Encyclopedia of Children's Health

[sunnyz9w5]

I have been babysitting a child I feel may be autistic. He is five years old and unable to talk , the few things he does say is repetitive. He is unable to communicate feelings or understand what you are saying to him. He often yells but hates loud noises. He is obsessed with water and taking baths or playing in the sink , to the point where I have caught him playing in the toilet. He throws raging tantrums and is often quite uncontrollable , biting and hitting. When you try to explain what he has done wrong or even directions he just stares at you with a blank stare. Most times he doesn't even respond to his name . I feel he needs to be looked at for the possibility of autism but since I am not his mother I wanted to see if I was on the right track before I approached her with this because she seems to think this behavior is somewhat normal.
somebody help me...

[echo]

This is not meant in a nasty way but i think you should keep your thoughts to yourself, the mothr of the child will know there isnt something quite right but it takes the parent of someone a little while longer to accept it before dealing with it.
If you approach it now you are likely to hit a brick wall and maybe even loose a friendship for a short period.
Im sure mom knows there is something but has just not accepted it yet. I know when people have approached me telling me about something about my daughter i kick off telling them to mind their own buisness. The mother will have to face facts eventually but it wont do any harm to wait for the diagnosis. If he has had it this long it wont harm another year or two at most. As soon as he starts school the mother will have to come to terms with things, properly qualified people are brought in from the schools to approach the subject with mum.... i know you have their best interests at heart but i think you should really wait this one out... good luck
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