Should I tell my sister that her son may me autistic???

Question

My sisters baby will be 2 in September. He has been showing signs of autism for awhile now. I suggested to her that she should take him to the doctor to get him checked (I didnt say for autism though). She shot it down saying they develop at their own pace. His speech has regressed though. He just grunts now. That is why I initially thought he should be checked, but after doing research on what signs to look for for my baby, it sounds like he might be autistic. He is showing so many of the signs. Should I tell her and how without upsetting her?

Answer 1

Your sister needs to get that information from a medical professional.  Coming from you (unless you are a medical professional) probably would not be well recieved.  

She should be taking him for regular well baby check-ups and that should be caught by the doctor.  If not, then, you encourage a new doctor.

good luck

Answer 2

tell her that you are concerned and that you think she should take the baby to get check by a doctor.  if she gets upset, tell her your reason for saying so is solely for the future safety of the baby, and that is he is autistic, she will have your full support.

Answer 3

Its not like its a life/death thing...

I would just say 'hey, I was looking into some stuff to try to help him, and I ran across Autism.... maybe we should take him somewhere, where they can find out if that could be the issue so he can get special help for it.'

My brother has it. No big deal. Dont feel afraid to mention it to her.

Answer 4

I know it would be a hard thing to tell your sister but you should definitely do it. The fact that your sisters son is two and not yet speaking but "grunting" is worrisome. It is in the best intrest of the child. And if he is autistic, he needs to be diagnoses as soon as possible. Children that receive help before the age of five are more likely to improve than those who don't. Just sit your sister down and tell her something like, I was reading a book the other day on autism, and I couldn't help but notice that your son is showing signs that were mentioned. I know that she might be offended because nobody wants accept the fact that their child might be suffering from autism. But just remember, time is crucial for the child. Trust me, my mother and I work with autistic children, and there is this little boy who turned five and was just recently diagnosed w/ autism. He doesn't speak a word and it's been very hard trying to get him to answer simple yes or no questions. Anyway, I hope I was of some help and remember to do it for your nephew.