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View Full Version : Elephant in the room...


mikec4986
06-13-2007, 03:00 AM
I have a niece who's 3 yrs and 4 months old, and I suspect she's autistic, but everyone seems to ignore it. I brought it up to my wife, and she gets upset and thinks I'm paranoid, but here are her symptoms:

1. She does not engage with strangers at all. She would ignore them and avoid them alltogether, and becomes very upset when she has to be around their viscinity.

2. Very limited in speech. She only repeat phrases, and original sentences are three words or less.

3. She's still not potty trained. She gets very upset and holds in her urine when her parents make attempts to train her by removing her diaper (she held it in all day for a full day and eventually had an accident).

4. She plays alone and does not engage with other children at church or any other play group.

5. She can not ride in elevators or else she becomes very upset and has a nervous break down (so her parents have to take the stairs everywhere they go).

6. She gets very upset when strangers visit her house. She will not let the stranger anywhere near her or be close to her when they come to her house or else she throws a tantrum or becomes very upset.

I've done my research b/c I'm such a paranoid SOB with my own kid, but I'm very concerned that my niece is autistic, and no one's doing anything in the family because there's a stigma attached to it in my culture.

With the following symptoms, can I assume that she might be autistic, and would it be rude of me tell my sister-in-law that her child should be tested?

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jeffreys mom
06-13-2007, 07:35 AM
It does sound like she has some red flags. It's great that you are so observant but not an easy position to be in when the other family members refuse to acknowlege the potential problem.

You could anonymously mail the parents some info about autism and hope for the best or depending on how close you feel to the childs parents flat out talk to them about what you see and what you've read and how it may pertain to the child. Just be sure to stress that early intervention provides the best prognosis for kids with delays of any type.

Good Luck

 
 
 




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