LAF, I just saw this post. I'm glad that the book was helpful.
As I said above, my son really started to pick up more social skills when he changed schools and found a kindred spirit. The daily experience of being with a friend really boosted his social skills and helped his self-confidence. It's so hard to practice social skills when you are socially isolated! I also think that he needed an opportunity to break out of the role he had become boxed into at his preschool. It was a necessary transition for us because my son was ready to start kindergarten but I understand that it would be difficult for you to give your son an opportunity to get a similar fresh start. I wonder if your son could enroll in a class or enrichment activity where he might meet new kids who have similar interests? This might give him an opportunity to break out of his current role, meet somebody who he connects with and gain some self-confidence that might transfer to his relationships at school? As Bowers points out, practice is critical to developing social skills but you must first help your son find somebody who he can practice with!
