Ocean

  I have a stepbrother who is 13 almost 14. I've known him since he was 2-3 & after 10yrs he still can't use utensils properly. He doesn't know how to hold a fork/knife & is constantly having to grab things with his hands bc he can't pick up food with his fork/cut things with his knife. I only see him a few days a week, but whenever he does this, someone (dad, mom, or i) will usually try to correct it & teach him how to properly hold his utensils. It never sticks though & it seems like he just can't grasp how to use them. It doesn't bother me (though it does worry me that he's 13 and still can't cut a piece of meat), but it bothers our parents and he constantly gets yelled at for it. I want to figure it out so I can help him & he won't get in trouble. 

  I was wondering if there are any reasons he might still have trouble/possible ways to help him learn? His other motor skills are fine, so i dont think its that. He does have autism & I wonder if that might be a factor.   My family thinks it's a lack of discipline/poor parenting from his mom. I don't like that theory because it's very judgemental of a woman we don't know (plus the person who came up with this theory has a tendency to make their own conclusions about things they shouldn't. They've also decided that he doesnt have autism & that his symptoms/diagnosis are another effect of a parenting issue). I also think even if that was the problem, he spends enough time with us that he would have learned by now.