Damn this was me 100% as a kid.... I hated school so much because I never could make friends and then I moved to 8 different schools from 5th-11th. The thing I struggled with as a kid was I never felt like anybody wanted to hear me talk. Most kids would just ignore me when I tried to talk so that just made me not talk at all to other people. I still struggle with this everyday and I’m now 22. My biggest tip is to simply listen when he talks. Don’t try to finish his words just let him speak. Make sure he feels like you are actually listening to him and engage back so he knows you want to listen to him more. Since I was alone so much as a kid I learned to become very mature for my age. I just accepted the fact that I wouldn’t have many friends so I have to become my own best friend. I learned to like myself and improve myself as much as I could. Edit: What does your son like to do in his free time?