Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives from Psychoanalysis is written by practicing child psychoanalysts with extensive experience treating children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and uneven development. The authors bridge the gap between a psychodynamic approach to ASD and burgeoning data from the fields of neurobiology and neurofunction. Based on current research showing neuroplasticity of the brain, the authors posit that treating ASD through intensive engagement of caregiver and child makes possible the successful psychoanalytic treatment of a neurobiological disorder. To this end, the authors examine both the clinical dynamics of their treatments and the possible impact of the treatment on neurobiological processes. Detailed case studies of children treated by the authors comprise the heart of the book. The cases emphasize the importance of engaging these young children intensively with the social world, first of their caregivers and then their peers, while also helping child and caregiver make sense of the child's "nonsense" behavior through insight into their inner worlds. The authors explain how and why such treatment works through examining the processes by which infant and caregiver learn to know each other and how a baby comes to know the world. This approach emphasizes the intimate connection between infant and caregiver in forming the emotional, cognitive, attentional, and interpersonal experiences that give a child the ability to make meaning and grow. In addition, this volume presents a selective summary of the neurobiological research in the area of ASD to provide the reader with the related neurobiological and psychological factors. This underscores the thesis that ASD is a potentially reversible neurodevelopmental disorder with experiential and psychological consequences, and lays groundwork for an integrated treatment approach with psychoanalysis at its core.

The Mother and Her Child: Clinical Aspects of Attachment, Separation, and Loss, edited by Salman Akhtar, focuses upon the formation of an individual's self in the crucible of the early mother-child relationship. Bringing together contributions from distinguished psychoanalysts and child observational researchers, it elucidates the nuances of mothering, the child's tie to the mother, the mysteries of secure attachment, and the hazards of insecure attachment. These experts also discuss issues of separation, loss, and alternate sources of love when the mother is absent or emotionally unavailable, while highlighting the relevance of such ideas to the treatment of children and adults.

Homeless women and their children who reside in a transitional housing facility or shelter have experienced multiple traumas and disruptions in their earliest attachments. These multiple, chronic traumas often result in disorganized attachment disorders, which, in turn, affect all future development. Although there are a dearth of programs and interventions that work with disorganized attachment disorder within the homeless population, there are few studies that explore the difficulties that homeless mothers experience in forming positive attachments with their children. Mothering without a Home: Attachment Representations and Behaviors of Homeless Mothers and Children explores the attachment style of homeless mothers and its effect on the resulting attachment style of their children. Ann Smolen utilizes psychoanalytically informed interventions with the goal of aiding these women in developing a deeper capacity to understand and be attuned to their children s emotional needs.

Homeless women and their children who reside in a transitional housing facility or shelter have experienced multiple traumas and disruptions in their earliest attachments. These multiple, chronic traumas often result in disorganized attachment disorders, which, in turn, affect all future development. Although there are a dearth of programs and interventions that work with disorganized attachment disorder within the homeless population, there are few studies that explore the difficulties that homeless mothers experience in forming positive attachments with their children. Mothering without a Home: Attachment Representations and Behaviors of Homeless Mothers and Children explores the attachment style of homeless mothers and its effect on the resulting attachment style of their children. Ann Smolen utilizes psychoanalytically informed interventions with the goal of aiding these women in developing a deeper capacity to understand and be attuned to their children's emotional needs.