'Refrigerator mothers' and the history of autism

'Refrigerator mothers' and the history of autism

What drives someone to seek a life without blame for their child’s differences? This episode of All In The Mind looks back at the early history of autism through the story of one family and a damaging idea: the “refrigerator mother”. You’ll hear historian of science Professor Marga Vicedo trace how autism was once linked to schizophrenia, then reshaped by figures like Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner.

Kanner first saw autism as something children were “born with”, but later shifted, famously describing autistic children as being “left in a refrigerator that will not defrost”. That metaphor fuelled years of mother-blaming and a heavy dose of misogyny. At the heart of the episode is Clara Park, a highly educated mother whose detailed notes on her daughter Jessica were twisted into evidence that she was an “intellectual mother” rather than a “natural” one.

Instead of support, Clara was told that psychotherapy for her – not her child – was the answer. As Professor Vicedo puts it, “this idea that autism is caused by lack of mother love cannot be sustained when you have evidence like this.” Things shifted when Clara met psychoanalyst Marie Battle Singer in London, who respected her observations and worked with her to create practical games and routines that helped Jessica engage with the world.

Later, psychologist Bernard Rimland’s work arguing autism had a biological basis gave parents, including Clara, a powerful alternative to guilt and shame. Through letters, activism and her book *The Siege*, Clara helped spark a movement for better education and support for autistic children, while challenging the idea that mothers’ perspectives are worthless.

The episode suits anyone curious about how scientific theories can harm families, how parent advocacy can change things, and why multiple voices – including autistic people and their relatives – matter in understanding mental health. It might leave you asking: whose stories are still missing from our current conversations about autism?