I don't know your background exactly and forget how old Bear is. Did they tell you he's on the spectrum?
I'll be reading other people's responses if they know the answer because this was me as a kid. I would take too long and then often my older sister would answer for me, which was very frustrating because she didn't know what I really wanted. I don't know what oppositional behaviors Bear does (in my day it would be called stubborn or bull-headed) but I was just quiet and surly, which drove the verbally family members even more crazy.
I can tell you one thing that if the child knows people are aware of this about him/her it does make the "reaction time" worse.
Does it match his profile for when he started talking? I was a late talker but when I did talk it was mostly full sentences and I was very clear, where my older sister talked constantly but only my mother could understand her for a long time. Maybe Bear is just thinking alot and wants to get it right?
