4.5. Language Processing and Internal Narrative
Monotropic Expansion also sheds light on atypical language development, expressive difficulty, and nonlinear communication patterns often associated with autism. If internal meaning is constructed through an expanding and personalized network of relevance, then linguistic expression becomes a secondary translation—not a direct output of thought, but an attempt to render internal context externally.
This may explain why autistic individuals frequently report difficulty summarizing their thoughts “on the spot,” even when those thoughts are fully formed internally. Speech delays, scripting, and echolalia may all reflect alternate strategies for managing language when the cognitive structure behind expression doesn’t align with neurotypical conversational timing or expectations.
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