J does not form friendships in the conventional sense. He does not seek friendship and companionship.
He has no interest in participating in a group activity, preferring to be solo.
He has always played alone and has never requested anyone to join him.
It is sad at times when he is approached by other children in the park and he ignores them, and I have to intervene and excuse him, usually by keeping it simple for them to understand.
I am used to his solitary existence after years of it with him.
It is part and parcel of his autism and learning difficulties.
However, over the years at school, he has developed a fondness if you like for certain other pupils in his class.
His classes are small with only six to eight students and three to four staff.
He had made a kind of bond with one student before he moved class and would echolalia her name over and over again, both in its fullest form and its abbreviated form.
Now he is in a new class, and has been since September, I knew two of the boys in his class via other services, but it was a surprise to hear from his teacher at parents evening that he is very upset whenever a certain pupil, a girl named A, is removed from class to have some 'time out'. She can become, like J, very upset over what we would deem the smallest thing, and has to have one to one with a staff member, away from the classroom.
On one of her upsets she was taken off. J became very distressed and was calling her name over and over again, crying, pacing, and not able to settle.
The staff choose to take him along to the room A was in and show him she was fine and happy and was working away in peace and quiet.
He was placated by this and now they have to follow this procedure with him every time as he still becomes so very distressed at her leaving.
It shows bonds can be formed with peers, albeit in a non communicative ( you know he does'nt talk apart from echolalia) manner, and that he does have feelings and emotions for others even though he is unable to express it verbally or in the 'normal' way of play.
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