I believe a lot of ADHD/Autism kids are border line cases and can grow out of it eventually. It's mysterious what triggers those behaviors, and their 'wake up' or catch up also seems to be 'sudden' (like a 4-5 year old suddenly understands 2+3 is 5). Slow development of the brains definitely offers an explanation, it would be great if one day we discover why there's such slow downs.
As for 'true' autism kids, I think I saw one once. A 9-10 year old boy was playing a imaginary solo war game, which is a sure invitation to my 5 year old. But when my son joined him, his eyes turned to a horror gaze and screams hysterically. At that moment I realized the problem is the boy cannot 'wake up' from his world to the reality and quietly pulled my son away.
To the parents suspecting your kids are ADHD/Autism, I think your instinct will tell you how serious it is. If you put your kids among younger kids and he/she seems to fit in, I bet lots of patience and nuturing activity will do the miracles.
As for 'true' autism kids, I think I saw one once. A 9-10 year old boy was playing a imaginary solo war game, which is a sure invitation to my 5 year old. But when my son joined him, his eyes turned to a horror gaze and screams hysterically. At that moment I realized the problem is the boy cannot 'wake up' from his world to the reality and quietly pulled my son away.
To the parents suspecting your kids are ADHD/Autism, I think your instinct will tell you how serious it is. If you put your kids among younger kids and he/she seems to fit in, I bet lots of patience and nuturing activity will do the miracles.