Making friends can be difficult for many boys The ups and downs of friendships in the childhood and teen years are difficult to navigate and one of the challenges of growing up. However, some kids have social problems that go beyond the norm. Unfortunately, many boys feel the need to hide these struggles. I am sure parents have heard terms such as non-verbal learning disability, Asperger’s Syndrome and pervasive developmental delays. These terms can be confusing but in general here are a few warning signs to look out for and may signal that your son needs further evaluation:
- your son doesn’t “get it” when it comes to social cues or social pragmatics
- he has a restricted or very specific range of interests
- he doesn’t have a good sense of his body in space (e.g., standing too close)
- he has trouble initiating and maintaining friendships
- he takes things very literally
- he is a concrete thinker
For more information on these issues I recommend visiting visit www.nldline.com or www.aane.org