Over the past few months, a friend has been talking to me about her 3 year old son’s behavior and developmental issues. As the mother of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I can see several symptoms that could be the early signs of autism in her son. The refusal to look into anyone’s eyes. The ritualistic behavior. “Meltdowns” when his routine is messed up. Extremely violent temper tantrums. Very little original verbalization, but he mimicks others. She says the boy’s preschool teacher told her there’s “nothing wrong with him”, and I’m by no means an expert, but I know the signs and symptoms after going through it with my son. I’m worried that she’s taking this teacher’s word as gospel, which could mean her son is missing out on getting help for an entire school year.
How do I tactfully (and without panicking her) that she may want to have him evaluated for autism? If I just suggest she take him to the dr, she’s going to want to know what I’m thinking it could be.