Hello, I'm looking for some guidance please. My 23rd son was diagnosed when he was 16 after many years of little support from our local education authority. He was happy in our home and liked to learn one on one. Together with his ASD diagnosis he was also diagnosed with social anxiety and depression at that time. He had some counselling offered and medication, but didn't really engage with either but now seems OK in himself but rarely wants to engage with anything other than his online friends he games with. The reason for my message is i want to support him and would like to ensure he has every opportunity available to him but don't know where to start- I know what I suggest is not what he would like but I feel he doesn't know where to start a small step in leaving our house. He rarely goes out unless it's to the dentist. He likes cooking, so for example I suggested a cooking course. Even online at home, he likes keeping fit, but only uses our little gym area at home and doesn't want anyone to come in to train him, or go to our local gyms. He says there's no need to leave the house as he can see everything he wants online and "nowadays you never need to leave your room because of the internet". I also don't want to be suggesting things that make him not want to tell me what he's been up to, as I have no idea! He did suggest he'd like to gain some qualifications, buy when I sent him some info of online courses he keeps saying not at the moment or he hasn't had time. I just want to do the right thing for him, he had an identical twin who does not have a diagnosis and he says just leave him be there's nothing to be done, he'll decide in his own time, but as parents we're only getting older and the more he doesn't engage with anything other than gaming, which I hear him chatting and laughing on, I just thought I'd see if anyone had any thoughts. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.
