by Vivian Dunstan

The Science of Making Friends : Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (w/DVD)

The Science of Making Friends : Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (w/DVD)

The groundbreaking book that puts the focus on teens and young adults with social challenges This book offers parents a step-by-step guide to making and keeping friends for teens and young adults with social challenges such as those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, bipolar, or other conditions. With the book s concrete rules and steps of social etiquette, parents will be able to assist in improving conversational skills, expanding social opportunities, and developing strategies for handling peer rejection. Each chapter provides helpful overview information for parents; lessons with clear bulleted lists of key rules and steps; and expert advice on how to present the material to a teen or young adult. Throughout the book are role-playing exercises for practicing each skill, along with homework assignments to ensure the newly learned skills can be applied easily to a school, work, or other “real life” setting. The bonus DVD shows role-plays of skills covered, demonstrating the right and wrong way to enter conversations, schedule get-togethers, deal with conflict, and much more.

PART ONE: GETTING READY Ch. 1: Why Teach Social Skills to Teens and Young Adults?

PART TWO: THE SCIENCE OF DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS Ch. 2: Finding and Choosing Good Friends Ch. 3: Good Conversations: The Basics Ch. 4: Starting and Entering Conversations Ch. 5: Exiting Conversations Ch. 6: Managing Electronic Communication Ch. 7: Showing Good Sportsmanship Ch. 8: Enjoying Successful Get-Togethers

PART THREE: THE SCIENCE OF HANDLING PEER CONFLICT AND REJECTION: HELPFUL STRATEGIES Ch. 9: Dealing With Arguments Ch. 10: Handling Verbal Teasing Ch. 11: Addressing Cyber Bullying Ch. 12: Minimizing Rumors and Gossip Ch. 13: Avoiding Physical Bullying Ch. 14: Changing a Bad Reputation Epilogue: Moving Forward

 by Vivian Dunstan

The PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Professionals : Social Skills Training for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Professionals : Social Skills Training for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The PEERS (R) Curriculum for School-Based Professionals brings UCLA’s highly acclaimed and widely popular PEERS program into the school setting. This sixteen-week program, clinically proven to significantly improve social skills and social interactions among teens with autism spectrum disorder, is now customised for the needs of psychologists, counsellors, speech pathologists, administrators, and teachers. The manual is broken down into clearly divided lesson plans, each of which have concrete rules and steps, corresponding homework assignments, plans for review, and unique, fun activities to ensure that teens are comfortable incorporating what they’ve learned. The curriculum also includes parent handouts, tips for preparing for each lesson, strategies for overcoming potential pitfalls, and the research underlying this transformative program.

 by Vivian Dunstan

PEERS (R) for Young Adults : Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges

PEERS (R) for Young Adults : Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges

PEERS (R) for Young Adults presents the first evidence-based group treatment program for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders and social challenges. Inside, readers will find a critical step forward in the dissemination of effective behavioral interventions for young adults in the form of 16 engaging group session outlines that are both user-friendly and backed by empirical research. Each session is accompanied by homework assignments and practice suggestions designed to reinforce the group’s understanding of the skills learned during each meeting. This practical resource will prove to be an invaluable reference for any clinician or educator working with this population.