Social Skills Success for Students with Autism / Asperger's: Helping Adolescents on the Spectrum to Fit In

This book brings together the experts in friendship formation and anxiety management to address the social challenges faced by adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The book will help teachers in general education and special education alike teach children how to converse with others, display appropriate body language, manage anxiety, initiate and participate in get-togethers, and more. The book offers a chapter with basic information on autism spectrum disorders to aid general education teachers who have received little training on the topic. The authors discuss the pros and cons of teaching students with ASD in certain educational settings like full inclusion (good for academics, bad for social skills) and pull-out special day classes (where the reverse is true).  Also included are best practices for working with parents, since family involvement is key to helping kids learn social skills in a meaningful way. Each chapter provides a brief overview of the topic at hand followed by lesson plans for teachers to implement these strategies with their students.