What do you think of this article?

[Luv Bunnies]

OK, DISability Board friends. I read this column in my local newspaper today, and it has me a little concerned. I copied the link below, but in a nutshell, the columnist describes his 3-year old daughter's obsession with watching toilets flush. She also has been know to talk to trucks, and feed the cat 11 times a day. He describes one particular instance where she had a major meltdown when her mother told her it was time to stop staring at drain on the floor, after having done so for 10 minutes. The author sort of brushes off these behaviors as "curiosity" and "hobbies."

As someone who has a son with Asperger's and has worked with autistic preschoolers for over 10 years, I'm seeing some major red flags in this column. What do the rest of you think? Am I over-analyzing, or does this child need an evaluation? I'm thinking about emailing the author at the newspaper to give him a friendly heads-up, but wanted to run it by you guys first.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_20080033?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Are this person's columns usually a bit tongue in cheek? I wonder if this kid really stares for 10 minutes or if she's just unusually interested. I would probably refrain from sending him anything because it might get blown way out of proportion. I personally would be offended if someone gave me unsolicited advice about my child's health based on anecdotal "evidence". It may come from a good place, but it could end up as a "Are you a doctor? What the hell do you know? You don't know my kid!'' thing. I just think even bringing it up to him is more trouble than its worth.

 

[kirstenb1]

I read the article. I understand your concern.

His style seems to be "over the top", so I think he may just be exaggerating. If you knew him, it'd be different, because you could see the little girl firsthand. Also, she seems to have potty trained right on time, and the kids with ASD that I know were generally later at that.