FABRIS-ZAVAGLIA, M. M.; VISINTIN, C. D. N.; AIELLO-VAISBERG, T. M. J. Maternagem de filhos com dificuldades graves de desenvolvimento [Maternal upbringing of children with serious developmental difficulties]. Psico, 53(1), e37103, 2022.
Available on: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/index.php/revistapsico/article/view/37103
Abstract: Considering that child care is socially seen as a maternal responsibility, research that addresses the ways in which this task is accomplished is justified. This research has the objective of understanding the experience of mothers of children who present difficulties in the process of gaining independence. It is outlined by addressing the mothers of autistic children, taking into account that such a condition represents, in an emblematic way, life situations in which child care is intensified and made lasting. The research material was produced from four individual psychological interviews organized around The Thematic Drawing-and-Story Procedure. The psychoanalytical consideration of the material allowed the interpretative production of three fields of affective-emotional meaning: “It’s the mother’s fault”, “Dedicating oneself exclusively”, and “Spontaneous Care”. The general picture reveals that the maternal experience can either be anguishing or it can happen as a spontaneous gesture of care for the child.