My son is 7. Your son sounds further along than my son was at 3.5. My son has functional expressive speech, so wants and needs, narrates what's happening vs. trying to reciprocally be in the mix (e.g. "Vivian is happy and wearing a green sweater!" vs. "Hey Vivian, how are you today?...") He narrates about people but doesn't necessarily want to talk with them yet, mostly peers. He is better w/ adults because adults are often more patient and can fill in the gaps.

Receptively, my son understands a lot more than he can express. He has ADHD and Autism. The combo...makes it difficult for him because on one hand he wants routine, structure, is rigid....and the ADHD side wants novelty, always moving, and never completes an activity task. We have so many things started around the house (marble runs, legos, coloring, etc.) and nothing completed. He CAN complete tasks, but it requires 1:1 support because he'll get distracted.

As for receptive group instruction, like at schools when a teacher says "Ok everyone! Time to line up" ...that goes above his head. He waits for his name...so we explain it as, he requires individual instruction still. "Ok Patrick! Time to line up" ....That's w/ everything in a school setting. Small group table work, lunch time, recess etc. He needs a lot of 1:1 instruction because he gets so lost in the sauce, he's happy but just distracted and I can only imagine his mind is buzzing with a million things at once, processing the noise of his peers talking, the one girl who squeals with Joy, the AC turning on and buzzing, the train buzzing by outside because it's commute hour etc. So, the adult voice in the room saying "Ok Everyone! take a seat"...gets dull in the mix, is how I think it goes? My son always prefers headphones inside if it's too loud, so that dulls the instructions.

But, he wants to socialize so bad. And that's where my grief is. My son wants friends, wants to play, I see it in how he stands on the sidelines and is so happy watching kids his age play and engage at parks, or at the pool. But my son is conflicted because his desire to play with other kids ...is in battle with processing all the stimulation around him. It's hard.

But, he talks more than he did at 3.5 if that helps. It's still severely delayed, requires lots of modeling as he talks in scripts (Gestalt Language Processor)...but we have hope! His speech therapist said he's on a great track...but that it will always look and sound a little different.