The only evidence-based program available for teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Two nationally known experts in friendship formation and anxiety management address the social challenges faced by adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The book helps educators instruct youth on conversing with others, displaying appropriate body language, managing anxiety, initiating and participating in get-togethers, and more. The book is filled with helpful information on ASD to aid teachers who have received little training on the topic. Extremely practical, the book includes lesson plans, checklists, and sidebars with helpful advice.Based on UCLA's acclaimed PEERS program, the only evidence-based approach to teaching social skills to adolescents with ASDContains best practices for working with parents, which is the key to helping kids learn social skillsThe authors discuss the pros and cons of teaching students with ASD in educational settings like full inclusion (good for academics but bad for social skills) and pull-out special day classes (where the reverse is true)

Provides a much-needed book for teachers at all levels for helping students develop the skills they need to be successful.

Students on the autism spectrum often face difficulties in the secondary education environment that result from a lack of awareness on the part of their teachers and peers. This guide acquaints teachers with all the information and practical tools needed to understand and support their students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The book presents specific, ready-to-use classroom initiatives with example worksheets, checklists and timetables to help students keep organised with their school work. It also covers general obstacles such as social situations, anxiety, mental health issues and extracurricular activities and how adults can help. Guidance about the leaving school stage and how to ensure the teen is equipped to make the best possible decisions about their future is included. Packed with useful information and examples, this book will be a lifesaving resource for teachers, and everyone else working in secondary education, who want to help their students with autism to stay focused and positive at school.

This deeply moving memoir tells the story of Hannah: a child who has been beaten and abused; a girl full of loneliness and rage; a student no one but learning disabilities teacher Mary MacCracken could reach. Mary had reservations about eight-year-old Hannah joining her class. The three emotionally disturbed boys she was currently looking after had been making steady progress, and Hannah, who had a reputation for being a withdrawn and incredibly troubled child, would only be a disruptive influence. For the first fortnight Hannah retired to a cupboard and refused to come out. Howling almost non-stop she was displaying the worst symptoms that Mary had ever seen. How could Mary help a child who had been shut up in closets and treated like an animal? What could she say to a child who had been locked out of her own home, and beaten by both her brother and her father? How could she reach this lost girl? This is the remarkable story of Hannah and Mary's journey together. Deep within Hannah, Mary recognises an amazing strength. And with love, skill and patience, she gradually starts to make a difference. It's a long road to recovery, but Mary never gives up. As this moving true story unfolds, we feel Mary's joy, we share her hope and, in time, her faith that Hannah will be okay.

Squirmy Wormy is a wonderful little children's book about a boy named Tyler, who has autism and SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).  Together with Tyler, the reader learns about SPD, and what everyday easy therapys he can do by himself feel better.  For instance:   ""I feel like running really fast, run run run! Maybe I just need a s-q-u-e-e-z-e between the couch cushions like a hot dog.  Whew!  I feel better.""

Endorsed by Dr. Temple Grandin, this book is sure to help many children, who perhaps previously did not even know they had SPD, lead calmer, richer lives.

Children and teenagers with autism can struggle to cope with the loss of a loved one, and the complicated and painful emotions of bereavement. This book explains death in concrete terms that the child with autism will understand, explores feelings that the child may encounter as a part of bereavement, and offers creative and expressive activities that facilitate healing. With illustrations throughout, this interactive book begins with a simple story about what happens when people die. Each chapter then expands on the issues that have been raised in the story and offers a variety of coping skills exercises including writing, art and craft, cooking, movement, relaxation, and remembrance activities. Encouraging children with autism to express their loss through discussion, personal reflection, and creative activity, the book is ideal for children and teens to work through by themselves, or with the support of a family member or professional.

Straightforward, practical, and user friendly, this unique guide addresses an essential component of decision making in schools. The authors show how systematic screenings of behavior -- used in conjunction with academic data -- can enhance teachers' ability to teach and support all students within a response-to-intervention framework. Chapters review reliable, valid screening measures for all grade levels, discuss theirs strengths and weaknesses, and explain how to administer, score, and interpret them. Practitioners get helpful guidance for evaluating their school's needs and resources and making sound choices about which tools to adopt.

This second edition of this award-winning book provides instructional resources and strategies for both teachers and parents of elementary students with autism. Appropriate social and communicative behavior is a fundamental concern for parents, caregivers, and teachers of school children.Children should be able to move in a safe and socially successful manner through their school years despite changing family culture, their activity level or degree of insight into the consequences of their behavior. One would also hope that they develop a positive character and good values about human rights and social responsibility along the way. The most important long-term goal, however, is that they grow into content, kind, and successful fellow human beings. This book illustrates more than 120 goals for developing positive personality features, adequate social behavior and communicative competence. Ideas for long- and short-term goals have been selected from existing school programs, general education of values, as well as from parents and teachers.

Anita M Hughes has been running the Friendly Group with her colleagues for 18 years, supporting more than 200 children and young people in that time. The Friendly Group is a social and therapeutic group for children and young people on the Autism Spectrum who struggle to make relationships and share feelings with others. The author describes the core principles of this extremely successful group and the structure and framework offered. These children appear to cope without real friendships, but often from an increasingly isolated position. Their behaviour is often driven by anxiety, made worse by feeling different. Families experience frustration and uncertainty about how they can help. Through vivid accounts Hughes describes how the group leaders can facilitate children and young people to support each other, and to think and talk about what happens inside and between them in the 'here- and- now'. Professionals working with children and young people and their families in and outside school will find a fantastic range of ideas here on how to work in similar groups, with a sound sense of how to 'contain' children's and young people's anxiety. Parents too, will find inspiration.As Hughes states "when we have faith in the children we live or work with, they will blossom".

Adults on the spectrum often have difficulty getting and keeping a job that is unrelated to their job skills. This practical and easy-to-use book provides necessary yet often untaught information on a variety of topics related to getting a job, finding a mentor, networking, using agencies, interviewing, talking with supervisors, dealing with on-the-job-frustrations, understanding the social rules at work and many other topics. Authored by two individuals on the spectrum who have extensive experience in helping others become employed, Judy Endow and Malcolm Mayfield, as well as Brenda Smith Myles, an internationally known writer and speaker on autism spectrum disorders.

The structure of secondary education demands that young people are well-organised, self-sufficient, increasingly autonomous learners, who can cope with a wide range of teachers and a diverse timetable based around multiple locations and buildings. However, a substantial number of young people have motor co-ordination and perceptual difficulties which affect their participation in class activities. This condition was previously termed 'dyspraxia' but is now more universally referred to as 'developmental coordination disorder' or DCD. This book will provide readers with an insight into how DCD can affect students at Key Stages 3 and 4, and provide some practical strategies to help each young person to reach their potential. It is also intended to help parents/carers of young people with DCD to understand the potential help available to their child as they transition into secondary education. MORE ABOUT THE BOOK: For pupils with DCD, poor handwriting, erratic organisation, and difficulties with reading, mathematics and physical education may have been noted at primary school with their associated detrimental effect on academic success, peer relationships, social skills and self-confidence. However, these issues are felt more keenly in secondary school due to the desire to 'fit-in' and be accepted by a potentially large and often unforgiving peer group. This book is intended to inspire teachers and health care professionals to: understand the unique needs of young people with DCD; understand why young people with DCD have difficulties in perceptual and motor planning; appreciate the impact of DCD on learning; consider the added influence of peer-pressure and puberty on DCD; provide practical strategies to help; consider post-16 and vocational training. It is also intended to help parents/carers of young people with DCD to understand the potential help available to their child as they transition into secondary education.

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood behavioral disorder. Moreover, many students receiving special education assistance are reported to have ADHD. Children with ADHD may experience significant school adjustment difficulties and achievement problems. Problem behaviors associated with attention deficits and hyperactivity often have a negative impact on the classroom, and, therefore, may compromise the learning environment for many, if not all, students. There is a critical need for school professionals to identify, assess, and treat students with ADHD.

Identifying, Assessing, and Treating ADHD at School brings science to practice, providing school professionals invaluable information to meet the needs of children with ADHD. This volume, designed as a practical, easy-to-use reference for school psychologists and other mental health and educational professionals:

• Explains why school psychologists and their colleagues need to be prepared and able to identify and serve students with ADHD.
• Identifies the prevalence, influences, and associated conditions.
• Provides a review of screening, referral, and diagnostic assessment processes.
• Offers guidance on conducting psychoeducational assessments.
• Reviews evidence-based treatments.
• Offers practical guidance on setting up programs that address individual and classroom issues.

School psychologists and other education and mental health professionals will find Identifying, Assessing, and Treating ADHD at School an exceptional resource in working to enhance the mental health and academic development of students.

Therapeutic Story StartUps is a creative resource that can be used by therapists and other professionals working with children aged 4-12 years. These resources are designed to support children to understand, explore and express their feelings through story, imagination and play. Six beautifully illustrated storybooks address the themes of: Loss, Anger, Self-Esteem, Bullying, Worries and Family Break-Up. Additionally there are characters, props and scenes to invite the child to act out their own story, asking the question, "What happens next?..." The full pack includes: Six illustrated storybooks, each prompting the child to create their own ending. 30 colourful free-standing characters, six background scenes and a number of additional props. Six mood-cards designed to support story-making. Therapeutic Story-Souvenirs to remind the child of the story they have created. Online guidelines for therapists provide prompts for using the stories and suggestions on how to use the resources. Separate guidelines for non-therapists are also provided. Additional copies of characters and souvenir cards can be downloaded and printed to personalise the work for individual children and make it a continually renewable resource. For all instructions relating to this product, as well as for access to the additional online resources, please visit www.routledge.com/cw/speechmark Intended for use in educational settings and/or therapy contexts under the supervision of an adult. This is not a toy.

Now with all new illustrations, the second edition of these bestselling cards continues to provide a tool to initiate discussion and reflection around feelings. The cards span a whole range of emotions- angry, happy, depressed, excited, confused- and can be used to get people talking about feelings in a fun and non-judgemental way. Blobs are a way to discuss issues in a deep, meaningful way and yet they can be understood by adults and children alike. People of all ages can relate to these appealing Blob characters; even young children can recognise when they start to feel like these 'funny people'. The accompanying activity cards suggest several different ways of using the cards with individuals or groups; including how to relate the feelings shown on the cards to ourselves and others, identify positive and negative feelings and act out these feelings. Intended for use in educational settings and/or therapy contexts under the supervision of an adult. This is not a toy.

This book explores the ways in which pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties can be effectively engaged in schooling - either in school or at home. It explains the social and emotional underpinnings of learning and presents practical strategies for aiding engagement. Nurture groups, originally devised and implemented in the 1970s, are specially designed classes that cater for pupils having difficulties in adjusting to the requirements of mainstream classrooms. Paul Cooper and Yonca Tiknaz present evidence of the success of nurture groups from the perspectives of the children participating in them, their parents and school staff members who manage nurture groups in schools, and examine what factors affect the success of the group. From this they draw key messages for effective practice, including the fundamental importance of recognising a child's emotional needs and meeting them, and the pivotal role of the relationship between the teaching staff co-ordinating the group. Nurture Groups in School and at Home will provide essential information and accessible advice for teaching professionals running nurture groups in schools and for parents and carers running them at home.

This activity book is a helpful and creative tool for children aged 4-8 to learn and understand their emotions to help reduce anxiety. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the 10 Steps to Reducing Your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum: The CBT-Based 'Fun with Feelings' Parent Manual. Come and have fun with us, your feelings! Get to know us so that we can help you express your feelings any time you need to! Say hello to Happy Henry Honeydew and see how his eyes light up, his mouth has a great big smile and how he's always laughing. Sit beside Sad Sally Strawberry and you'll learn that when she is sad her eyes look down, her face has a frown, and sometimes she cries. You can show that you are strong, brave and clever by meeting and getting to know all of your feelings. By getting to know your feelings, and learning about the Tools in your Toolbox, you will be able to express and talk about your feelings whenever you need to.

This beautifully illustrated, therapeutic picture book tells the story of Stan the Giraffe. Stan loves the sun and to feel its warmth on his long back; but one day it suddenly and unexpectedly falls from the sky and disappears from his life. Stan experiences many different and difficult emotions throughout the story, reflecting the seven stages of grief. The story aims to normalise these feelings, which for children and those around them, can be frightening. This storybook has been written to support key adults in helping bereaved children to find a way to cope, manage and make it through their grief. The resource Supporting Children through Bereavement and Loss has been written to accompany the storybook, providing information, guidance and ideas for anyone supporting a grieving child, in school or at home.

Draw on Your Emotions is a bestselling resource to help people of all ages express, communicate and deal more effectively with their emotions through drawing. Built around five key themes, each section contains a simple picture exercise with clear objectives, instructions and suggestions for development. The picture activities have been carefully designed to help ease the process of both talking about feelings and exploring life choices, by trying out alternatives safely on paper. This will help to create clarity and new perspectives as a step towards positive action. Offering a broad range of exercises which can be adapted for any ability or age from middle childhood onwards, this unique book explores a range of emotions surrounding a person(1)s important life experiences, key memories, relationships, best times, worst times and who they are as a person. This is an essential resource for therapists, educators, counsellors and anyone who engages other people in conversations that matter about their relationship to self, others and life in general. This revised and updated second edition also contains a new section on how to use the superbly emotive The Emotion Cards (9781138070981) to facilitate deeper therapeutic conversations.

New Literacies and Teacher Learning examines the complexities of teacher professional development today in relation to new literacies and digital technologies, set within the wider context of strong demands for teachers to be innovative and to improve students' learning outcomes. Contributors hail from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Finland, Mexico, Norway, and the U.S., and work in a broad range of situations, grade levels, activities, scales, and even national contexts. Projects include early year education through to adult literacy education and university contexts, describing a range of approaches to taking up new literacies and digital technologies within diverse learning practices. While the authors present detailed descriptions of using various digital resources like movie editing software, wikis, video conferencing, Twitter, and YouTube, they all agree that digital "stuff" - while important - is not the central concern. Instead, what they foreground in their discussions are theory-informed pedagogical orientations, collaborative learning theories, the complexities of teachers' workplaces, and young people's interests. Thus, a key premise in this collection is that teaching and learning are about deep engagement, representing meanings in a range of ways. These include acknowledging relationships and knowledge; thinking critically about events, phenomena, and processes; and participating in valued social and cultural activities. The book shows how this kind of learning doesn't simply occur in a one-off session, but takes time, commitment, and multiple opportunities to interact with others, to explore, play, make mistakes, and get it right.

When given the chance, young people with Asperger's can be the most charismatic actors that have ever hit the stage. In this guidebook, author Amelia Davies provides the theories and activities you'll need to set up acting classes that double as social skills groups for individuals with Aspergers or high-functioning autism. Included are acting exercises and plays that teach actors how to control and use body language, nonverbal communication, tone of voice, facial expressions, and movement, which are all important social skills. Using these and many other skills onstage allows actors to develop social understanding through repetition and generalization. Actors can learn as a group or focus on individual challenges through their characters. Lights, camera, action!

Quality Instruction and Intervention: Strategies for Secondary Educators offers an introduction to quality general education instruction followed by the most up to date evidence-based interventions. Two dedicated chapters, authored by leading content and strategy experts in the field, are devoted to academic (reading, mathematics, writing, content areas), classroom management, and study skills. The first chapter focuses on quality instruction with content specialists as lead authors and interventionists supporting. The second chapter focuses on effective intervention with the interventionists taking the lead author roles and content specialists supporting. This unique method bridges the gap between quality instruction and effective intervention-an often over looked component of education. The last chapter of the text includes a comprehensive list of low or no cost materials to support implementation of instructional practices and interventions. After reading, educators will be able to describe the components of effective instruction and intervention in each of the content areas, access empirically validated materials, and locate resources for continued learning.

The Revelations of Asher: Toward Supreme Love in Self is an endarkened, feminist, new literacies event. It critically and creatively explores Black women's terror in love. With poetry, prose, and analytic memos, Jeanine Staples shows how a group of Black women's talk and writings about relationships revealed epistemological and ontological revelations, after 9/11. These revelations are presented in the context of a third wave new literacies framework. They are voiced and storied dynamically by the women's seven fragmented selves. Through the selves, we learn the five ways the women lived as lovers: Main Chick, Side Chick, Bonnie, Bitch, and Victim. As an alternative-response to these identities in love, the author presents a new way. She introduces the Supreme Lover Identity and illuminates its integral connection to social and emotional justice for and through Black women's wisdom.

This extremely comprehensive book goes step-by-step through the symptoms, definitions, assessments, and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The authors describe ASDs in terms of the parents, teachers, the school system, medical professionals, adult service providers, and private agencies involved. In addition to revealing what parents and professional can expect, this book also provides practical strategies to improve the assessment process and help the child or adult deal with the stress of the evaluations. Finally, they tackle the controversial issues surrounding the causes of ASD and available treatment options.

This book weaves intensely personal and evocative stories into a layered autoethnographic text about the author's experience of childhood deafness, sign language and education. Interwoven with the performative narrative are powerful stories of stigma, trauma, friendships, relationships, love, isolation and displacement. Using interpretative and reflective analysis, the author explores the storied experience of self and belonging in family and school contexts, providing both personal and theoretical perspectives on language and culture. He traces the pathways he has taken in pursuit of a true sense of belonging in society, community and place. This is an important contribution to the study of sign language, deaf education, disability and deaf health and well-being. It will be of interest to professionals and practitioners working with deaf children and parents and to students and researchers within social policy, social medicine, psychology, sociology, early childhood studies and special education.