What do you advise to help a socially closed down 9 year old?

You can have a touch or more of anything. Since it is a spectrum disorder, I would say most computer scence people and many others have a touch or more of autism. Not enough to be treated for.

I've read about studies that say some kids with Aspergers MAY have speech delays:

Non-Significance of Early Speech Delay in Children with Autism and Normal Intelligence and Implications for DSM-IV Asperger’s Disorder by
Susan Dickerson Mayes
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, USA, SueDMayes@aol.com and
Susan L. Calhoun
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, USA

"According to the DSM-IV, children with Asperger’s disorder do not have significant cognitive or speech delays, whereas children with autistic disorder may or may not. In our study, children with normal intelligence who had clinical diagnoses of autism or Asperger syndrome were divided into two groups: those with and without a significant speech delay. The purpose was to determine if clinically meaningful differences existed between the two groups that would support absence of speech delay as a DSM-IV criterion for Asperger’s disorder. No significant differences were found between the 23 children with a speech delay and the 24 children without a speech delay on any of the 71 variables analyzed, including autistic symptoms and expressive language. Results suggest that early speech delay may be irrelevant to later functioning in children who have normal intelligence and clinical diagnoses of autism or Asperger syndrome and that speech delay as a DSM-IV distinction between Asperger’s disorder and autism may not be justified. "

Autism, Vol. 5, No. 1, 81-94 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/1362361301005001008

If you have a speech delay when you are two then you can't have Aspergers. That is what the doctor said.

Speech delay and Aspergers don't mix.

feonad, has your son ever been evaluated for Asperger's?