Sophie Madsen

Sophie Madsen (1897 - unknown year) is a Danish which cured hundreds of children reached of Autisme. Although without medical and scientific formation, its method enabled him to give a normal life to approximately two children out of three who had been entrusted to him. She would have thus treated several hundreds of children.

Biography

It was born in a poor family, obliging it to work as of the 15 years age. As a dressmaker in various particular houses, she discovered with some resumptions of the contained, abnormal children and silencers who did not play with their comrades. Using of its charm, she managed to come into contact with several. She understood that she had found her way.

At 19 years, it becomes instructress and is interested in the fate of the most difficult children. It is at 28 years that it starts the Himmelev Home in Roskilde, close to Copenhagen, with three difficult children. In 1928, its reputation is sufficiently large to deal with 11 children.

In 1967, that made 40 years that she worked in Himmelev Home and had seen ravelling several hundreds of children. In spite of its 70 sounded years, it was still animated strength of a 35 year old woman.

Method

Its method is simple, but request enormously for patience. At each day, it tries to come into contact with each boarder who is entrusted to him. As long as this contact is not established, she repeats her horse-gear. In certain cases, that takes several months. When the children establish a contact of emotional nature, they progress quickly. A little later they are integrated, according to their age, in a kindergarten or at the school. An instructress accompanies them to make sure that they are under the best conditions to progress. Several among them progressed at the point to be able to occupy a socially recognized employment: Ceramist, Pianist, tallies, etc

According to Madsen, the autism is not hereditary, because several of its ex-boarders had normal children. This point of view is not necessarily that of current science, because they all are not the Gène S which are transmitted to the children.

Several psychiatrists, come from various countries, observed its gestures. In spite of certain fears which its empirical methods do not lead it to enter in conflict with the medical community, it lived forever of conflict of this nature. As from 1933, the Danish government subsidized its center, making thus tacit its approval of the work of Madsen.

Madsen formed itself his/her collaborators and collaborators. Several did not have diplomas of higher learning, but all showed the same characteristics: love of the children and compassion for their state.

Source

Schisgall Oscar, Sophie Madsen and her small “irremediable” , In Selection of Reader' S Digest , vol. 41, No 246, December 1967, p. 151.

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