Exposure Anxiety – The Invisible Cage http://avaxhome.ws/blogs/ChrisRedfield alsobyDonnaWilliams Autism: An Inside–Out Approach AnInnovativeLookattheMechanicsof ‘Autism’ anditsDevelopmental‘Cousins’ ISBN1853023876 Autism and Sensing TheUnlostInstinct ISBN1853026123 Nobody Nowhere TheRemarkableAutobiographyof anAutisticGirl ISBN1853027189 Somebody Somewhere BreakingFreefromtheWorldof Autism ISBN1853027197 Like Colour to the Blind SoulSearchingandSoulFinding ISBN1853027200 Exposure Anxiety – The Invisible Cage An Exploration of Self-Protection Responses in the Autism Spectrum and Beyond Donna Williams Jessica Kingsley Publishers London and Philadelphia Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedinanymaterial form(includingphotocopyingorstoringitinanymediumbyelectronicmeansand whetherornottransientlyorincidentallytosomeotheruseofthispublication) withoutthewrittenpermissionofthecopyrightownerexceptinaccordancewiththe provisionsoftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988orunderthetermsofa licenceissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgencyLtd,90TottenhamCourtRoad, London,EnglandW1P9HE. Applicationsforthecopyrightowner’swritten permissiontoreproduceanypartofthispublicationshouldbeaddressedtothe publisher. Warning:Thedoingofanunauthorisedactinrelationtoacopyrightworkmayresult inbothacivilclaimfordamagesandcriminalprosecution. TherightofDonnaWilliamstobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeen assertedbyherinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988. FirstpublishedintheUnitedKingdomin2003 byJessicaKingsleyPublishersLtd 116PentonvilleRoad LondonN19JB,England and 325ChestnutStreet Philadelphia,PA19106,USA www.jkp.com Copyright©DonnaWilliams2003 LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Williams,Donna,1963- Exposureanxiety–theinvisiblecage:anexplorationofself-protectionresponses intheautismspectrum/DonnaWilliams. p.cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN1-84310-051-7(alk.paper) 1.Autism.2.Anxiety--Treatment.3.Selfinterest.I.Title. RC553.A88W54552002 616.89’82--dc21 2002072928 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN1843100517 PrintedandBoundinGreatBritainby AthenaeumPress,Gateshead,TyneandWear In memory of Sparkling Arkie and in dedication to my husband Chris the bear. For the colour and surrealism For the map and the realism For the mistakes and the survival The the tough love and detachment In spite of, and because of Here stand I Contents Introduction – The Invisible Cage 9 1. The Mechanics 21 2. Relationship to Self 83 3. Relationship to Others 157 4. The Development of a Social Face 177 5. Environment 217 6. Ways Forward 283 Index 327