Descriptions of peer interaction vary by context. Some teachers saw him spending time alone and becoming irritated by other students' conversations. One reported that he would not enter a room if another student was there while he waited for an individual lesson. Other teachers said he willingly interacted but did not initiate, or that he was polite and wanted contact. The school psychologist's observations help reconcile these accounts: he wants peer relationships, but initiating and maintaining conversation are difficult, and he participates more successfully when a shared, concrete activity gives the interaction structure.
He may try to establish contact through touch, which can annoy peers and complicate interaction. In his own sensory preferences, however, he dislikes being hugged or touched and generally avoids touch, while accepting a handshake. This combination suggests that social approach and bodily comfort depend on context rather than fitting a simple description of either seeking or avoiding people.
Communication with adults also changes with familiarity. Some teachers found that he communicated respectfully and openly after trust developed, asked questions, discussed topics, and shared impressions. Others saw difficulty establishing contact or selective communication. In group work, he may become an observer, experience competition, resist criticism, or find teamwork too socially demanding.
Teachers differed in how they described emotional recognition. Some said he understood his own and others' emotions and could be empathetic and helpful. Another noted that he recognized only very distinct emotions such as joy and anger and had difficulty with more nuanced emotional vocabulary. He can sometimes identify why another person is upset, but missed social-emotional cues can also contribute to conflict.
He is often calm and can regulate in familiar, manageable situations. When emotion becomes intense, he may growl, withdraw, shut down, refuse work, sigh loudly, or occasionally slam a door. After a strong reaction, returning to the task can be difficult. The family-completed history separately identified transition difficulty, sensory avoidance, refusal or stuck states, and a combined family-history item covering shutdowns, freezing, or curling inward; the available description does not specify which form of that final group occurs. The school psychologist described possible internal tension and anxiety, especially in socially or sensorily difficult situations, and recommended psychological or psychotherapeutic support focused on social communication, anxiety, and appropriate ways to build relationships.
The same recommendations emphasized respecting his growing autonomy as an adolescent, giving him room to make decisions and have independent experiences, avoiding excessive control or harsh evaluation that could increase tension, and discussing school situations constructively.
His mother reports that bullying at school has had a particularly negative emotional effect. He may need time before he can describe an upsetting event, but the social educator noted that once ready, he can explain a conflict, analyze what happened, and give reasons for his own actions.