Anonymous wrote:Has he tried initiating something and asking a kid or two to join him??

This is well intentioned but not the way social life at this age works.

Would he consider being on the tech crew for theater? It seems like a welcoming group of quirky kids, where we are. I mean that in a good way. I tried to get my son to join since they would be doing something and it might take some of the social pressure off while they still could meet friends.

Anonymous wrote:
OP - Have you considered a church youth group, which if you are flexible, might be a good reason to look at a few churches.
Also, Young Life is an outside, Christian group organized by college students which meets weekly in homes that might be a friendly option.
If he has an interest in the arts, a sport could you research a possible small community group? Does he have an interest in volunteering with a community program? Would he be open to trying volunteering with a college mentor?

We are not Christian, but thank you. I think he'd enjoy volunteering, something with animals or making things.

He needs to join activities he likes that occur to a regular schedule (clubs, band, x-country, etc.). Inviting another boy to do things is hard at this age—it’s not really how NT ninth grade boys roll. I would focus on activities that will have likeminded kids.

Is it possible to get him involved in some extracurricular activities? It doesn’t have to be sports, perhaps a club involving one of his interests or even a neurodivergent club/ support group. If one does not exist, maybe he could help establish one. Is there a walking/hiking club he could get involved in? I’ve found this sometimes helps get kids out of their shell.

If he’s happy as is, I would leave him be. If he’s wanting to make friends, perhaps being more intentional would help. Instead of asking if someone wants to hang out sometime, he should invite them to a specific place at a specific day/time.

Has he tried initiating something and asking a kid or two to join him??