This letter is to inform you of my progress with Roderick. I have not sent a copy of this letter to Eleanor as we have discussed some of this in our own sessions, but I do recommend discussing this with her.
Your own observations of Roderick were, if anything, understating his gifts. He is extremely intelligent in general, but there are specific areas where his intellect truly stands out. In particular, his biographical memory is the best I've ever personally encountered. Roderick has specific memories of his life going back to early childhood, and many of the details I have confirmed with his mother. I would refrain from excessive compliments on these gifts; more than mere humility, he becomes very uncomfortable when praised.
Speaking with Roderick has been a challenge. He has great difficulty in maintaining a conversation; while he can be prodded into speaking on certain topics, he falls silent as soon as he can. On other topics, even safe ones, he may refuse to speak at all or only after being repeatedly prompted. Throughout our sessions, he exhibits poor posture and often looks away from me. Normally I would interpret this as defiance, but Roderick's generally submissive demeanor suggests that this is not willful but rather due to innate behavioral abnormalities.
Roderick does show some insight as to his behavior. He clearly recognizes that his behavior is not typical, but he feels that those around him exaggerate the importance of those behaviors. He exhibits feelings of persecution, though this could be at least partially explained by the violence and bullying he experienced earlier in his life.
There isn't going to be a simple solution to Roderick's slow adjustment. I suggested a course of medication to address his stress, but he was adamantly opposed to the idea. I can only advise patience while we continue to work through his issues. I do have a hypothesis as to the root of his problem, but it is a guess as much as anything. We can speak about it another time.