Teaching Social Skills to People with Autism

Book excerpt: Difficulties with social skills are among the biggest challenges for children with autism. This landmark, research-based essay collection is an overview of the best practices for teaching social skills to people with autism. Thirteen contributors include well known professionals who describe what works best for learners with autism: - parent training to increase their toddler's engagement & play - combining approaches in small group settings with typically developing peers - targeting core deficits of autism with Pivotal Response Treatment - using conversational scripts, video modeling, and peer-mediated interventions - employing naturalistic teaching strategies Behavior analysts, teachers, early interventionists, SLPs, graduate students, and anyone who instructs other professionals how to teach children with autism can consult this book to find tried-and-true approaches to teaching social skills. Parents, too, may wish to consult this book if they are seeking a more effective approach to helping their child master social skills.