Psychology Today | 01.05.2026 08:02
We truly never know what goes on inside another person’s head, and this drives me crazy, in particular with my autistic son. Nat is a quiet man. He gives nothing away. Ever since he was a little guy, he has preferred to speak his own language, a sing-song pattern of sounds that he matches with certain birdlike tilts of his head, and hand flutters. When he does speak English, you can see that it is very hard for him. He uses a mixture of long, long pauses and terse, choppy phrases that cut right to the chase—no wasted words for him. I believe he is quiet by choice, maybe because English speech has always been a challenge for him.
