This work aims to help all those involved with autistic children to recover, little by little, from the trauma and despair engendered by the diagnosis autistic, autistic spectrum disorder, autistic features, autistic tendencies or Aspergers syndrome. It is a collection of useful ideas, activities, strategies and games developed by the author from her many years of experience of working with young children with autistic features. Included are descriptions of the many cognitive/behaviourial methods currently available, findings from infant-research and modern psychodynamic understanding, which are based on the underlying assumption that in any human being, including the most severely autistic child, there will be by definition by some healthy developmental i.e. non autistic, potential towards human contact and communication.