We've just returned from a holiday overseas to see my sister, who I haven't seen for 3 years. She has a son (age 5) and daughter (age 3). My Mum and Dad have seen her every 6 months or so and talked about a few concerns they have with her son.
He's a lovely little boy, but his speech is very delayed - in fact his younger sister (just 3) has better speech than he does. It's not really possible to have a conversation with him and he doesn't really answer any questions. He speaks in short sentences, but not much at all.
His eating is a big problem. He has a very limited diet and he certainly won't try anything new. My sis told me that he has quite severe digestive problems due to his restricted diet - he has been going for a poo every 4-5 days, but she's managed to improve this by giving him a high fibre cookie after a meal (which is sold as a solution for elderly constipated folk). He now goes every 2 days but it still causes him some discomfort.
He's been in nursery so he's had lots of exposure to other children and other adults and will play with my son (age 9) quite happily.
Another problem is that he has unrestricted access to Ipad and computer games (age appropriate). This means he will sit down for a meal, but leave after 5 mins to play games when everyone has just got started, missing conversation and banter. He also seems to prefer solitary gaming rather than joining in with the fun. DS was a bit disappointed that he couldn't really get to know his cousin because he was on the computer so much.
My mum thinks he will be a bit of a loner when he grows up. We both think he's a bit of an enigma and can't really work him out. He saw a speech therapist when he was 3 who didn't think there was an issue at the time. He starts school in September. I wonder if there may be an underlying issue such as Asperger's that would help explain some of this.
I didn't really say anything to my sis and Mum and Dad are reluctant to upset her. But, it seems that there are some fundamental issues that she may need to get help with and it's been playing on my mind since I returned as to whether I should say/suggest anything.