Sleeping habits & eating & everything is the same, I was thinking the same thing about just trying to control. But going to check with dr. just in case.

Perhaps something is happening at school that he is afraid/ashamed to tell you about. Sit him down and explain to him that he has nothing to be afraid of that he can tell you anything.

My sister's two oldest kids have autism. Icelynn could hardly speak as a kid, and was an only child for a few years ans when she came over, she would hardly play with everybody. so her grandparents started getting her tested, and they found slight autism. They started taking her to speach therapy classes, and in preschool she went to the regular classes but for an hour or two they pulled her out to sit in on the "special class that makes you smarter than everybody else" as she called it lol, for special instruction.

Now, she talks better than any grown-up i know lol, her grammar skills and enunciation is phenonominal! she speaks so WELL and plays alot better with the other kids, much more energetic! Also, her IQ is "off the charts"! She is in the second grade now, doing Lily's third grade work, and helping Lina, in 4th, with learning her cursive (which Icy now writes almost fluently).

Autism has gotten sortof a stigma that only 'slow' kids can be autistic and have to be spoon-fed the rest of their lives... ---no offense!!!--- but Icy and Zack (her younger brother) are now 'normal' kids, and they play so much better than they did before my sis let them sit in on special instruction classes. They were slowly introduced and taught 'why' to lots of things, instead of sitting in large Memphis classrooms of 40 and being forgotten about because they were quiet.

The fact that you said this began when he started preschool sent off a big alarm for me. I would pull him out of there til I sorted things out... you need to make sure there isn't bullying or worse going on there. I know it sounds paranoid, but you truly cannot be too careful. If he isn't willing or able to tell you what it is, you need to keep him close til you figure it out.

It doesn't seem like autism or anything like that to me, and I know that is where a lot of people automatically head when they hear the word "withdrawn," but the fact that he was typical til this past fall, at that age, does not sound anything like the autism spectrum.

I agree with the people who have been suggesting the pediatrician, but I also know that they are usually in a hurry, and generally adopt a "wait and see" approach (this often delays necessary diagnoses and treatment, etc.) -- you do not sound like you want to do any more waiting and seeing. So I would start with the pediatrician and then go from there to a child psychologist -- not necessarily for a diagnosis, but to get him talking so you can find out what's going on in there.

If your gut is telling you something is not right, it surely isn't. Trust that and don't stop til you find out what's going on and get your boy what he needs.