Refrigerator mother

The term refrigerator mother was coined in the 1940's as a label for mothers of autistic children. These mothers were often blamed for their children's atypical behaviors, which included rigid rituals, speech difficulty, and self-isolation.

Related Topics:
Autistic - Ritual

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The 'refrigerator mother' label was based on the now-discredited assumption, among a majority of medical professionals, that autistic behaviors stem from the emotional frigidity of the children's mothers. As a result, many mothers of autistic children suffered from blame, guilt, and self-doubt from the 1950's throughout the 1970's and beyond, when the prevailing medical belief that autism resulted from inadequate parenting was widely assumed to be correct.

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