Taylorsmommy - I know it can be frustrating and heartbreaking. Maybe you've already tried this - invite one friend at a time to YOUR house initially for a short, pre-determined time. Play a board game together so you can provide the structure and re-direction as the game progresses. Before the friend arrives - remind what the rules of good sportsmanship are and post them or picture icons in the play area. End the game at the determined time, and provide a snack as a "re-grouping time". If the game wasn't finished, or even if it was, plan on a follow-up time. If these short "play dates" bring success, try branching out to a park or movie. Always make sure the time is short, the activity is structured, and you are in close proximity. Hopefully, practicing in this manner can lead to learning skills and playmates feeling safer when spending time with Taylor. Good luck!

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HHmmm. I've been reading some of these posts and am troubled. I was diagnoised as an adult. But do I think I had trouble making and keeping friends growing up? Frankly, no. I typically had one good or best friend. I can even remember going without best friends in Sr. High. That doesn't bother me now. Frankly, how many friends does a person need? If you know the person cares about you, for me, one is enough. I grew up in the New Orleans parish school system. So until I went to high school, I was changing schools and meeting all new kids at least every two years. My high school was small (no more than 200 kids in each grade). And by then, some of the kids I had gone to elementary school with wound up in the same place. So, it was touching for all of us. We remembered each other when we were 10 or 8. And seeing the 10 year old in a 16 yr old just felt good. Making friends has a lot to do with how you feel about yourself. Try to remember: if you think /feel your daughter is a freak for not having more friends, then guess what, she will internalize that and push people/potential friends away. As a 10 yr old, making friends is really sort of like love at first sight. You just see another girl and think I want to be friends; then you ask, and guess what, you are. But first, you have to know that you are worthy of friendship.

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