Thanks for your response kchow1. My son was diagnosed medically. He has been going to therapy for about a year and it seems to focus mostly on anxiety. They never once mentioned ABA therapy. I am not sure if it is covered by my insurance but social skills sounds like just what he needs. He had a social skills group at school but this did not work out. The other boys would end up going to recess and he would stay in by himself with the counselor. I am not sure exactly why my DS has a hard time socializing. He does does not respond to other children when they talk to him and ignores other children when they try to play with him unless he has known them for a long time. I am not sure if it is fear based or not. He does not greet people he casually knows and when we ask why not he says they are not his friend so he does not need to. We have tried to encourage him to use greetings such as "Hi or Bye" but this has been a struggle unless he really knows the person like a grandparent. It is easier for him with adults. His interests seem to be a little different than other boys his age. He likes to play with magnets, study plants, fungus, rocks, minerals, space etc. He has a little science lab in which he spends a lot of time mixing things and doing his own kid experiments. He reads a lot about science related subjects and fantasy fiction books. He is very picky about friends and will not talk to kids who do not follow rules. He also struggles on a playground with so many rules and he worries about hurting other children and worries about germs from kids on indoor play equipment. He will play and interact with his siblings. He usually makes elaborate games up and is dominate in play even with his big brother.
