Just wondering how you fit this into your child's life, obviously more related to autism but really any child with special needs??
ds is 6 now and I am finding that he wants friends and to visit other people just like any normal child his age. However he has the social skills of an 18 month old. I have organised for him to visit a friend and play with their son who is 12 once a week and also for same friend to take dd while I take ds out once a week to go swimming perhaps. I will have to pay her childminding costs which is Ok but I can't really manage much more timewise and with the new baby as well.
I don't know whether I should be plugging away more at ds to try and teach him social skills or whether I should keep him away from other children. He went to a school-friends house yesterday (not planned - we met him in the park) and it was a disaster as half the village kids turned up, ds spent the whole time (which wasn't long!) dictating what people should be doing, crying because he couldn't get a certain toy and finally when I was busy putting dd into the car throwing a metal object at a child.
If people come here he tends to get over-excited and besides with us renovating the place isn't really suitable for entertaining people.
If we go out to the park same problem he starts dictating to people or annoying them because he wants to engage with them. It's heartbreaking for me as he wants so much but has no idea how to relate to these people. Trouble is he just walks straight up to kids and his language skills are so much more improved now so he is understandable although he'll sometimes say odd things like "I saw you last year" (when it was only yesterday - doesn't seem to understand time properly) and children tend to laugh at him. Fortunatley he doesn't notice this at the moment but surely its only a matter of time....
Anyway curious to know how the rest of you cope with this issue. Thanks.