Fifteen years or so ago, I was with my sons,ages 4 and 5, to see an education specialist and to get them ready for school. My youngest had stopped active talking with words for quite a time, but could convey many things through gesture, intricate sounds made with his mouth and hands, and other things. While my oldest had many things scattered about in whatever fashion, my youngest would take his toys and things, and expressly had to have them in a specific order - by size, color, category...
So I took my sons to the education specialist. They were separated, and the youngest performed moving blocks, cooperated to the best of his ability. When asked to draw a stick boy, he wrote the word, "bOy". When asked to say his name, he pointed to his chest. When asked to identify [arm, eye, hand] he pointed correctly. He did not hold eye contact. When asked to copy a pattern in a book on pattern blocks, he not only copied it, but also reversed the black and white pattern, then returned it. And so on. After a time, he said his brothers name, and became agitated. But he would not talk. He would not meet eyes. He would not tolerate direct contact.
When the assessment was made, it was told to me that he "might not talk, ever", that he "at the very least, has some form of pervasive delayed development", but was "extraordinarily bright, all things considered", but "may be autistic - may be even moderately autistic".
It was at this point that he spontaneously grabbed a crayon and slip of paper, wrote "bOy sMArt", threw the crayon under a desk, flipped the paper at the specialist, then scuttered under a chair to hide, dragging his fingers in his hair cross-wise to listen to the sounds of his hair against his head.
I am here to say he did manage to mainstream, with assists, is 19 and in college.He has high-functioning, moderate autism - but we navigate life together, and we seem to be okay.
Hudson, FL