Learn’, Educational Psychology13(3-4): 359-370
18.
RYAN, R.M. (1992) ‘Treatment-Resistant Chronic Mental Illness: Is It Asperger’s Syndrome?’, Hospital and Community Psychiatry43(8): 807-811.
19.
SEWELL, K. (1989) Omnigrid-PC Version 1.5. Available from K.W. Sewell, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045 USA.
20.
SPINDLER-BARTON, E. , WALTON, T. & ROWE, D. (1976) ‘Using Grid Techniques with the Mentally Handicapped’, in P. SLATER (ed.) Explorations of Intrapersonal Space, vol. 1. Chichester: Wiley.
21.
TANTAM, D. (1988) ‘Lifelong Eccentricity and Social Isolation. 1: Psychiatric, Social and Forensic Aspects’, British Journal of Psychiatry153: 777-782.
