Someday I feel like R really really really wants to talk - you should see the great look of expectation on his face as he looks at me as he sees a number Example if a number comes up on one of his videos - he will quickly drag me to the TV and then look at me eagerly till I say the number - yet when he tries to speak the word sounds nothing like the number - for example - "1" will be aaaaaaaaaaHe really wants to talk and I am starting to feel that he really can not - its not just a situation of "autistic kids dont think symbolically , the think in pictures"its that he actually physically cannot Today DH mentioned it to his teacher and she said that his SLP also thinks so Duhhhhhh could have mentioned it Something else to research - in one ways its very discouraging - in another way I think its better to just face it and come up witha game plan