The experience with a person with autism. Phenomenological study of the experience with contact and contact reflections

Abstract

The aim of this work was to explore the author’s experience with contact and the use of contact reflections in encounters with adult persons with autism. The contact reflection method that originates in Pre-Therapy is based on the principle of reflecting a client’s observable behavior. In 1995, Hobson, and in 1999, Nadel, showed that imitation leads to an increase in the social contact of a person suffering with autism. In this study, the original intention was to facilitate contact between a person with autism and the author by using contact reflections. The author’s experience with six adults with autism evolved into a self-reflective narrative, and was subsequently analyzed following a phenomenological heuristic methodology. The recurring themes were abstracted as the main meanings of the complex experience of the author facilitating contact with a client whose communication skills are deeply altered. The paper concludes by affirming the meanings use of contact reflections had in the author’s experience of contact with a person with autism. Also, it acknowledges the necessity of sharing a self-reflective practice as a step forward in extending the embodied knowledge of Pre-therapy integrated in diverse settings.

Erfahrung mit einer autistischen Person. Phänomenologische Studie zur Erfahrung mit Kontakt und Kontakt-Reflexionen.

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Erfahrung der Autorin mit Kontakt und Kontakt-Reflexionen in der Begegnung mit einer erwachsenen autistischen Person zu untersuchen. Die Kontaktreflexionsmethode, die auf die Prä-Therapie (Prouty, 1976) zurückgeht, basiert auf dem Prinzip, das beobachtbare Verhalten eines Klienten zu reflektieren. Hobson (1995) und Nadel (2002) zeigten: Wenn man eine an Autismus leidende Person im Kontakt imitiert, führt dies zu mehr sozialem Kontakt. Die ursprüngliche Absicht war, den Kontakt zwischen einer Person mit Autismus und einer auszubildenden/forschenden Person zu fördern. Die Erfahrung der Autorin mit sechs autistischen Erwachsenen entwickelte sich zu einem selbst-reflexiven Narrativ, welches dann nach einer phänomenologisch-heuristischen Methodologie analysiert wurde. (Moustakas, 1990). Die wiederkehrenden Themen wurden abstrahiert als die Hauptbedeutungen der komplexen Erfahrung einer Auszubildenden im therapeutischen Kontakt mit einer Klientperson, wobei sich die kommunikativen Fähigkeiten der Letzteren tiefgreifend veränderten. Der Artikel schließt, indem er die Bedeutungen unterstreicht, die die Verwendung von Kontakt-Reflexionen für die auszubildende Person im Kontakt mit einer autistischen Person hatten. Er anerkennt auch die Notwendigkeit, über eine solche selbst-reflexive Praxis als einen Schritt vorwärts zu berichten, um das verinnerlichte Wissen von Prä-Therapie, wie es in verschiedene Settings integriert wird, zu erweitern.

La experiencia con una persona que sufre autismo. Estudio fenomenológico de la experiencia con contacto y reflejos del contacto.

El objetivo de este trabajo es explorar la experiencia del autor con el contacto y el uso de reflejos de contacto en el encuentro con una persona adulta con autismo. El método de reflejo de contacto se basa en la pre-terapia (Prouty, 1976) que se basa en el principio de reflejar el comportamiento observable de un consultante. Hobson (1995) y Nadel (2002) demostraron que la imitación conduce a un aumento en el contacto social de una persona que sufre autismo, y la intención original era facilitar el contacto entre una persona con autismo y el entrenado/investigador. La experiencia del autor con seis adultos con autismo evoluciono hacia una narrativa auto-reflexiva, posteriormente analizada siguiendo una metodología heurística fenomenológica (Moustakas, 1990). Se resumieron los temas recurrentes como el significado principal de la compleja experiencia de un aprendiz que facilita el contacto con un consultante cuyas habilidades de comunicación están profundamente alteradas. El estudio concluye afirmando los significados que el uso que los reflejos de contacto tuvieron en la experiencia del aprendiz en contacto con una persona autista. También reconoce la necesidad de compartir la practica auto reflexiva como un paso hacia extender / aumentar el cuerpo de conocimiento.

L’expérience vécue avec une personne autiste. Etude phénoménologique de l’expérience du contact et des réflexions de contact.

Le but de ce travail est d’explorer l’expérience du contact et de l’utilisation des réflexions de contact par l’auteur dans la rencontre avec des personnes adultes autistes. La méthode de réflexion de contact qui trouve ses origines dans la pré-thérapie (Prouty, 1976) se base sur le principe de la réflexion des comportements observables du client. Hobson (1995) et Nadel (2002) montrent que l’imitation produit un accroissement des contacts sociaux d’une personne souffrant d’autisme. L’intention première de ce travail est de faciliter le contact entre une personne autiste et le chercheur. L’expérience des auteurs menée avec six adultes autistes se déploie dans un récit auto-réflexif analysé ensuite selon une méthodologie phénoménologique heuristique (Moustakas, 1990). Les thèmes récurrents ont été retenus comme étant le principal élément significatif de l’expérience complexe du chercheur formé facilitant le contact avec un client aux compétences communicationnelles de base profondément altérées. L’article conclut en confirmant l’importance significative de l’utilisation des réflexions de contact pour l’expérience du chercheur formé lors du contact avec une personne autiste. Enfin, l’article reconnaît la nécessité de partager une pratique auto-réflexive pour contribuer à accroître la connaissance pratique de la pré-thérapie appliquée dans divers cadres.

A experiência com uma pessoa com autismo. Estudo fenomenológico da experiência de contacto e as respostas de compreensão empática de contacto

O objetivo deste trabalho é explorar a experiência do autor com o contacto e o recurso a respostas de compreensão empática de contacto, nas sessões com pessoas adultas com autismo. O método das respostas de compreensão empática, que teve origem na Pré-Terapia (Prouty, 1976), baseia-se no princípio de devolver o comportamento observável do cliente. Hobson (1995) e Nadel (2002) demonstraram que a imitação leva a um maior contacto social da pessoa com autismo e a intenção original era facilitar o contacto entre o autista e o formador/investigador. A experiência do autor com seis pessoas autistas deu origem a uma narrativa de auto-reflexão, posteriormente analisada à luz de uma metodologia com base numa heurística fenomenológica (Moustakas, 1990). Os temas recorrentes foram abstraídos como significados dominantes de uma experiência complexa, na qual um facilitador promove o contacto com um cliente cujas competências de comunicação se encontram profundamente alteradas. O artigo termina referindo-se aos significados que o recurso às respostas de compreensão empática de contacto tiveram na experiência do formando, quando em relação com o cliente autista. Também é reconhecida a necessidade de recurso à prática da auto-reflexão, como sendo um passo em frente na expansão do conhecimento acumulado em Pré-Terapia e integrado em diversos contextos.

Keywords:

• autism
• Pre-Therapy
• contact
• contact reflections

Acknowledgements

My most sincere thanks go to my university tutor Prof. PhDr. I. Čermák, CsC. for being open and for supporting me to undertake a phenomenological heuristic research in an atmosphere of quantitative tradition. Equally, warm thanks go to Lisbeth Sommerbeck, whose enthusiasm and constructive reviews stimulated my writing and Pete Sanders whose language support made the work resound. I stay grateful to my participants and practitioners, whom I worked with, for the opportunity to learn from them.

Notes

1. The presented research was developed during a 9-month internship of the author, who took part in a day-care center for adult people with autism as an international trainee. The author is a psychologist, originally coming from Slovakia. At the time of developing the presented research, she studied at the Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic and participated in an international internship Erasmus in Spain. The research was from the beginning conceptualized as material leading to her Master thesis. The process was supervised by the onsite psychologist and by the author’s university supervisor.

2. The author took on several roles and therefore the designations “author,” “trainee” and “researcher” are used interchangeably in the text, depending on from which role/perspective she is talking to the reader.

3. The term explication as suggested by Čermák and Chrz (2011) is often inadequately confused with explanation. It represents interpretation – the second step in the process of understanding, meaning “evolved understanding”.

4. The depiction is in the original 1st person voice to maintain the authenticity of the synthesis of the experience.

5. By embodiment is meant a tendency towards an integration and balance between different aspects of the practitioner’s self – sensory, emotional and cognitive – within the confines of the body (Bloom, 2006).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Roberta Štěpánková

Roberta Štěpánková is a psychologist. She comes from Slovakia, has lived in Spain and is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She finished her psychology studies at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Following this, her practice was focused on work with adult people with autism in Valencia, Spain. The current article is based on the research she developed during her work with adult people with deeply altered communication skills. Her work ensues from her personal inclination towards client-centered psychotherapeutic approach as presented by Pre-Therapy and phenomenologic methodology. The author’s strong belief in the need for embracing body and movement in her psychological and psychotherapeutical work and possibly spreading this approach in her own country brought her to the Netherlands. She is studying dance/movement therapy for a master’s programme in Rotterdam.