can someone become non-verbal?

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Does anybody know about someone possibly being about to lose verbal ability to speak? The reason why I ask is, I become very tired of talking. I start to feel out of breath, almost like I've been walking a lot or exerting myself too much and it's forced. I wind up angry about having to speak. I've broke down and cried a bunch of times because this has been slowly progressing over the last four years, when I realized something was wrong or just different about me. My health also was very bad and I would go days without talking to anyone. I didn't get tired to speak back then, when I had to, I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. Can anyone tell me if this this related to Asperger's syndrome? I'm worried about it because it seems to be getting worse.

Yes. The more you are exposed to stressful environments or situations the more you will lose some abilities. I lose speech but it's temporary or it's very slow and not as verbose as usual. I lose motor function a lot too, but again, it's temporary. I had a lot of cognitive regression from prolonged severe stress too and developed a seizure disorder. I'm now trying to manage it on my own.

I'm relieved you say it's temporary. That's interesting you mention the seizure disorder. I've had a couple seizures, but they're rare and usually mild now. I avoid refined sugar and caffeine like the plague. I'm still so unfamiliar with Autism spectrum disorders but I have all the symptoms, including the common health issues. I'm usually stressed out and the health problems are only doubling my Asperger symptoms.

Yes. If they are exposed to radioactive sources and survive there is a good chance they can gain super powers. One of the most coming being telepathy (the induction of mind states from brain to brain). If someone had the ability to read minds and implant thoughts they would lose all need for verbal communication. It's as simple as that. I hope I answered your question aptly.

I think I've become more non-verbal as I've gotten older. I only speak anymore if I have something specific to say. Small talk is not happening.

Unfortunately, I believe I've also lost some super powers.

I also temporarily lose speech due to overload and stress.

Someone I knew with Aspergers (first person I met in real life diagnosed ever, before my NVLD diagnosis) said he simply stopped talking for a few years when he was like 8 years old or so, just because he was mad all the time. Occasionally he'd say yes and stuff, but yeah, he said he was just angry all the time, so he wouldn't talk.

Depression has made it even more difficult for me to talk. Leo, if you haven't seen a doc yet you probably should. The shortness of breath and such may be anxiety or it could be something else.

I don't know how scientific this is (it's just my take on the subject), but there do seem to be speech problems even in people with Asperger's (for some, at least). It's like some language-related parts of the brain are inefficient and require a lot of energy to function. So, when a person gets tired, overload, ill, or whatever they can lose the ability to speak.

In my case, it takes a lot for me to be truly be unable to say anything. OTOH, like you say in your post, there are times when it's draining, and it can be aggravating to be forced to dredge up the energy to do it. It can also be discombobulating (to put it scientifically) to do it at those times.

As to whether it could get worse? Well, it can always get worse. (Sorry, I don't mean to be too much of smart-ass there.) Anecdotally, pushing hard into shutdown over and over appears to make that (and other things) worse.

Oh, and as a side-note I found out recently that too much kava kava can leave me unable to speak. Apparently, it contains a substance that blocks dopamine receptors, which can make moving the jaw and tongue slow-to-impossible.

From what my mom told me when I was maybe about 6 years old, I stopped talking for about a month and pretended to be a mime.

I also tend to loose speech when I'm over stressed. Luckily it comes back when I'm relaxed.

^ This for me as well. I used to be a very "loud" aspie. Not anymore. Sometimes I just can't make words in my head when I need to, and have to shake my head "no" and touch my lips to communicate my incapability.

I still manage to talk in "meowspeak" to the cat, regardless of my emotional state. I have a feeling that this would be ineffectual with humans. I have not verified that suspicion, however.

I have selective mutism at social situations, but I get my speech back again afterwards.

I find it embarrassing really. I am quite loud and excitable (or argumentative) when I'm at home, and everyone hears no end of my voice, but when I'm at a social situation with lots of sociable NTs who I don't know very much, I am a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON. I am shy and frozen and I don't say a single word to anyone, and my brother always comments. When we went to my mum's friend's wedding, I was so shy that people asked my brother why I was so quiet (God knows what he said back to them, I'd rather not know!! !) And I knew some of the people there, but not everyone, and I was so afraid to speak in case I don't get listened to or I might sound stupid or something (this is Social Phobia - I fear humiliation, rejection, and social failure). So I stayed completely mute. OK, I opened my mouth to say something, but a sudden loud noise occured what was louder than my soft shy-sounding voice, which made me snap my mouth shut again (that is agitation and nerves). Then when we were in the minibus travelling home, I was telling my mum and my auntie about the wedding and stuff, and my brother was like, ''yeah, you open your mouth now, why was it so hard to open your mouth at the wedding?''

I didn't take too kindly to that.

At age 16 I stopped talking altogether for about a year when at home. My mom overloaded me so severely by mocking me and treating me like a baby that I simply stopped talking because she was using everything I said against me. This drove her up the wall because she no longer had her favorite punching bag to torment. This did not end until I moved to live with my dad the following year.

When I was younger there were times that I was so quiet that people that didn't know me thought I was mute or mentally disabled.

The more upset I am the more nonverbal I become, to the point where if you push me far enough I loose the physical ability to speak.

Also, I think I have two voice settings "quite" and "loud", and the more emotional I am the more polarized they become.