About Me and You ... and My Friends Too! Watch Me Learn Inc., $43.95 DVD format (58 minutes) Recommended Developmental Ages: 4+ years

Based on Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior (ABA/VB), About Me and You uses engaging depictions of play for a highly-effective teaching tool. This evidence-based social skills training DVD also includes an audio CD, and access to printable worksheets, an interactive computer game, teaching guide and lesson plans.

Each of the 10 skills modeled in the DVD is presented in three instructional levels: beginner (vocabulary), intermediate (teacher/child presentation) and advanced (a generalized depiction of a child using the skill in the context of a real-life situation).

Asperger Meets Girl: Happy Endings for Asperger Boys. Jonathan Griffiths, $16.95

Men with Asperger's Syndrome, young and old, experience difficulty with social interaction, which can be a stumbling block when it comes to getting a girlfriend. Here is a book that demystifies the enigma of 'relationships' by explaining everything in Asperger-friendly terms (some of them mathematical, naturally).

Serious, and seriously funny, this book will help bring happy endings to Asperger boys and make them laugh in the process.

Asperger Syndrome & Social Relationships: Adults Speak Out about Asperger Syndrome. Genevieve Edmonds & Luke Beardon, editors, $19.95

Social interaction among neurotypical people is complex and in many ways illogical. To the person with Asperger Syndrome (AS) it is also woefully unintuitive. In this book, adults with AS discuss social relationships, offer advice and support for others with AS and provide necessary insights into AS perspectives for those working and interacting with them.

Asperger Syndrome: Strategies for Solving the Social Puzzle. Vicki Lord Larson & Nancy Kaufman, $42.95

Designed for teachers, speech-language pathologists, other education personnel, and parents, this comprehensive resource focuses on how to best teach students with AS. The book reviews the history, assessment, and characteristics of AS, with a focus on intervention. Entire chapters are dedicated to intervention in social competency, academics, sensory and motor disabilities, and behavior management. Over 80 pages of reproducible forms (for case history, AS checklist, learning style questionnaire, and direct/dynamic assessment protocol, to name a few) are provided on the accompanying CD-ROM.

AUTISM: the Musical. Directed by Tricia Regan, $28.95 (DVD format, 93 minutes)

AUTISM: the Musical counters today’s bleak statistics with one woman’s optimistic pledge to lead a group of autistic children in defying diagnosed expectations by writing, rehearsing and performing their own full-length musical. Following five Los Angeles children over the course of six months, director Tricia Regan captures the struggles and triumphs of their family lives and observes how this musical production gives these performers a comfort zone in which they can explore their creative sides.

Both on and off stage, AUTISM: the Musical is a call-to-arms, bringing attention to a modern-day epidemic, all the while celebrating the way the human spirit can overcome any challenge.

Be a Friend: Songs for Social Skills Training CD. Jed Baker & Jeffrey Friedberg, $18.95

16 fun songs that teach kids about making and maintaining friendships. Kids ages 2 - 9 years old, enjoy learning from these songs - but older kids (and some adults) may also find them helpful. 

Building Social Relationships: a Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties. Scott Bellini, $43.95; Textbook Edition $72.95

Building Social Relationships demonstrates how to organize and make sense of the myriad of social skills strategies and resources currently available to parents and professionals — synthesizing them into one comprehensive program.

Caring for Myself: a Social Skills Storybook. Christy Gast & Jane Krug, $19.95

Caring for Myself is an entertaining and educational social skills storybook that will help children with ASDs to understand the importance of taking care of their bodies. Fully illustrated with colour photographs, it sets out fun, simple steps that explain what caring for yourself actually involves — how you can do it, where it is done and why it is important.

Conversation Skills On the Job and In the Community: a Curriculum for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Marilyn Banks, $54.95

Conversation Skills II: Extending Conversations — a Curriculum for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Marilyn Banks, $54.95

Workers with developmental disabilities often lose jobs and experience other social problems because of poor conversation skills and subsequent isolation. Conversation Skills and Conversations Skils II, by speech and language therapist Dr. Marilyn Banks, cover the basic and essential communication skills that will help young people enjoy successful job experiences and more fulfilling and independent social lives.

Each book has more than 50 self-paced, self-managed lessons, and take only 12 weeks of bi-weekly, 10 minute training sessions during which students acquire a ready social repertoire. All materials in the books are reproducible. The books include a Win/Mac CD with a printable PDF containing all the reproducibles in the book.

Conversations in Pictures: Daily Living Skills. Natural Learning Concepts, $14.50

Conversations in Pictures: Out and About. Natural Learning Concepts, $14.50

Conversations in Pictures visually shows how a conversation takes place between two people. Children learn to stay on topic while they converse with adults and peers. The child learns conversation in two stages. They learn how to respond appropriately to questions and they learn to initiate by asking the questions first. The set is very easy to work with. The cards come on a ring and the cards easily flip over. Each card has a question with a picture on the front. As you flip it over, the child is prompted by a picture and the beginning of the answer on the back. Switch it around when children are learning to initiate conversation.

Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, Revised Edition. Temple Grandin & Kate Duffy, $23.95

This career planning guide is written specifically for high-functioning adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum, their families, teachers, and counselors. The two authors weave together a unique blend of information and advice based on personal experiences. The result is an extremely useful and practical book that introduces step-by-step processes for the job search with a major section on the impact ASD has in the workplace, including managing sensory problems, how to nurture and turn talents and special interests into paid work, jobs that are particularly suited to individuals on the spectrum, and much more. First-hand accounts of job experiences and advice from individuals representing a broad range of careers particularly suited for high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum round off this exciting new resource.

Face Cards for Emotional Awareness: 119 Activities for Understanding Yourself and Others, Grades 6-12. Tad Vogl, $41.95 (includes deck of 54 cards and facilitator’s manual); Face Cards for Emotional Awareness. Tad Vogl, $19.95 (cards only)

This innovative counseling tool features a deck of 54 illustrated cards showing facial expressions of various emotions. The cards help students learn "the language of emotions" as they reflect on their feelings and life experiences. A facilitator’s manual provides implementation guidelines and 119 suggested activities. The activities are flexible and provide a collection of starting points to help promote personal growth and trusting relationships with others.

In order to be socially successful, children must learn to notice and "read" the social cues and messages that people use to communicate. Fitting In and Having Fun aims to stimulate a child's perception of social situations by visually showing them how to decode and interpret information from others. It also helps them to be more aware of their own body language and the messages they are sending. The target viewer is an elementary school-aged child who is ready to learn about the intricacies of social interactions. Social interactions are broken down, showing both the negative and positive consequences of how a child interacts and responds in social settings. As the child becomes aware of other people's perspectives, they can learn what to do differently to affect a better outcome.

Fitting In and Having Fun: Confident and In Control. Social Skills Training Video Series, Volume 3. DVD $66.95

An important component to making and keeping friends is having the ability to control strong emotions and impulses. This DVD empowers children by showing them what they can do differently, in emotionally charged situations, to stay in control. It shows them how to stay calm to work out disagreements and create compromises.

Geared toward mainstreamed elementary school-aged children, it breaks down complex social interactions by showing the consequences, both positive and negative, attached to how the child interacts with others and how they choose to respond in social situations.

Fitting In and Having Fun: Moving On to Middle School. Social Skills Training Video Series, Volume 2. DVD $66.95

Children who are not prepared to face the daily challenges of middle school can quickly become overwhelmed. Students in middle school want and need to become more independent. To do this they must learn how to read and understand more complex social situations, regulate their emotions and solve more of their problems on their own. This DVD gives tips and advice on how students can handle the many new and complex situations that commonly arise. It helps them to create strategies they can use to improve their organizational, academic, and social skills.

Friendly Facts: a Fun, Interactive Resource to Help Children Explore the Complexities of Friends and Friendship. Margaret-Anne Carter & Josie Santomauro, $21.95 (ages 7-11)

Making and keeping friends doesn't come easily for some children. Many children need to be taught a range of strategies directed at expanding their social understanding skills, such as reading facial expressions and body language. Friendly Facts, an interactive workbook aimed at children ages 7-11, addresses these challenges by breaking down the complex concept of making friends into simpler ideas. Through fun, engaging activities, children gain real-life knowledge of the major "secrets" of making and keeping friends. By gaining the foundation for making and keeping friends at a crucial age, children are better prepared for successfully interacting with others for the rest of their lives.

From Isolation to Intimacy: Making Friends without Words. Phoebe Caldwell, $19.95

If you have no language, how can you make yourself understood, let alone make friends? Phoebe Caldwell has worked for many years with people with severe intellectual disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder who are non-verbal, and whose inability to communicate has led to unhappy and often violent behaviour. In this new book she explores the nature of close relationships, and shows how these are based not so much on words as on the ability to listen, pay attention, and respond in terms that are familiar to the other person. Her simple methods are accessible to anyone who lives or works with such people, and can transform lives and introduce a sense of fun, participation and of intimacy, as trust and familiarity are established.

Getting the Message: Learning to Read Facial Expressions. Pat Crissey, $54.95

Getting the Message looks at non-verbal communication as a highly complex and subtle language, an essential one that students need to master. To this end, the book provides facial expression cards and written scenarios for use in assessments as well as in teaching activities. Students learn to “read” the expressions on the cards and in the scenarios and once mastered, to generalize this knowledge and effectively read critical social interactions and situations.

Growing Up Social: Exploring How Social Communication Develops and Strategies to Help DVD. Michelle Garcia Winner & The Gray Center, $46.95 (DVD format, 2 discs, 60 minutes each)

This DVD looks at how social thinking supports the development of social skills from the first year of life, influencing language development and academic success, as well as skills for adult living. Social thinking concepts and strategies will be introduced to support this teaching across the home and school day, including an exploration of how we organize our communicative interactions and utilize active perspective-taking throughout each day.

2011 Hidden Curriculum One-A-Day Calendar for Kids: Items for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations.  Melissa Trautman & Annette Wragge, $18.95

The Hidden Curriculum Calendar for Kids is full of helpful advice that touches on all aspects of growing up - at home, at school and in the community. Parents and teachers alike will love the ease with which entries spur conversations about the countless unwritten social rules that we encounter every day and that can cause confusion and anxiety.

2011 Hidden Curriculum One-a-Day Calendar for Older Adolescents and Adults: Items for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations. Judy Endow, $18.95

Recognizing the need for more resources for adults on the autism spectrum, Judy Endow, an adult on the spectrum, has based many of the entries on her personal experiences. The thought-provoking hidden curriculum items have broad applicability across adulthood. Items cover topics such as social relationships, community, money matters, workplace and many others.

The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations. Brenda Smith Myles, et al. $21.95; DVD $32.50

The "hidden curriculum" refers to social rules or guidelines that are often not taught directly but assumed to be known. Referring to idioms, slang and metaphors as well as body language and social "rules', this hidden means of communication is taken for granted by most but can mean embarrassment, humiliation, harassment or worse for someone with social skills deficits. This new book from Brenda Smith Myles, Melissa Trautman and Ronda Schelvan offers a way "in' — practical methods for teaching these hidden rules of social interaction to children, teens and adults who struggle with the often bewildering rules and customs that they face on a daily basis.

How to Find Your Groove: Conversation Skills and Other Tips for Surviving the Social World. Laura Cornish, $32.50

Kids who struggle with social skills love the pictured scenarios of the colorful characters in this book. Conversation skills, emotional awareness & control, assertiveness training, and basic social skills are presented in a cartoon style, using theory of mind techniques. Simple worksheets can be copied for individual use.

How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Don Gabor, $14.99

Break through the shyness barrier, be a better speaker, meet more people and make new friends. How to Start a Conversation shows you how communicate with confidence, wit and enthusiasm in person or on the phone, one-on-one or in groups.

It’s So Much Work to be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success. Richard Lavoie, with a forward by Mel Levine and Preface by Rob & Michele Reiner. $19.95; DVD $53.95

A successful social life is immeasurably important to a child's happiness, health, and development. For more than thirty years, Richard Lavoie has lived with and taught learning disabled children. His bestselling PBS videos (including How Difficult Can This Be? and The F.A.T. City Workshop) and his sellout lectures and workshops have made him one of the most popular and respected experts in the field. At last, Rick's pioneering techniques for helping children achieve a happy and successful social life are available in book form. It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend offers practical strategies to help learning disabled children ages six through seventeen navigate the treacherous social waters of their school, home, and community.

Learn To Respond Appropriately: Increase Every Day Interaction. Natural Learning Concepts, $14.50

This laminated ring set contains thirty-two clear, crisp photographs of social situations. Teaching is easy since the back of each card has appropriate responses as well as a description of the card.

Let's All Listen: Songs for Group Work in Settings that Include Students with Learning Difficulties and Autism. Pat Lloyd, $39.95

Music provides a unique and powerful means of promoting communication and social interaction in students with learning difficulties. In this collection, Pat Lloyd brings together 46 songs composed or adapted for use with children with communication problems. Each of the songs features a vocal line and piano accompaniment and can be listened to on the audio CD included with the book. Pat Lloyd provides suggestions for how each song can be used and developed to encourage communication and social interaction, and lists a range of possible objectives for each one. Enjoyable and easy to use, this is an ideal resource for specialist and non-specialist music instructors working to improve the communication and social skills of students with learning difficulties, including those with autism.

Let’s Make Faces. Gerard Emerson Langeler, $14.50

Have fun drawing different faces for different feelings!

Mind Reading: the Interactive Guide to Emotions - Version 1.3. Simon Baron-Cohen, $130.00 (DVD or CD-ROM)

Mind Reading Emotions Library. University of Cambridge with Simon Baron-Cohen, $49.95

Mind Reading is a unique reference work covering the entire spectrum of human emotions. Using this software you can explore over 400 emotions, seeing and hearing each one performed by six different people.

Mind Reading has been designed with awareness of the special needs of children and adults who have difficulties recognizing emotional expression in others. It enables the user to study emotions and to learn the meanings of facial expressions and tone of voice, drawing on a comprehensive underlying audio-visual and text database. People who might find Mind Reading particularly useful are those with autism spectrum conditions, including Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder, Atypical Autism, Classic Autism, and Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities.

The Model Me Kids Video Series for Modeling Social Skills (DVD format)

The Model Me Kids Video Series for Modeling Social Skills were created for children and youth with autism, Asperger syndrome, nonverbal learning disorders, social anxiety, learning disabilities and other developmental delays. The DVDs demonstrate a wide variety of social skills and are great teaching tools for visual learners.

Model Me Friendship DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (75 minutes; Ages 9-17)
Model Me Conversation Cues DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (68 minutes; Ages 9-17)
Model Me Tips and Tricks DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (67 minutes; Ages 9-17)
Model Me Confidence DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (63 minutes, Ages 9-17)

• Conversation Cues features middle and high school-aged children demonstrating social skills at school and in the community.

• Friendship presents social skills needed to develop and maintain friendship. It features teen-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills at school, playing on sports teams, eating at a restaurant and in other settings.

• Tips & Tricks features upper elementary, middle, and high school-aged children demonstrating social skills at school and in the community.

• Confidence models skills for building self-esteem and preventing bullying including self-advocacy, choosing friends, positive self-talk, and more. Bonus DVD on bullying geared toward parents, schools, and therapists, featuring Asperger's guru Nick Dubin.

Model Me Time for School DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (61 minutes; Ages 5-12)
Model Me Time for a Playdate DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (67 minutes; Ages 5-12)
Model Me I Can Do It! DVD & Photo CD, $35.95 (53 minutes; Ages 5-12)

• Time for School presents social skills in the context of school. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills in the classroom, library, on the playground, and in the hallway.

• Time for a Playdate presents social skills in the context of several playdates. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills on a playdate.

• I Can Do It! presents social skills in the context of challenging circumstances. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate behavior in a variety of difficult situations.

Model Me Faces and Emotions DVD & Photo CD, $28.95 (27 minutes; Ages 2-8)
Model Me Going Places DVD & Photo CD, $29.95 (42 minutes; Ages 2-8)

• Faces and Emotions — watch as young children demonstrate a wide range of faces and emotions. This is a great teaching tool for visual learners.

• Going Places models appropriate behavior in community locations including the hairdresser, grocery store, dentist, doctor, mall, and more. Free supplementary iPhone/iPod app featuring locations from the DVD.

Model Me Time for School, Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set. Model Me Kids, $59.95
Model Me Conversation Cues, Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set. Model Me Kids, $57.95

• Model Me Kids Teaching Manuals and Student Workbooks complement the video modeling DVDs and help extend the lessons taught in the live-action DVDs. These resources help teach social skills at home, in a classroom, social skills group, or other teaching setting. The Teaching Manual comes complete with lesson plans and the Student Workbook has numerous social skills worksheets and activities. Sold separately from DVDs

The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition. Carol Gray, $37.95

Over 100 social stories that teach everyday social skills to children with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome and their peers. The book includes a CD-ROM of printable, editable social stories. This new edition is a bright, colourful and practical update to writing, modifying, teaching and using Social Stories at home and at school.

The One and Only Sam. Aileen Stalker, $18.95

A story explaining idioms for children with Asperger Syndrome and other communication difficulties.

The visual tools in The Planner Guide help individuals with disabilities to "connect the dots" of social understanding and life skills. Adolescents, youth and adults will benefit from learning skills of organization that will help encourage independence in school, work, home, and community. The Planner Guide can be used effectively by individuals with a wide range of disabilities, including:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Cognitive Impairments
• Learning Disabilities
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Any Cognitive or Social Challenges

It works as a curriculum base as well as a daily reference tool and includes nine color-coded sections:

The package comes with:

The materials support individuals on issues of personal safety, communication, self-advocacy, problem-solving, organizational and life skills, communication, relationships, education, independence and stress management.

The Planner Guide comes in a sturdy, zippered cloth case with carrying handles.

A Politically Incorrect Look at Evidence-Based Practices and Teaching Social Skills: a Literature Review and Discussion. Michelle Garcia Winner, $23.95

In this assumption-shattering essay, Michelle Garcia Winner explores the complex development of our social intelligence and asks 10 simple questions that challenge us to think deeply about how we define social skills and develop programs for students with social learning disabilities. Any person involved in educating students with social learning, especially students on the autism spectrum, will find this discussion provocative, at times unnerving, yet one that can no longer be ignored.

A Quest for Social Skills for Students with Autism or Asperger’s: Ready-to-Use Lessons with Games, Role-Play Activities and More. JoEllen Cumpata & Susan Fell, $27.95

QUEST (Questioning, Understanding, and Exploring Social Skills and Pragmatic Language Together) is a social skills program created to help middle school students with ASD who struggle with pragmatic language and social skills.

Developed by a school social worker and speech language pathologist, the program uses an intensive, proactive approach to teaching social skills, combining written instruction with games, activities, and student interaction. The book includes a CD of printable worksheets, letters, forms and more.

Social Behavior Mapping DVD. Michelle Garcia Winner & The Gray Center, $23.95 (DVD format, 50 minutes)

Social Behavior Mapping is a cognitive behavioral technique which helps students to understand how our behaviors affect others, which then impacts on how they treat us and ultimately how we feel about ourselves. This helps to demystify the complexity of social thought and related behaviors. On this DVD, the evolution of social behavior mapping is explained along with step-by-step instructions on how to use this valuable treatment strategy. The DVD corresponds with a book called Social Behavior Mapping, also by Michelle Garcia Winner. Included on this resource is a brief discussion of Michelle Garcia Winner's other books and DVDs and their applicability for a variety of situations and audiences.

Social Behavior Mapping DVD Templates: These templates (contained in a seven page pdf document) come FREE after you purchase a Social Behavior Mapping DVD by Michelle Garcia Winner. Just use the coupon code printed on the face of the disc when you receive your DVD.

Social and Communication Development in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Identification, Diagnosis, and Intervention. Edited by Tony Charman and Wendy Stone, $27.95

This book presents important advances in understanding and treating the early social-communication difficulties that are hallmarks of autism spectrum disorders. Contributors highlight the connections between ASD and impairments in attention, communication and language, play, and imitation. They review approaches to supporting children's functioning in each area, along with evidence-based screening and assessment strategies. Valuable advice is offered on matching treatment to individual children's needs. The book also explores the developmental and neurobiological processes that underlie social-communication deficits in ASD.

Social Competence Intervention Program: a Drama-Based Intervention for Youth on the Autism Spectrum. Laura Guli, Alison Wilkinson & Margaret Semrud-Clikeman, $35.95; Forms and Handouts CD-ROM, $18.95

SCIP is a drama-based intervention for youth ages 8-14. Designed to help students accurately perceive and respond to nonverbal aspects of social interactions, such as facial expressions, body language and tone of voice, students are asked to participate in process dramas and take on roles that explore various outcomes. They also learn practical skills for dealing with teasing and understanding complex social cues.

Social Competence of Young Children: Risk, Disability, and Intervention. Edited by William Brown, Samuel Odom & Scott McConnell, $41.95

How can early childhood professionals ensure that young children have the skills to develop the social relationships they need to succeed? This comprehensive resource puts research and effective strategies within reach as professionals work with children from birth to age 5, especially those who are risk for or who have a social competence difficulties.

Social Skills and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Lynn Plimley & Maggie Bowen, $36.95

Social Skills and Autistic Spectrum Disorders examines the concerns around inappropriate social behaviour that those living and working with children and adults with ASD face on a day-to-day basis. It discusses preventative measures and intervention strategies, and uses real-life case studies to illustrate these.

Social Skills for Teenagers and Adults with Asperger Syndrome: a Practical Guide to Day-to-Day Life. Nancy Patrick, $19.95

This resource provides practical strategies for helping teenagers and adults with Asperger Syndrome to navigate social skills, friendships and relationships at home and in the community.

Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: the PEERS Treatment Manual. Elizabeth Laugeson & Fred Frankel, $52.95

A comprehensive, evidence-based manual  for tackling such issues as developing conversational skills, choosing friends, using humor, teasing, bullying, gossiping and handling disagreements.

Social Skills Training and Frustration Management: DVD. Jed Baker, $109.95 DVD format, 4.5 hours

This comprehensive, dynamic presentation is extremely valuable to all family members and professionals working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, mood and anxiety disorders, and other issues that impact social-emotional functioning. The DVD workshop will help parents and professionals learn how to:

• Build an individual’s social skills in crucial areas such as conversation, conflict resolution, emotion management, employment, dating, etc.
• Develop an effective behavior plan
• Manage and prevent meltdowns
• Help create peer acceptance
• Assess social skills of individuals or groups

The Social Success Workbook for Teens: Skill-Building Activities for Teens with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder & Other Social-Skill Problems. Barbara Cooper & Nancy Widdows, $18.95; Professional version (with CD-ROM) $39.95

This engaging workbook includes forty activities to help teens recognize and use their strengths to overcome social skills deficits related to Asperger's disorder or nonverbal learning disorder. Developed especially for teens, the activities in this workbook teach how to learn to read social cues, understand emotions, avoid meltdowns, and more.

Socially Curious and Curiously Social: a Social Thinking Guidebook for Teens and Young Adults with Asperger’s, ADHD, PDD-NOS, NVLD or Other Murky Undiagnosed Social Learning Issues. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, $25.95

This book is a “get real” discussion about what really goes on inside the mind of people as we share space together. From discussing the “ins and outs” of what it means to be a “Social Thinker” to figuring out texting, dating, the many different levels of friendship and the many and varied emotions we experience as we relate to others, the authors describe the “real world” of being with other people.

The Socially Included Child: a Parent’s Guide to Successful Playdates, Recreation and Family Events for Children with Autism. Laurie LeComer, $17.50

Parents of children with autism often end up skipping family functions, playdates, and social outings for fear that their children will be unsafe, behave inappropriately, or feel overwhelmed. Now, no matter a child’s language skills or behaviors, he or she can start participating socially with this indispensable step-by-step guide for socializing any child on the autism spectrum.

Here is the essential guide for parents who want to ensure that their children enjoy the benefits—and fun—of socializing, while still accommodating their special needs.

The Space Place — We Have Lift Off! Catalyst Video Ltd., $65.95

The Space Place is designed to help young children have a better understanding of emotions and social interaction. The series features a space museum full of model space vehicles and rockets with friendly faces.  When George, the caretaker, locks up at night, all the models come to life and the fun begins!

Twelve episodes, each focusing on one emotion, are the central part of this DVD. Also included are interactive games and activities, a set of playing cards featuring emotions and a bonus CD with a special 3D game.

Staying in the Game: Providing Social Opportunities for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Disabilities. James Loomis, $22.95

Staying in the Game picks up where many social skills training programs leave off — with generalization. The book addresses this void by presenting a range of interventions aimed at promoting generalization of social skills by showing how to establish social situations that can be opportunities for generalization.

Sticker Strategies: Practical Strategies to Encourage Social Thinking and Organization. Michelle Garcia Winner, $55.95

Sticker Strategies includes over 80 fundamental teaching concepts/student strategies that have been printed onto color-coded 4x6 inch stickers to apply to a spiral-bound set of index cards for a student to use at his or her desk while at school or home. The text on the stickers is also provided on an additional page for copying for future use with different students. Topics include:

• Asking for Help
• Emotions & Problem Solving
• Organization, Writing and Homework
• Group Work
• Social Thinking
• Family Time – Home Strategies

The goal of the sticker strategy tool is for teachers to work with students to determine which strategies or social thinking reminders fit best for each student; a small book of key strategies can then be developed based on the student's needs that the student can transport around campus. Blank stickers at the end of each chapter allow for the creation of individual, unique stickers. Use this book as a launching pad to create your own customized strategies. This very practical tool has helpful tips for all students and not just those with social learning challenges!

Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables. Stephanie Madrigal & Michele Garcia Winner, $25.95

Superflex shows elementary school students how they can use strategies to conquer their own “Team of Unthinkables”. In the process, students learn to calm themselves and to use strategies to assess the size of problems and other issues. As students face Glassman and other Unthinkables, they build up and learn to flex nimble, new thinking skills that help them manage and work on the thoughts and behaviors that may be causing them problems.

Also: Superflex Takes on Rock Brian and the Team of Unthinkables. Stephanie Madrigal & Kelly Kopp, $14.50

Talking Together Social Stories. Natural Learning Concepts, $10.95 each

Like the Now I Get It Social Story Books for younger children, these simple picture books designed for older children and teens cover topical issues that many on the autism spectrum struggle with. Each book has two stories that clarify daily routines and explain social rules. The comprehension questions at the end of each story ensure reinforcement and understanding.

Talking Together: Classroom Behavior & On the School Bus.

Talking Together: Dealing with Bullies & Stranger Danger.

Talking Together: Making Mistakes & Making Responsible Choices.

Talking Together: Sometimes I Have to Wait & When to Say Thanks.

Talking Together: Social Rules & Having a Conversation.

Talking Together: Talking on the Telephone.

Teaching Social Communication to Children with Autism: a Practitioner's Guide to Parent Training and a Manual for Parents. Brooke Ingersoll & Anna Dvortcsak, $97.95

This two-book package + DVD presents a parent-training approach that is accessible, evidence based, and highly practical. Grounded in developmental and behavioral research, the Practitioner's Guide provides step-by-step guidelines for conducting parent training individually or in groups. It takes proven techniques for promoting the social-communication skills of young children with autism (up to age 6) and breaks them into simple yet effective steps so parents can learn how to do them. The DVD, for use in the training sessions, features video clips of parents implementing the techniques with their children, as well as PowerPoint slides. The Practitioner's Guide also features 30 reproducible handouts and forms.

The companion Manual for Parents helps parents master the techniques and use them at home with their child during daily routines and activities.

Copies of the parent manual are also sold separately.Teaching Social Communication to Children with Autism: a Manual for Parents. Brooke Ingersoll & Anna Dvortcsak, $27.95

Thinking about YOU, Thinking about ME: Teaching Perspective Taking and Social Thinking to Persons with Social Cognitive Learning Challenges, 2nd Edition. Michelle Garcia Winner, $57.25

Thinking about YOU, Thinking about ME is one of Michelle Garcia Winner’s best-selling works. This newly revised edition includes 140 new pages of information, including two new chapters and an updated philosophy throughout. The assessment chapter has been re-written and expanded to include a Social Thinking Dynamic Assessment Protocol®, with more detailed assessment techniques. As well, this second edition includes:

• Winner's 3 Levels of Social Cognitive Perspective Taking
• Review of Social Cognition and Related Theories
• The 4 Steps of Communication Explained and Related Treatment Activities
• Concrete Strategies to help students become aware of the impact their words and actions have on other people's thoughts, emotions and actions
• Sample IEP Goals and Benchmarks

Understanding Emotions. $14.50 (Laminated Ring Sets - size 3"x3.5")

A superb quality photograph on the front of each card teaches a child to label emotions. The back of each card teaches a child how these emotions feel and when they could occur. This convenient ring set keeps the cards intact and is the perfect size to carry around. Cards can easily be removed from the ring to provide multiple learning options. Emotions in the set include happy, sad, angry, frustrated, excited and many more.

We Can Make It Better. Elizabeth Delsandro, $29.95

A strategy to motivate and engage young learners in social problem-solving through flexible stories.  Includes a CD-Rom with printable worksheets and 21 “We Can Make It Better” stories.

What Did You Say? What Do You Mean? An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Metaphors. Jude Welton & Jane Telford, $17.95

Children with autism or Asperger Syndrome (AS) have difficulty understanding figurative language because they use and comprehend language literally and expect words to mean exactly what they say. This can often lead to misunderstandings at home and in the classroom.

What Did You Say? What Do You Mean? looks at a hundred of the most common figures of speech in this visual workbook designed as a springboard for family and classroom discussions. Each figure of speech is accompanied by an illustration showing its literal meaning, which will help AS children recognize and learn to enjoy metaphors and figurative language. The book can be used by parents one-to-one with their ASD child. Teachers can also use the book as the basis for classroom work on figurative language.

What Did You Say? What Do You Mean? 120 Illustrated Metaphor Cards Plus Booklet with Information, Ideas and Instructions. Jude Welton & Jane Telford, $38.95

What Did You Say? What Do You Mean? metaphor cards present 60 common sayings in a fun, illustrated format, encouraging children to understand and play with metaphorical language. Although designed with children with Asperger Syndrome in mind, the cards are useful for all children. The accompanying booklet contains information and ideas for games and activities.

What is Friendship? Games and Activities to Help Children to Understand Friendship. Pamela Day, $27.95

Friendship is a vital part of achieving emotional well-being, but some children experience difficulties both initiating and maintaining friendships. This fun and accessible programme contains detailed instructions and photocopiable handouts for teaching children about friendship. The book combines group activities, individual work, homework exercises and games, and will be especially useful for groups containing children with developmental and social difficulties, such as ADHD and autism. Developed in an inclusive classroom, this programme will arm children with useful strategies to deal with difficult situations such as negative peer pressure and conflict.

What is Friendship is ideally suited for use with children aged 7-11, but can be adapted for younger children or older children with developmental difficulties.

What's That Look on Your Face? All About Faces and Feelings. Catherine Snodgrass, $20.95 (Gr. 2-5)

Recognizing and interpreting facial expressions and the feelings they represent poses a great challenge for children with language and communication difficulties, including those with an autism spectrum disorder. This strikingly illustrated book helps young readers link faces to feelings by presenting situations they can all relate to. Each page spread is devoted to a feeling expressed through an exaggerated facial expression accompanied by a short poem that further elaborates on the expression to reinforce its meaning.

Worksheets! For Teaching Social Thinking and Related Skills. Michelle Garcia Winner, $36.95

Worksheets for Teaching Social Thinking and Related Skills is a practical, spiral bound book that provides over 250 lessons that address a wide range of topics related to social thinking. These copy-ready worksheets have been developed to help explain to students abstract concepts in more concrete ways and to help them better understand the social world. The worksheets are not only for the student but they also help guide the thinking of the educators and parents on how to more deeply explore a concept.

The concepts guiding the Worksheets are explored in Michelle's earlier two books, Inside Out: What Makes the Person with Social Cognitive Deficits Tick and Thinking About You Thinking About Me. This Worksheets book can also be used in conjunction with A Social Thinking Curriculum for Teaching School Age Students, to further individualize the curriculum to a student's needs.

You Are a Social Detective: Explaining Social Thinking to Kids. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, Illustrated by Kelly Knopp, $23.95

Every one of us is a Social Detective. We are good Social Detectives when we use our eyes, ears, and brains to figure out what others are planning to do next or are presently doing and what they mean by their words and deeds. This entertaining comic book offers different ways that can be reviewed repeatedly with students to teach them how to develop their own social detective skills. Enjoy watching your students and kids blossom day-by-day into successful Social Detectives!