Annihilation anxiety and fantasy in the art of children with Asperger's syndrome and others on the autistic spectrum.

This paper focuses on defense mechanisms employed by children with autistic spectrum disorders, and Asperger's syndrome in particular, as a means of warding off intense anxiety, including the fear of annihilation. This fear arises when the child with an autistic spectrum disorder is faced with the demands of everyday reality. Forced from their private worlds, their defensive responses include delusional fantasy, obsessions, and projective identification. These processes are often manifest in dramatic terms within the form and content of their art. The symbolization of annihilation fantasy allows the art therapist a dramatic glimpse into the inner mental life of children on the autistic spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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