Is autism the cause of my 5-year-old son's behavior change?

Question

Hi doctor,

My son is 5 years old. He is extremely sensitive to loud sounds. When he gets angry, he lashes out at everyone. He breaks things. When I tried to talk about this with him, he ignores to talk. He was well on his potty training and he was going to the bathroom every time without any accidents. He was going to the bathroom at night and he was wiping on his own. He went out and stayed with a family member for a couple of days. After coming home, he was having accidents in his pants. When I asked about it, he did not answer anything. He told me that he is not willing to do anything. I have tried to offer things for using bathroom but he is not pooping inside the toilet. and this is going on for two years now. What is the cause of his loss of interest? Can he have autism?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Autism is a spectrum and it is not just one or two symptoms. After visiting a relative, he is not pooping in the toilet and so it can be the cause. Children do not say anything but they observe and learn. Rather than asking him, you can use different parenting techniques so that he starts pooping again in the toilet. Giving favors for getting things done is a bribe. It is a wrong thing to make your child learn. If you want your child to do things as you want, then you need to do things as the child wants first. It means that have involvement with your child in games and cartoons on television. Spend some quality time with the child. Use this time as positive reinforcement to change his habit. For diagnosing a child with autism spectrum disorder, a detailed history is required and he needs observation under a doctor.