Steven E. Gutstein and Rachelle K. Sheely
Friendship, even for the most able, requires hard work, and the odds are heavily stacked against those with autism spectrum conditions. Designed for younger children, typically between the ages of two and eight, this comprehensive set of enjoyable activities emphasizes foundation skills such as social referencing, regulating behavior, conversational reciprocity and synchronized actions. The authors include many objectives to plan and evaluate a child's progress, each one related to a specific exercise. Suitable for parental use, the manual is also designed for easy implementation in schools and in therapeutic settings.Contents: Activities. 1. Introduction 2. Friendships are Relationships 3. Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). Level I: Novice. Stage 1. Attend. Stage 2. Reference. Stage 3. Regulate. Stage 4. Coordinate. Level II: Apprentice. Stage 5. Variation. Stage 6. Transformation. Stage 7. Synchronization. Stage 8. Duets. Level III: Challenger. Stage 9. Collaboration. Stage 10. Improvisation. Stage 11. Co-Creation. Stage 12. Running Mates. Appendix A: Progress Tracking Form. Topic Index for Activities. Levels and Stages of the Complete RDI Program.
Social Skills Groups for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome" is an empirically-grounded, ready-to-use curriculum for clinicians, teachers and other professionals wishing to lead social skills groups for children and adolescents with AS. It provides an introduction to AS and issues surrounding social skills, including diagnostic and assessment issues, the importance of good social skills, and treatment approaches. At the heart of the resource is a practical, user-friendly, fully photocopiable program, consisting of 10 core sessions and 13 supplementary sessions, which covers topics such as greetings, emotions, facial expressions, conversational skills and more. Each session contains an outline of the aims, the empirical basis of the skill being taught, step-by-step instructions for group leaders, and parent and teacher handouts. A comprehensive and practical social skills group program, this will be an invaluable and unique resource for clinicians, teachers, parents and professionals working with children and adolescents with AS social skills.