Learning About Friendship: Stories to Support Social Skills Training in Children with Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism

Making friends can be a challenge for all children, but those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can struggle more than most. This collection of ten fully illustrated stories explores friendship issues encountered by children with ASD aged 4 to 8 and looks at how they can be overcome successfully. Key problem areas are tackled, including sharing, taking turns, being a tattletale, obsessions, winning and losing, being taken advantage of, jealousy, personal space, personal hygiene, tact and diplomacy, and defining friendship. The friendly story format depersonalises issues, allowing children to see situations from the perspective of others and enabling them to recognise themselves in the characters. This opens the door to discussion, which in turn leads to useful insight and strategies they can practise and implement in the future. Each story has a separate introduction for adults which explains the main strategies within it. This book will be a valuable resource for all teachers and parents of children with ASDs, along with their friends and families, and anybody else looking to help children with ASDs to understand, make and maintain friendships.