[janice33]

I am quite concerned about my three-year-old grandson. He does not speak very well. I cannot understand a lot of what he says. He repeats certain phrases constantly, such as what color do you like or what shape do you like (can be said 20 to 30 times in a row). He does not understand a lot that is said to him and fairly often tends to repeat it. For instance, if you say "Do you like to play, Michael", instead of saying yes or no, he will repeat it word for word ("Do you like to play, Michael"). He likes to sort items according to color or shape or place items in rows or lines. He plays fairly well with other children but does not make a lot of eye contact. When visiting, he will play with his uncle and sister but tends to copy a lot of what they do. There are other things too.

He goes to a Mommy and Me Class and seems to enjoy it. To be honest, I am concerned about autism or some learning disability. I have spoken to my daughter about taking him for testing but she does not seem too willing to acknowledge that there might be a problem. I have to be careful about approaching her because she generally does not react too well. I don't know if she is unwilling to admit that there might be a problem or is in denial. She has finally agreed to take him to our local school to be tested for a learning disability but is not moving very quickly on it. What can I do? I am very upset about this.

Could someone give me an opinion. Thank you

[charlotte234s]

Honestly, it sounds like autism to me, repetitive speech, unusual habits, lack of eye contact, and speech that seems underdeveloped for the child's age are all symptoms of autism... She should have him tested right away. :(