My brother is now 17 years old. He is severely autistic and has recently been placed in residential care. He was diagnosed with autism at around 4 years old, when he regressed from being a bright boy who could string together sentences, knew his numbers, alphabet and shapes.
The reason that i am posting today is that I am feeling rather emotional as I remember my brother when he used to call me and say things. I have 2 young children of my own now and they are a constant reminder of him.
Just before my brother regressed or started losing his speech etc (around 21/2 years old), i noticed that he was having some jerks including the upper body i.e. both arms and head, almost as if he was being startled, but more exaggerated. With these he would get very scared and start crying. I was only around 11 at the time so when we took him to A & E, I could only explain so much to the doctors (my dad's english wasnt so good). Now having grown up and working in a neurology hospital, i do wonder whether these 'jerking' episodes were the cause of my brothers eventual mental retardation. I wonder if anyone else has had any similar experience and please can someone also advise me as to how i may approach the doctors or hospital in order to find out the truth as this will bug me for as long as I live.
Many thanks for reading, really appreciate it.