Published on 12, July, 2020
HELLO. I am Mum to a 9yr old boy who was diagnosed last year with both ADHD/ASD. Currently my little boy is withdrawn and socially awkward. He barely speaks to other children and has attached himself to another little boy with the same disorder in his class. Although they are great friends, it doesnt help him mix with classmates. He feels alone at times as his friend likes football and he hates any contact sport or personal contact! I have been told he can walk around alone at breaks which is just heartbreaking.
He has just started art therapy in school though I know very little from it. He doesnt share much information.
I am finding it difficult to get him to engage with us socially at weekends. He refuses to go out and will not even go for short walk.
Does anyone out there have any suggestions or have been through similar difficulty?
Would really appreciate the support right now x
Many autistic children need to be alone at break times in order to self regulate. As long as he is happy spending time alone- then there may not be a problem. I understand your concerns but sometimes socialising may just cause unnecessary anxiety/energy depletions.
Also at weekends he may need time to recover from the potential overload of the school week. At this time it may just be better to use a low arousal/expectations as possible and make sure he can spend a lot of time on his interests.
He may find it easier to socialise during the holidays as there is a longer time period before he goes back to school.
I hope this helps.