I have a cousin who is 14, I think she’s struggling but her parents seem oblivious.
My younger brother is in her classes at school and tells me that she’s often made fun of for having weird facial expressions and being vacant. They say the lights are on but no one’s at home. Which doesn’t really make much sense to me because she’s highly intelligent and in top classes for every subject. I wondered if it’s because she can be slow to respond when she’s spoken to.
She doesn’t really have any friends her age but she gets on well with us adults - her mum says it’s because she’s an old head on young shoulders and more mature than her peers. I’m not sure how mature she actually is as she seems very naïve to me. Any jokes or innuendo go straight over her head.
It’s crossed my mind that she could be autistic, there are multiple family members with autism. I’m just not sure it’s my place to say anything. I worry about the bullying though, she seems an unhappy teen.