Should we take our 12 year old ASD1 son to ‘social classes?’
My son is in the first year of high school. Although he says he loves it, I can see increasing evidence that he’s being bullied. I can also see that he’s not maintaining friendships that have been established and that those friends likely think he’s disinterested. He’s an introvert with high rejection sensitivity dysphoria and an only child. He has said that he wishes he was more of an extrovert and he ‘wants to want’ to make plans with other kids.
But it seems very painful for him to talk about friendship difficulties.
Over the years we’ve done a lot to provide him with opportunities to socialise but that hasn’t seemed to make the road any easier for him. In fact, it now seems to have put him in the company of boys who want to hurt him.
My question now; are ‘classes’ going to help, or will they encourage him to mask and exhaust himself pursuing relationships that will likely be unfulfilling anyway? Do we actively try all we can, or do we just let him be and help him accept who he is?
Thanks!