What could it indicate about a young child if he licks windows on a regular basis?

Question

My brother, who lives with his wife and young son in another city, recently told me in a phone conversation that my nephew (age three) has a ritual of l*****g every window in the house before he'll go to bed at night. We were chuckling about it, but I thought it sounded quite odd, especially in light of the fact that my brother and his wife have behaved very strangely since their son was born. We have always been a very close family, and have two other siblings. Before their son was born, they joined in all the usual family festivities at our parents' home and our homes just like everyone else. But once their son was born prematurely, they became extremely reclusive. If they attend at all, they either come alone and leave their son in the care of his maternal grandmother, or they come to family events one at a time. None of us has seen their son since he was a couple of months old. They have always said he's had respiratory problems, but that story is getting old. In the one recent photo I've seen, my nephew's facial features didn't appear quite normal. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, because it wasn't a close-up, but he doesn't look like a child with Down syndrome. Why could they be keeping their son so far from everyone and being so secretive? It's so unlike either one of them before. And what's up with the window l*****g?

Answer 1

The window l*****g might be form of OCD(Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).

Answer 2

Could be a mild form of autism. The child may have a certain routine before he will go to bed to keep him calm and his world normal. If the routine is halted, it may make the child uneasy. Friend of mine has a 3 y/o son who was recently diagnosed with a mild form of autism.  She told me one of his behaviors that began to make them think something was different with him was that he had routines he would constantly do and if one of the parents tried to stop him or redirect him, his whole day was a mess or it would take a while to calm him down. I am not an expert though, just passing on a story.

Answer 3

Well, you really can't be sure as you don't know all of the symptoms/behaviors, right? As for the l*****g, l*****g and eventually eating objects that are not food items can be a symptom of pica. Pica patients usually begin eating the items, though. Pica can accompany other psychic disorders. If you are close at all with the parents you might suggest a visit to the doctor. The idea that he must l**k every window every night sounds like he might need a little professional attention.