People described my son as smart and quirky when he was seven. He does not have an autism spectrum disorder. When he was elementary school age, he had a gifted friend who was three years older who asked me how my son came up with all those words he used. I remember hearing my son describe something as having crenelated edges but don't remember anything else he said because I was so used to him talking this way and didn't think anything of it. I told the friend that he just read a lot and liked words. He didn't like reading things that didn't use a high level vocabulary. He would also use some words in an unusual way for comedic effect.
Now that he is almost 15, he looks like he could be a college student so his vocabulary might not seem as unusual, but he still would not fit in with the high school students in our small town. I sometimes listen to their conversations at restaurants and my son just seems so different and so much more mature. I really don't want my son talking the way they do.
I love listening to smart, quirky kids. I like the way they think.
