I was skipped three grade levels. I found it much easier to make friends because we were on the same level intellectually. I was very lonely when with my age peers. I had few friends outside of sports.
Mr W (3.5y) is in with 4-5 year olds and has made friends. I've got a pic of him sitting with some 5 year old boys on top of a tall slide and they are grinning at each other. He is clearly the smallest kid, but hangs with them. He told us the first week he liked it as the "other kids can talk!"
When he was 2.5y he would wait after school with Kindergarten kids and played with them. Once the older kids realized that he "was really smart" they let him play with them.
We've run into a few issues. One is that the kids sometimes "dont play fair" and he gets bumped or pushed. LOL. Well, grow up.
In another case, there was a 4 year old girl who was bullying him by hitting him or pinching him and the staff did little about it as she did it when no one was looking. I told him to hit her in the face and scream as loud as he could the next time she did it. And she left him alone after that. ( This was at the Montessori school. )
I thought his writing would be an issue but is has really taken off as has his artwork.
