So he knows he’s loved. Quit judging.

Amy, your patience with that mother is noble; I should learn from your example.

On that positive note, intervention therapy would likely never be too late. It might go by another name; before they commonly called it “early intervention”, my son saw an occupational and physical therapists.

My son’s best intervention has been his brothers, who have never been fooled by the difference between mentally retardation and plain old lazy or stubborn, etc.

My son wore a nighttime diaper until he was about six. Once upon a time when visiting long distance grandmother, he asked to sleep with a cousin. Grandmother told him if he’d stay dry all night, she would allow. He’s been dry every night since. (I guess his parents would have allowed the diaper indefinitely, else it was a lesser issue than to Grandmother.)

My point is that there are multiple channels for our “special” ones to receive intentional social and neurologic stimulation. At a minimum, these folks might have enrolled their son in, say, a free sunday school or inexpensive occasional mother’s-day-out . To stay at home full time is stimulus deprivation. Watch this boy blossom now that he’s out of the closet.

I do not mean to be callous, but I fear this little boy’s mom an 80 percenter.