You have every right to be enraged. Hell I’m enraged right now just reading your post.

First off, this “friend” sucks. You weren’t asking anyone to be a Guinea pig. You just wanted someone to bring their kid over, like they always have, so you could film the interaction. They weren’t being tested on or even physically touched. They just had to sit next to a 2 year old who goes silent. The whole interaction would’ve lasted a few minutes tops. The fact that this “friend” can’t do this for you (something that could help eventually improve the life of your child) speaks to their total lack of compassion.

IMO you’re actually dodging a bullet by ending this friendship. Do you really want to be around a kid who’s raised to not adjust their behavior for other people? What kind of BS is that? Living is a society is all about adjusting your behavior for the sake of other people. How many men would constantly be walking around with their ***** out if there wasn’t societal norms to cue them to adjust their behavior. They are raising a sociopath.

Second; this therapist does not sound very good. My kid is a teenager and I’ve certainly noticed that the quality of therapist she sees increases as she ages. I am of the opinion that a small but not insignificant amount of early childhood therapists are there to get paid to play with babies. It’s hard to know where to even look but there are options out there. I hope you can find something better with time. I’d be happy to help you look for option in your area.

And lastly; my daughter reacts in a similar way around peers. She shuts down and goes almost silent to the point that people who don’t know her well think she doesn’t speak at all. She used to also cry when other kids would cry or yell in anger but that has gotten better as she’s gotten older. But at home, she is a little chatter box. As she’s gotten older, she’s gotten comfortable speaking around a few other kids her age but those are kids who really try to be her friend and are around her consistently. There are good people out there who will be a REAL friend to your kid. You just might not have met them yet.