Sorry this is long. My DS (12) struggles to communicate in social situations and I think he needs some support but I don’t know where to go.
He has always been a clever boy, does well at school, his writing has never been an issue. He has a good vocabulary, however he cannot or will not use it socially.
Some examples: At the dinner table when we sit round to talk he barely says a word despite us encouraging him to, preferring to communicate in grunts and mumbles.
He went away with DH on a boys break away last week and when we FaceTimed each other he wasn’t able to tell me about anything they had done.
He struggles to text his friends. His messages are quite nonsensical and sometimes he is using ChatGPT to generate messages. He often doesn’t respond in group chats.
When I get him one to one he talks babble and made up words to me. If he does speak English he is so quiet I am constantly having to ask him to speak up.
Generally he just seems to struggle to express himself. Teachers don’t see an issue although most will describe him as quiet.
The only time he is verbal and at a volume we can all hear is when he is gaming on his PlayStation. This seems to be his happy place, whether playing online with friends or with his sister.
When he does talk to us it is often using an American accent.
I don’t know what to do. It seems to extend beyond just shyness as he genuinely seems to struggle to communicate at times. This isn’t a recent thing either, it’s been noticeable a good couple of years and I feel it’s getting worse. It might be nothing but I don’t want to ignore it and create a bigger issue down the line. He has a small circle of friends but I fear they will lose patience with him if he continues to act “weird” with them. He shuns any opportunity to go out and socialise with his friends (ie kicking a ball around the park) despite us now giving him some independence to do so.
If it’s any relevance he also gets anxious, likes routine, has a tendency to fear the worst and hates loud noises (school discos and fireworks are not his friend).
What do I do? Go to the GP? Explore speech and language therapy options? Do nothing? I’d be so grateful for any advice if anyone has gone through similar. Thanks for reading.