I don't have any advice, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for your DS and I hope it gets better soon.
Grade 7 was a special kind of hell for me. Sensitive, gifted kid. Just making it through each day was a challenge and it seems like a fog even trying to remember it now. I learned nothing that year, but I did actually go to school every day, which I now recognize as an accomplishment by itself!
My parents used to worry and wonder out loud about me and that made me feel even worse. I think it would have really helped if someone had told me that it's normal and it would get better if I kept putting one foot in front of the other.
I don't know if it would have been better if I'd stayed home for a year or until high school, but like you I wonder if in my case that might have caused me to withdraw even more.
Personally, if my son were in this situation (and he's basically me, emotionally, so I'm guessing he will someday), I wouldn't worry about how excited he was about learning or about what he was learning. I would probably just try to support as much emotionally and socially and know the learning will come when he's back to a good place. But maybe that's too extreme?
Good luck! I really wish all of us could just skip 7th grade!
