Autism??

[gsy971]

Anyone here got any experience?
In short my 3.5 yr old nephew seems IMO to be autistic to a certain degree. i have a 4.5 yr old and many 2-6 yr old male relatives who i can compare him to.

3.5 yrs and is fixated with fans or anything blowing air, such as fans, ceiling fans, air conditioners. doesn't have much of a speech. he can talk and form some sentances but forget holding a conversation with him. more like 3 word sentances. its really like baby talk. usually doesn't respond when calling him. can't sit still for pictures. doesn't know how to use potty alone, can't eat with fork or spoon, runs off in any general direction if not watched, not at all coordinated, doesn't understand bday, easter or xmas, holds ears when a car is running or any other noises above that, plays with repetative infant toys. the only normal thing is he seems lovable to others.

in contrast my son still at 2 was playing wii, eating with utensils, having conversations, could take pictures, responded when called, etc...

here is the kicker(s)
1)my other nephew(other sister-in-law) who lives far from us has a 6 yr old with autism and a another son who is also 3.5 without autism. it seemed to be a really big deal when he was diagnosed and my other 3.5 yr nephew seems to be developing just fine

2)my whole wife's side of the family are elementary school educators

3)the parents/grandparents treat my nephews actions as "cute"

what should i do? my wife tends to agree with me but is too scared to say anything and doesn't want to get involved. i think my in-laws are all completely in denial. they actually by nature tend to spoil and baby children, hence my wife's ability to not be able to do anything by herself and why they can't see my nephews possible learning dissability. my other nephew with autism was really lashing out and fixated. should i say something or just stand back and watch the train derail?

 

[GT-Steve]

My other half works with Kids that have special educational needs and this includes Aspurgers syndrome and Autism.

The Autism spectrum is very broad, and can range from from very mild, to Rain Man. In fact a lot of people assume that most people that are autistic should be exactly like his character in the film.

From the behaviour you mention, it would appear that he might be on the spectrum somewhere, however you say that he displays the emotion of love and this is vary rare in autism sufferers apparently.

However, you must bare in mind I'm not an expert, just information I have gathered.

 

[REKIBorter]

I have an 8 year old autistic son. Will reply at length later as only have access via 3g phone at present time.

 

[gsy971]

From the behaviour you mention, it would appear that he might be on the spectrum somewhere, however you say that he displays the emotion of love and this is vary rare in autism sufferers apparently.

However, you must bare in mind I'm not an expert, just information I have gathered.

we were under the same impression as well that he is lovable so maybe not autistic, but my other 6 yr old who is officially diagnosed as autistic has rather become somewhat more affectionate since the last time i've seen him 2 years ago when it was first diagnosed and couldn't be touched. we got pics of him and his brother hugging!

from what i read, not everyone's case is the same so maybe he shows affection but everything else is completely off.

should have seen easter egg hunt in the house... he comes running out of the room with my son and ignores all the eggs and goes straight to the fan and starts staring at it. parents have to literally grab him and force him to collect eggs all the while he keeps looking back at the floor fan and up at the ceiling fan.

 

[cyfa2809]

i know nothing of autism and such but they way you suggest it, his mannerisms etc.
all point to yes

thats a tough choice too, whether to mention it. as it could be that your wrong which would be awkward, but if your right its something that will benefit from being dealt with the sooner the better
is it genetic?...

 

[highlandsflyer]

With respect, I think you are in totally the wrong place if you want to get info on this. There are thousands of dedicated web sites on parenting and specifically dealing with issues like Autism.

You are entitled of course to pose questions here, but I would think you would get a clearer insight elsewhere, and through discussion with the children's parents.

Saying that, one of my fondest memories is working with autistic kids and my knowledge is certain on one thing, you just cannot generalise.

Autism has been a catch all unfortunately and many children have been misdiagnosed.

It is a bit like saying South or West, gives you a general idea but not very specific.

 

[dyna-ti]

Yes ,i think he is also on the autistic spectrum.I would advise strongly to get him assessed,much for his own benefit in later years.

 

[REKIBorter]

Back online now.

Yes it does sound like autism but it would need a health care professional to diagnose correctly. Our son was diagnosed just after his 3rd birthday. It was a complete shock! Yes he was not as advanced as his peers; he was later to sit up, walk, not talking as well. It still came as a big suprise. Our son is nearly 9 and attends a special needs school (class within a main stream school). He is a challenge at times and his behavioural problems test our patience.

Not sure how the US educational system works but if the parents are in denial the boys problems would soon be picked up when starts to attend nursery school at 4+.

The icing on the cake (does that translate?) is that our son was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy a couple of years ago. The little lad has not had the best of luck in his life. Wouldn't change a thing though. He is our son and a joy to our lives.

 

[gsy971]

With respect, I think you are in totally the wrong place if you want to get info on this. There are thousands of dedicated web sites on parenting and specifically dealing with issues like Autism.

You are entitled of course to pose questions here, but I would think you would get a clearer insight elsewhere, and through discussion with the children's parents.

Saying that, one of my fondest memories is working with autistic kids and my knowledge is certain on one thing, you just cannot generalise.

Autism has been a catch all unfortunately and many children have been misdiagnosed.

It is a bit like saying South or West, gives you a general idea but not very specific.

of course i have searched other autism specific sites. i just wanted to see what kind of knowledge or support is out there in this retrobike world since we all seem to share a common interest. low and behold i got some excellent advice. i am not taking any of these comments as the word of GOD and would definately want professionals but i just wanted insight if i should say something or not. more than 2 members have some experience with autism such as yourself and others have autistic children so i don't feel this is the "wrong" place to pose some questions for advice.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Fair point, I think I mixed my words up a bit. My bad.