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 Currently my little boy is withdrawn and socially awkward.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
Well at least he has a friend to talk to who shares a similar condition to himself.
He probably enjoys walking and wondering around school during his breaks, but I guess just not with anyone else, as he won't go out on short walks with you or other people. Maybe those solo walks give him some personal time to think and reflect and observe the school atmosphere.
He might feel drained by social engagements and need a lot of alone time to recuperate his energy. It seems like you are needing or expecting more social interaction than he can provide to you or towards other people, and that demand or pressure to socially engage might be stressful for him.
Of course, if he has a personal interest that he can share with someone, he likely will not hold back on socially engaging with them about it.