Refrigerator Mother 5

• Kanner

  Developed the theory in the 1940s.

  Created the first set of diagnostic criteria for ASD.

  Observed a lack of warmth from parents of children with ASD.

  Described children with ASD as being brought up in emotional refrigerators - cold, distant, overly intellectual parents.

  Focused on mothers who he said had just happened to defrost long enough to produce a child.

  Origins of theory lie in psychodynamic approach - childhood experience.
• Bettelheim

  Child development specialist.

  Brought the refrigerator mother theory to the general public.

  Explained ASD as an emotional disorder caused by emotionally detached mothers & their relationships with their children.

  In his book ‘the empty fortress’ he compared children with ASD to prisoners in a concentration camp due to the lack of maternal affection they received.

  Solution is to remove children from this environment & place them in one with warm, emotional care.
• Typical child development

  Child faces challenge

  ->

  Child overwhelmed so withdraws

  ->

  Parent responds with love & reassurance

  ->

  Child feels safe & returns to normal behaviour

  ->
• Cycle leading to ASD

  Child faces challenge

  ->

  Child overwhelmed so withdraws

  ->

  Child met with rejection & coldness

  ->

  Child withdraws further
• Strengths of refrigerator mother theory

  Supporting evidence (Kanner’s observations)
• Weaknesses of refrigerator mother theory

  Lack of credibility of researcher

  Observations are subjective

  Social sensitivity

  Ignores other family types

  Direction of causation unclear

  Doesn’t explain repetitive behaviours

  Non-scientific

  Ignores nature

  Outdated