No Sidekick Gets Left Behind: A Discussion of “Moving Together Along the Spectrum”

ABSTRACT

In this paper I offer a discussion of Daniel Posner’s paper, “Moving Together Along the Spectrum,” in which he shares research demonstrating that atypical movement and interactive asynchrony is at the heart of autism. In emphasizing “movement blindness,” Posner shows autism to be a relational and embodied phenomenon, one that is open to engagement and even therapeutic change in that register. In critiquing Posner’s assertions I analyze the strengths and limitations of a movement approach to autism, identifying areas of agreement and ways in which our approaches diverge. I also challenge Posner’s bold statement that one-person models of autism continue to predominate despite the influences of infant research and neuroscience. Referencing Mahler, Tustin, Greenspan, and others, I suggest that accounting for autism is more nuanced and complex than Posner asserts.

KEYWORDS:

• autism
• Kanner
• Greenspan
• Mahler
• Tustin

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christina Emanuel

Christina Emanuel, MFT, PsyD, is a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist in private practice in Pasadena, California.  She is a training and supervising analyst and faculty member at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. She writes, teaches, and presents about autism, disability studies, and relational psychoanalysis.