I've always viewed the schizophrenic spectrum like a foreign language - the same basic thinking is there, just being conveyed to us (and through us to others) in a different way. I don't feel broken or damaged, but my behavior and expression (and sometimes lack of expression) certainly aren't what various doctors tell me is "normal". Still, as your son proves (and myself, I feel), the language can be interpreted. It just takes a patient person to figure out the lingo.

My wife knows my nuances better than I do, for example. She's taken the time to explain to me how she knows what various things I say or do mean, and I'm often surprised not only at her accuracy, but that I conveyed those things at all. I hate outward expression that I am not in control of, I hate it more than almost anything. Loss of control is something that terrifies me. Because of this, what expressions I do have are apparently very subtle. She notes that I fidget two fingers on my left hand in a very particular way when I'm getting anxious, and the same two fingers on my right hand and the same time as the left when I'm angry. I never knew I did that.

My face is a terrible indication of my moods, because I am almost always aware of what it is showing, and it is usually deliberate. Guess I can't keep all the various extremities in check. :P