Expert: Trey McGowan - 2/6/2008

Question
i have a 6 year old son who was born to an unhealthy pregnancy and had seizures and was on meds until age 1. he spoke normal, crawled sat up, gave eye contact,but always wanted to be held and never did any self play unless it was initiated by me or someone else and he just kind of watched and if it were blocks he just wanted to knock them over.. so basically we had to totally entertain him... he also is very coordinated,liked to kick the ball with you and explore the outdoors, loved water play he would water the walls and the grass definitely fascinated with water, but listened to everything i said to him.. was very shy with kids and now he seems to like them,but prefers a to be friends with a couple of the same kids from last school year,he does great in school accept his writing is terrible and his ability to see a picture and tell a story is not there. he seems to miss the big picture if you spoke to him he would seem very normal,but i know there is something in the lacking of play that bothers me and nobody seems to see what i see.. i feel they are going to see it later in his school.. i just need some feedback on this.. could there be no pretend play and him being ok or could this be a super high functioning spectrum disorder child.. please feel free to ask any questions i may have left out...  also he can be altered from his routine,but he has to be prepared or he gets angry.. does not like surprises

Answer
Hi there, Angie!

The problem with 'super high functioning' is that at some point, it ceases being 'autism' and is simply 'a few traits'. At the level you're describing, he is functional, with a few odd quirks.

I think it is likely that he does a lot more self-play than you are seeing. The games may not be imagination, but he sounds as if he is exploring his area and finding his own ways to entertain himself. These, too, can be games and play of a sort. Even in the neurotypical child.

As I've said in the past, and will in the future, I'm not a doctor. I can't make a judgment call, particularly not just from reading what you've written. All I can say is that if you are genuinely worried, a child psychologist is the way to go. They will let you know if something is up. However, in my inexpert 'expert' opinion, it sounds to me as if the child is quite normal and healthy, and simply introverted.

I wish I could help more with this, but my biggest help right now is to assure you that yes, there are many children who have these sort of traits, and that having a doctor check the child out would be the best (and really only) way to get a diagnosis if something is up. Until then, I wish you all the best, and your boy as well!

Any comments, questions, follow-ups, bric-a-brac, don't hesitate to send this way!

Trey