I am wondering - is this autism in my niece?

My brother and his ex-girlfriend share custody of their 19 month old daughter (my niece). She stays with many different family members and friends during each of her parents' custody time - about 3-5 different people when she is with my brother and his new girlfriend.



I live out of state, but my brother and niece will be visiting me in a week and a half.



My mom and sister, who both keep her during the week, have mentioned these little "episodes" (for lack of a better word) that my niece has.



Sometimes she will just stop and stand really still. She will zone out and just stare at the floor. From what my family tells me, no amount of talking to her or trying to get her attention pulls her out of it.



After a minute or two she goes back to playing.



My mom can sometimes over-react, but she works in an office with social workers and she seems to think it might be the beginning signs of autism. The social workers think my niece should be checked out.



My sister says my niece has done the same thing at her house, but my sister thinks maybe it is just because she is being shy because she is in a new place. (Yet it doesn't always happen when she 1st gets there, it can also happen after she has been there a day or two.)



She is saying a few words, but not putting sentences together. She loves playing with her doll stroller, but isn't obsessed with any particular part of it.



My brother and his girlfriend went off on my mom for even suggesting that there might be something going on that should be checked out.



My sister has young kids and said this could just be my niece being independant and/or stubborn, but she is a little concerned.



My sister also says this could be how my niece deals with all the different people that watches her - no set routine. (My brother won't pay to put her in daycare.)



Long story, but wanted to give you the full background. I am just wondering if I might be able to tell something when she comes to visit me in a week and a half. Any activities I can try with her, or ???



Thanks in advance!I am wondering - is this autism in my niece?
Sounds like a seizure. Many with autism have this kind of seizure. From what you are describing, she does not have autism, but may be at high risk of developing it. Avoiding wheat and dairy can help with this type of seizure. I would be very concerned that she may regress into autism. Since autism is immune dysfunction and impaired digestion, avoiding things that stress the immune system and things that children with autism can not digest like wheat and dairy, may help considerably. For learning things that stress the immune system, you can go to Yahoo Groups autism forums on infections, toxins, chelation, diets, etc. and ask them or go to an autism website that knows such things.



You are very caring to check into this; I hope it all works out.
I don't think you can self diagnose autism. The best bet would have her checked out by a doctor.I am wondering - is this autism in my niece?
i have no idea what activities you could or should try with her, but if/when this happens, i think you should record everything you notice about it.





it could be an absence seizure.
Standing there and staring into space, without being able to be woken from the trance like appearance comes as the result of Absence seizures not autism.



It is a condition where the person goes blank for no known reason what's so ever.

There may or may not be twitched with it.



Get her to the doctors for an EEG.I am wondering - is this autism in my niece?
Doesn't sound like typical autism, but it does kind of sound like a seizure disorder. All seizures (in fact most) are not the violent, shaking type you see on TV. At any rate, she needs to be seen by a doctor.


Doesn't sound a bit like autism but I do think the public has been so saturated with autism advertising that we automatically pick that anytime we think there might be an issue. To be honest it sounds more like a seizure since that descriptions fits all the way around. At any rate no one will ever know without some medical testing and intervention.
I would seriously consider having your brother take your niece to the pediatrician to discuss this. It does not sound like autism, it sounds like seizures. If a child has a learning disability or autism they can get staring spells that are a few seconds and can be called out of them or distracted out of them easily. With a seizure, you cannot call them out of it. If she is having seizures and they continue untreated, she can get disabilities from it. Autism usually consists of ritualistic behaviors (repetitive jumping, hand flapping, certain activity, etc.), language delay (my pediatrician says they need 10 words by 18 months and putting 2 words together by 2 years, so it doesn't sound like she has this), and social delay (not as interested in what others are doing, not sharing her play schemes at all with others). There is a checklist called the MCHAT which can be found on the internet that gives screening questions for autism or related disorders for children this age. It's easy to find under an internet search. Check this out and see if you see any red flags. Thanks for being such a concerned uncle. Best of luck in your dealings with her parents.
This sounds like a Petit Mal seziure (sound like exact presentation). Tell your brother to take her to the pediatrician. Good luck!


I have a six year old son with autism and seizure disorder and though the episodes can be linked to autism, the other symptoms of autism* are missing. It sounds more like my son's seizure disorder which has been called two different types. One is partial complex (which means a certain part of the body is affected ie his eyes) and absence seizure (where the electrical 'storm' does not cause full body convusions but just enough disruption that the child seems absent).

Either way I suggest your niece should see a neurologist. They are qualified to examine for both conditions. Thank you for knowing that your niece exhibits behaviors that worry you. Gut instict is needed in the fight against autism!

(*Autism symptoms include: lack of eye contact, loss of speech or no speech, lack of affection, lack of social skills, repetative behaviors such as speech, sounds and play, stimming including hand flapping, spinning, and head banging,)
I'd be concerned about absent seizures. I have a 5yo with autism and a typical 2yo and my older son wouldn't just stop and be unreachable - he would ALWAYS ignore you unless you got right in his face. My stepson has epilepsy, though, and he just blanks out and then snaps back in.

I'd recommend calling a pedi neurologist ... maybe it's nothing, but if it is something, untreated seizures can cause damage.


That's definitely something to ask a doctor about, and not rely on information from an answer page on the internet. It can be so many things, not just autism. If she was my child, I would definitely take her to visit a pediatrician to ask about those staring spells or apparent seizures.