Social Skills

Based on scientifically sound research and insightful clinical acumen, this book provides the how to for successful social skills groups. The PEERS program for friendship and training for adolescents with ASDs is covered here. The two authors are the developers of the PEERS program.

This selection offers many insights into how teens and young adults can go about handling important everyday social situations. Photos of real life social situations are included in the book. Sometimes having a visual reference can be one of the best ways to learn how to go about doing something. Participants are encouraged to use pictures of themselves in social situations. Students create a book for each social skill, including photos of themselves. This makes things more realistic when someone sees themselves in social situations.

This selection describes video self-modeling, a truely promising technique used to help people with autism and other developmental disabilities improve their skills and behavior. Participants watch the video of themselves and they gain a better skill set and better self esteem.

Social stories provide individuals with autism with accurate information regarding situations they encounter. For some students with autism, this type of written information appears to have a positive impact on their responses to social situations. Social stories have also been used successfully to teach academic skills. (from inside of book)