Since we went HE K has progressed leaps and bounds in terms of his willingness to interact with people he meets along the way. Only a few months ago, there was no natural interaction with unknown children or adults when we went on outings. He always needed encouragement.
It's a whole different world now. I see blossoming.
At swimming, K made friends with a slightly older girl and played catch for ages. At Crocodile World he was chuffed to bits when a boy he has seen at free running called him the Parkour Master, and he played with a big group of mixed age boys at the playground.
Another swimming outing and K politely explained to a dad that his child has pinched his swimming toy. At Jump In, two of the jump crew lads started a game of dodgeball with K&W, just for kicks - they had a ball (literally). At Explore Learning I was telling one of the tutors about the joys of Jump In and K asked if he could tell the story. At parkour he asked the instructor whether he would spot his backflip after the lesson and got the answer 'yes', it made his day.
He'll talk to adults and children and expect to be heard. He knows he can handle himself and explain himself (in his careful, quiet way!) in any situation. It might not be a big deal for lots of children but for K it's epic and I couldn't be prouder.