w_for_worried

Hello,

My nephew was diagnosed with autism a couple of years ago. He is now 6 years old. I am not sure if he has autism and would appreciate any suggestions. Here are some of his behaviors:

- he has no noticeable physical defect such as a large forehead or slow movements etc..
- he does not talk much unless he is addressed directly. But when someone asks him something he answers fine although his speech is not very clear to understand (slurred, shrieking as if he is not exercising his chords)
- he has very good learning capabilities. ie., he can recite numbers from 1 to 1000, can spell names, and is in all respects learning well in school.
- he has good intuitive skills such as learning to ride a bicycle or playing with a new toy. ie., he is not awkward with new stuff or anything like that.
- the only thing that I notice that he seems to be lacking is that he has no initiative, that is he does not try to do anything of his own accord. He watches his younger brother do stuff and he follows. He does not even ask for food when he is hungry, but he eats when someone feeds him.

From all this, do you think his autism diagnosis is correct? Or is it something else? Doctors suggested that he might have a problem with his larynx because of his slurred words but I dont think that is the problem. Because he can actually speak intelligibly when he needs to. Is it a problem with his brain not firing fast or often enough? Could you kind folks suggest what other conditions this looks like.

Thanks a lot.
Regards.