It may be worth speaking to your son to see if he wants to meet people, particularly girls. A lot of us on the spectrum prefer to be on our own, forcing us into social scenarios because it's what society generally deems to be 'normal' isn't usually the best thing for us and may actually cause more harm than good.

Therapy is probably the best bet either way. I understand what it's like to be diagnosed late, I was 27 when I received my diagnosis. Speaking to a therapist can be beneficial sometimes to help understand yourself better, to come to terms with some of your own 'issues' that you never even knew you had. There have been many things about myself I've learned since my diagnosis that I never realised before. Many of those things have helped me understand why I find interacting with others to be so exhausting and difficult, I never really knew before how differently other people around me felt or interacted compared to myself.

Personally, I don't enjoy socialising. Never have and likely never will. That's not to say I want to spend all of my time on my own, but just quite a lot of it preferably. I've also been single now for more than four years, by choice. It's easier to deal with just my own wants and needs than to try and fit somebody else's into my already delicately balanced routines. I wouldn't rule out dating all together yet, but at the same time I've turned down several offers and have no real want to actively pursue anything myself right now.

After my diagnosis I was given access to a support centre for people on the spectrum. The staff there have been great, but I've not been able to really form any friendships with any of the other service users. I don't really enjoy talking about things I don't have a strong interest in, and many of them are the same way, so if you don't share a common interest there isn't really much left to talk about because 'small talk' is just annoying.

I hope this post doesn't come across as offensive, it's not intended that way.