I've posted before about my DS and received lots of reassurance about being an introvert. I am an introvert, so is DH, but I really don't need any more reassurance about that. The fact is my DS is socially very isolated at school. It is extreme from what I can see of other children. It has got worse during lockdown - had to force him out of the house, say hello to family etc. And now he's back at school, it's glaringly obvious how different he is from his peers. He won't reply when people say hello to him (the few who continue to say hello!). He stands alone at playtimes gazing into space. He says he's bored. He says friends are good to stop you being bored but will not try and play with anyone. He says he has friends but they were from when he was 4 and they have moved away. We've tried gently to speak about it with him - he says he is shy and doesn't know what to say to initiate first contact.
I've tried ignoring it. On here, people have said it is my fault, trying to get him to be more sociable to meet my needs. There may be some of that, but today I have moved forwards on that idea. Of course I want him to have friends, one would do. Of course I would prefer he was more outgoing and so on. I accept he is a classic introvert: he prefers the world of the mind to the real world, loves nothing better than a day of reading, writing imaginative stories and playing role play games with lego.
Except, he is so alone at school. I just can't see how things will improve. He is nine now and can't say hello to people. In two years, he'll be at secondary with little to no social skills. I don't think this is a case of mum imposing ideas of 'normal' on her child. I suppose if I'm honest, I worry there is something deeper at work. What can I do, if anything?