Navigating the Social World: A Curriculum for Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and Related Disorders

I do some work experimenting with pragmatics teaching for autistic adolescents. This book is definitely a 'good' book in this regard. Importantly it is written by a parent for other parents. I have no doubt but that it has something for everyone, but I am less sure whether it has as much for parents with genuinely autistic as opposed to high functioning autistic children. I would still recommend the book but with that caveat.The book seesm to be largely derived from observations and techniques related to Tony Attwood's practice in Australia. Fans of Attwood should be pleased with that. It doesn't hurt its marketing either.The author is a medical doctor and while that may lend some authority to the text, it is her position as a parent of a high functioning autistic child that drives the text along. Many lesson plans and exercises are described in detail. A lot of form filling is recommended for recording behaviour (and hopefuly progress). Some aspects of these procedures may not be applicable to all parental situations (awkward, time consuming, presuming too much of parents, etc.) but one has to look first at what can be done, rather than ruling out options in advance.It seems like a useful programme. I suspect it is would be very practical in the hands of extremely well organised parents.While being as fairminded as possible, it is important to point out that the book doesn't dwell much on evaluation studies. Hence what is recommended is often the result of rewarding personal persistence and experience, rather than scientific validation.Don't get me wrong. This is not a snake oil book by any means (and there are so many about), but evaluation studies are important to some parents in helping to choose between approaches.Of course I would recommend this book. It is focused on the (very) able autistic child in my opinion however. However, for group work that includes teenagers and parents especially in the vital area of pragmatics I would recommnend also Succeeding with Interventions for Asperger Syndrome Adolescents.

I self diagnosed with Asperger's last year when I was 54 and did not work up the courage to have this diagnosis confirmed until this year, shortly before I turned 55. I am apparently an adult survivor who lived most of his life knowing that I was different but not understanding why. I have spent my life compensating for my shortcomings and have had (and continue to have) a successful career. I have a Master's degree. I own my own home and car and I am financially stable.This book was interesting but far too limited for my needs. This book appears to be written for young aspies ... not crusty older people like me who have long since developed masks and scripts and other coping mechanisms for dealing with a very stressful and confusing world.I think I was generous in giving it 3 stars. In reading this e-book, I couldn't help but feel that the author was a bit condescending ... but I wasn't sure if that was because the advice was too simplistic or whether the author really was condescending ... so I gave Dr. McAfee the benefit of doubt and bumped her from 2 stars to 3.

The book has some good projects that can be done with an ASD child to help them learn social skills. The projects are really designed for a school setting, but I am going to try this in a homeschool setting. There are additional materials that will need to be bought to do the lessons. The biggest item needed is a polaroid camera. There are also lessons that involve making videos, but that can be done with a smart phone. It will take a bit of planning to implement. I will write another review in 6 months to let you know how things go. So far, on initial examination, it looks like this book will be helpful; however, some projects will take a lot of preparation.

Great for teaching social skills

I am a parent of a child with social skills difficulties akin to Aspergers. I ordered three books at the same time including this one. I found this the least approachable and chose to return it-- something I rarely do. You'd have to really sit down and dig into this book to get anything practical out of it for your child. The information is here, but it's not layed out well visually or in casual vocabulary.Instead I was most impressed with and plan to start using Social Skills Training by Jed Baker. I also found useful Good Friends are Hard to Find by Frankel.

It's a really helpful guide that basically plans all of your lessons, but still gives you freedom for creativity. Some concepts have to be modified for different age groups, because some of the activities could be out of some individuals' understanding.

THE LESSONS IN THIS BOOK WORK. WE HAVE UTILIZED THEM ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS WITH GOOD RESULTS. IF YOU WANT TO UTILIZE THE LESSONS, YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT AND KNOW THE STEPS IN LEARNING, DEVELOPING AND PRACTICING A NEW SKILL UNTIL IT BECOMES A HABIT. tHIS TAKES TIME.

This is an excellent book for a beginning curriculum for those kids on the autism spectrum who are just starting to learn skills. Works better for younger children. There is a lot that professionals can take from the book and then tailor to work with their student.

I like what I watched, although it is for training purposes rather than for the individual who needs the help. As a parent (who works full time) I'm not sure I'll have time to view it all myself, and my son, who actually needs it, needs me to watch it and then apply it. Better for professionals, I think.

Very good resource for professionals working with this client group.Highly recommend it as a team resourceGood photocopyable chapters for use