277. Autism and Friendship: Is Your Child Lonely or Are You Worried They Will Be?

Autism and Friendship: Is Your Child Lonely—or Are You Worried They Will Be?

Does your autistic child need more friends—or are you worried because their friendships don’t look the way you imagined?

In this episode, Shannon talks honestly about the sadness she has felt knowing that her son Jordan, now 30, has never had a best friend, sleepovers, or weekend plans with friends. She also shares what she has learned from paying attention to his experience: Jordan enjoys the familiar people and routines at his day program, and he has never told her he feels lonely.

But some autistic children do desperately want friends and feel the pain of being left out. Shannon talks about how to listen when your child says they’re lonely, notice connections that may be easy to overlook, and help them pursue the kind of friendship they want.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is missing out, this conversation will help you separate your worry from what your child is telling you—while making room for your feelings, too.

For more on social interest and the pressure to fit in, listen to episode 176, Discovering Unique Paths: Navigating the Social Dance. For ideas on teaching social skills and creating opportunities to practice them, listen to episode 88, Social Awkwardness.

Looking for more support? Join my FREE webinar, Beyond the IEP: What Moms REALLY Need to Navigate This Autism Parenting Journey—save your spot here. You can also explore all the ways we can support you, join our FREE Facebook group, The Not Your Average Autism Mom MOVEMENT, or catch up on more than 200 podcast episodes.