Desperate for friends in DC metro area please ??

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Hi, my son (turning 16 in two wks) really wants and misses friendships and has been pushed into depression because of the social isolation he has been in. His teachers love him at school and my husband and I do all we can to support him at home which has kept him going. But he desperately needs the connection / relationship with a friend. He never has them as a toddler, but his recent meltdowns have made me so worried. He says he does not belong here and no one cares for him and no one wants him at school - he says it hurts to see people high fiving, smiling and sitting, laughing and joking together. He has trouble following what the kids talk about and lacks the natural style, and therefore has met some nasty responses in his efforts to initiate conversations..his self esteem is damaged. We are thinking of transferring him to a special school (he has an IEP in public school) but that scares him too and he wants to stay at his school. It will be difficult for us financially too. He is part of a social group that only meets monthly and mostly its different kids each time and they all live far...
Anyone in Maryland who would be willing to meet up to do things together ??

s**t. I'm clear over by Pittsburgh, or I'd be happy to hang out with your kid. I've got some friends near Frederick (Shepherdstown/Martinsburg WV, actually, but close enough for horseshoes) that could probably hook him up-- they're all in the over-30 set with no kids, but they hang out at a comic shop that seems to be an ASD teen's paradise (and one's a probable schizoid while I'd bet the farm that the other one is ASD himself).

You say "DC metro area," so I figure Frederick or Hagerstown is quite a stretch for you. However, it's what I've got to offer, so I'm tossing it out there.

Maybe ASAN

http://autisticadvocacy.org/chapters/

I think social skilled people light touch a variety of groups.

Is your son interested in getting a job at age 16? (which of course can be easier said than done. And for those of us on the Spectrum, I think there often really is an inverse relationship between entry-level supposed "easy" jobs and "hard" ones)

How about you and your son attending some DC political groups? Perhaps a low key approach, 'I'm a moderate and an independent, I'm just here to learn,' something like that.

And I think it's very helpful not to have all your social eggs in the one basket of school. And so, is your son interested in ultimate frisbee, Texas Hold 'em poker (non-money of course), open mic poetry, etc?

The ASAN doesn't have any chapter in Maryland (they were supposed to start one here in Baltimore, but they ended up not doing it)

I'd try meetup.com

Although I've tried using it, I haven't had much luck. At 17, I'm too old for the childrens groups; while the Adult Autism&Asperger's Groups are geared toward people in their 20's and older.

THough if you live closer to DC, there might be more groups around there.