Social Skills for young people with Asperger Syndrome
Teaching social skills for children and young people with Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism must happen across the board. Both at school, at home and at play, you can help your child with his communication skills, empathy and imagination. Inappropriate behaviour or speech must be discouraged every time and correct alternatives offered.They will need to be taught repeatedly by examples, watching a video recording, listening to their recorded speech, using a mirror, role-playing and so on how to both use and/or interpret:
COURSES:
ICAN is a national charity for children with special needs and speech and language difficulties. It runs training courses and produces publications on communication and language skills.
ICAN, 4 Dyers Building, Holborn, London EC1N 2QP.
Tel: 0845 225 4071.
Website: www.ican.org.uk
Email: info@ican.org.uk
SOFTWARE
Mind Reading, a DVD rom produced by Simon Baron-Cohen, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 2AH.
An interactive guide that helps people with autism and Asperger Syndrome, and those that work with them, explore over 400 human emotions.
Price £69.99 + VAT = p&p To view and order visit Jessica Kingsley Publishers at
www.jkp.com/mindreading
See what I mean?
A video from ICAN which helps students recognise facial expressions and body language. See above for details of ICAN.
Information PLUS Ltd produce Social Learning Software which is a range of colourful, interactive CDs, for all age groups, which aims to bring together young people’s enthusiasm for computer applications with important social & behavioural issues. For professionals and parents/carers to use in 1:1, group sessions and teaching.
Tel: 01856 761334.
Email: informationplus@compuserve.com .
Website: www.information-plus.co.uk.
BOOKS AND TEACHING PROGRAMMES FOR SCHOOLS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS:
Clinical Language Intervention Program (CLIP).
Author: Semel, Wiig.
Publisher: Harcourt Assessment The complete set costs £371.00 for professionals.
Use CLIP to customise a language therapy programme for pre-school to 13 years.
Website: www.harcourt-uk.com.
Tel: 01865 888188.
Functional Language in the Classroom.
Author: Maggie Johnson.
Order by cheque and letter only from Commercial Office Manger, MMU, Elizabeth Gaskell Campus, Hathersage Road, Manchester M13 0JA or
telephone 0161 247 2535.
Cost £11 inc p&p.
People Skills for Young Adults, and Social Awareness Skills for Children.
Author: Márianna Csóti.
Publishers: Jessica Kingsley Publishers www.jkp.com .
Also have many other books on social skills for autism/ASP.
Socially Speaking.
A pragmatic social skills programme for pupils with mild to moderate learning disabilities.
Author: Alison Schroeder.
Publishers: LDA, Camb. ISBN 1 85503 252 X.
Social Skills Training: Enhancing Social Competence with Children and Adolescents.
Author: Susan H Spence.
Assesses the competence of 5-18 year olds and designs appropriate programmes.
Publisher: NFER-Nelson.
Website: www.nfer-nelson.co.uk
(Tel: 0845 602 1937). Cost £125.00.
SULP - the Social Use of Language Programme, devised by Wendy Rinaldi. Revised 2001.
Develops social use of language in real-life settings, teaches basic social communication skills and self/other awareness.
From: nferNelson, Unit 28, Bramble Road, Techno Trading Est., Swindon SN2 8EZ
Tel: 0845 602 1937.
Price: £130.00 + p&p.
Website: www.nfer-nelson.co.uk
Email: information@nfer-nelson.co.uk
Talkabout and Talkabout Activities
Author: Alex Kelly.
Publishers: Speechmark.
A social communication skills pack that includes an assessment procedure. Cost £32.50 + p&p . Southlands School uses the Talkabout worksheets and can recommend them. Available from Winslow Press.
Tel: 0845 230 2777.
Website: www.winslow-press.co.uk.
This website has many more social skills resources.
Games
The Social Skills Game; The Grief Game; The Anti-Bullying Game; The Divorced and Separated Game. Authors Y Searle and I Streng. Therapeutic board games designed to be initiated by a skilled therapist / teacher.
£41.12 each from Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Website: www.jkp.com.
Circle-Time is a good arena for helping students develop their social skills, and to promote universal understanding of others’ individualities.
The NASEN website has several publications on Circle –Time.
Web: www.nasen.org.uk.
Social Stories devised by Carol Gray.
These individualised social stories and comics help those with Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism to understand social concepts, changes in routine, theirs and others’ feelings etc and can be adapted for virtually any situation or person. Useful for parents, carers and teachers. Visit Carol’s own website for information, advice and downloadable items:
www.thegraycenter.org
Also available from Speechmark, Freephone for orders: 0800 243755.
Details of training for Social Stories can be found at
www.autismuk.com.
You can also subscribe to The Morning News, the newsletter edited by Carol Gray for people with autism and those who work with them, via their website.
(If no internet tel Keith Lovett in the UK. Tel: 01536 523274)
READING
see also OAASIS information sheet ‘Books – where to find them’
There are now many books on what ordinary living is like for a young person with Asperger Syndrome. Many of them mention the difficulties they are likely to encounter, and offer guidance. Some are stories written by children or young people with AS; a few we might consider rather clumsy attempts to offer ready-made social gambits. But check them all out; one might just be the book that not only entertains your child, but also will give him an insight into possible future social pitfalls and may give you both something to discuss.
OAASIS publishes A First Guide to Asperger Syndrome (2nd edition) in its First Guide series.
Price £6.00 plus p&p. You can ring or write to OAASIS at the address over the page for a publications list and order form or visit the website.
OAASIS free Information Sheets: including others on aspects of ASP, please contact OAASIS for the full list or download them on the website www.oaasis.co.uk
Information for parents - autistic spectrum disorders a free book with lots of advice and contacts available from
DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ
Tel: 0845 602 2260
Check these publishers for new books on Asperger Syndrome/autistic spectrum disorders, which come out regularly:
David Fulton Publishers
Tel: 0208 996 3610
Website:www.fultonpublishers.co.uk
Email: mail@fultonpublishers.co.uk
Order via Bookplace Ltd,
Tel: 08000 921 554
Email: customerservice@bookplace-ltd.co.uk
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Website: www.jkp.com
Email: post@jkp.com
Tel: 0207 833 2307.
The NAS
Website: www.nas.org.uk
HO Publications Dept Tel: 0207 903 3595
NAS books are ordered via Centre Books Ltd
Tel: 0845 458 9911
Email nas@centrebooks.com
SEN Marketing
Website: www.senbooks.co.uk
Email: info@senbooks.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 01924 871697
And the internet book shop www.amazon.co.uk.
WEBSITES
www.futurehorizons-autism.com Future Horizons Inc.
A US publisher with books on autism, Asperger Syndrome, PDD, etc.
www.mugsy.org/connor38.htm
the website of NAS Surrey, this particular link is an article on social skills.
www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger
is Barb Kirby's excellent US based OASIS (On-line Asperger Syndrome Information and Support) has a complete section devoted to Social Skills: including Circle of Friends, which Tony Attwood recommends in his book to explain to the child with AS appropriateness of social contact.
Tony Attwood’s own website
www.tonyattwood.com
also has a good selection of books / resources on social skills.
Cambian Education Services run seven residential special schools and colleges for young people with autistic spectrum disorders, Asperger Syndrome/HFA, severe learning difficulties. Please contact OAASIS for the prospectuses of our schools and post 16 establishments specifically for Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism.
OAASIS produces 8 chargeable publications entitled ‘First Guide to…’; wallet sized cards explaining 9 learning disabilities and a wide range of free Information Sheets. Please contact OAASIS for the full list, or view them on the website at www.oaasis.co.uk. All the information sheets are checked annually, please ensure you have the current version.
© OAASIS (Office for Advice Assistance Support and Information on Special needs) This article can be freely reproduced with due attribution of authorship.