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.

The Autism Playbook for Teens: Imagination-based Mindfulness Activities to Calm Yourself, Build Independence & Connect with Others. Irene McHenry & Carol Moog, $23.95

Teens with autism have the potential to be excellent actors. They are natural observers - able to study, imitate, and learn social behavior. The Autism Playbook for Teens is designed to bolster these strengths with mindfulness strategies and role-playing scripts, while also helping teens reduce anxiety, manage emotions, be more aware in the present moment, and connect with others.

This book offers a unique, strengths-based approach to help teens with autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome) develop social skills, strengthen communication, and thrive. The activities contained in each chapter are custom-designed to work with the unique perspectives, sensory processing, neurological strengths and challenges that teens with autism bring to their encounters with the social world. The delightful and creative activities in this book are grounded in well-documented clinical observations and current empirical studies. They also take into account the real neurological differences that exist in young people with autism, and focuses on the unique pathways needed to connect with and inspire these exceptional and fabulous teenagers.

This is the only book available for teens with autism that specifically integrates mindfulness skills and imaginative scripted role-playing activities for building authentic social experiences.

Autism: What Does It Mean to Me? : A Workbook Explaining Self Awareness and Life Lessons to the Child or Youth with High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s. Catherine Faherty, $44.95

This is a book that will never become irrelevant or "outdated." Every child or teen who uses it also becomes its co-author. Each chapter is divided in two parts: the first part — the Workbook — is for the child to complete, by writing or highlighting "What is True for Me" in lists of simple statements. The second part contains helpful tips and information for the adults helping with the exercises.

The book will provide insight into your child's mind, and make him/her more self aware, learning what autism means in relation to crucial areas of his/her life: friendships, fears, abilities, and much more. This new edition to a favorite resource includes expanded chapters, plus a new chapter on happiness. It offers children and youth with autism and Asperger's syndrome an opportunity to understand themselves in a positive and encouraging way.

Conversation Skills On the Job and In the Community: a Curriculum for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Marilyn Banks, $71.95

Conversation Skills II: Extending Conversations — a Curriculum for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Marilyn Banks, $71.95

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.

Decoding Dating: a Guide to the Unwritten Social Rules of Dating for Men with Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder). John Miller, $25.95

The rules of dating are a conundrum for many men, but for men with Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) who often have difficulty understanding social communication, they can be almost indecipherable. This book methodically breaks down the steps of dating giving advice on the best places to meet women — whether on or offline, getting ready for the big date, where to go and what to talk about, and how to tell if a second date is on the cards. Written for those with little or no prior experience on the dating scene, the book discusses how to know if you are ready for a relationship, what qualities to look for in a potential girlfriend, and if dating goes well how to make a relationship work.

A '5' Is Against the Law! Social Boundaries Straight Up: an Honest Guide for Teens and Young Adults. Kari Dunn Buron, $27.95

Building on her popular 5-Point Scale, Kari Dunn Buron takes a narrower look at challenging behavior with a particular focus on behaviors that can spell trouble for adolescents and young adults who have difficulty understanding and maintaining social boundaries. The notion behind the 5-point scale is to take an idea or behavior and break it into five parts to make it easier to understand the different degrees of behavior and, eventually, the consequences of one's behavior. Using a direct and simple style with lots of examples and hands-on activities, A '5' Is Against the Law speaks directly to adolescents and young adults.

From Isolation to Intimacy: Making Friends without Words. Phoebe Caldwell, $27.95

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 Picture: Inference and Narrative Skills for Young People with Communication Difficulties. David Nash, Illustrated by Oliver Allchin, $35.95

Young people with communication difficulties often struggle in social situations. Without adequate inference, narrative and sequencing skills, correctly interpreting and responding to other people can be a real challenge. This fully photocopiable resource has been designed to improve these skills in the way this population can often learn best — visually. This book is brimming with thought-provoking illustrations of different people in different places, all of which are accompanied by a series of questions designed to encourage prediction and inference skills.

This book will be a valuable tool for speech and language therapists/pathologists, occupational therapists, special educators, parents and anybody else looking to help young people with communication difficulties to understand and connect with the world around them.

Good Intentions Are Not Good Enough: a Guidebook for Anyone Who Feels Socially Out of Step with Others. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, $36.95

This 200+ page book is a primer about the social mind in the workplace, but the concepts and strategies are equally applicable in all areas of life. It’s largely based on the authors’ years of clinical experience working with adults who struggle socially, but may or may not identify their problems with a specific diagnosis. Many are highly intelligent and skilled employees who find it difficult to decipher the often nuanced social underpinnings that are part of daily life, on or off the job. Adults with social learning challenges often need information about social emotional relationships broken down and explained in a way that can help them build skills and understanding, one step at a time. This book does just that — it is a constructive and detailed guide to help adults learn how to do the “social dance” in order to build stronger relationships at work and beyond. Remember, good intentions aren’t good enough! Attempting to interpret others’ thoughts and emotions is as much a part of the workday as is doing our actual jobs. By learning to think socially we can change our behavior to directly affect how we are perceived and treated.

Although the content is geared to the adult with social emotional challenges, this is a great source of information for people working in HR departments to better understand social challenges and how to guide and coach employees with these challenges.

Note: Previously published as Social Thinking at Work: Why Should I Care? our new incarnation of the book is a title and cover change only. Content inside the book is the same.

The Hidden Curriculum for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations for Adolescents and Young Adults. Brenda Smith Myles, Melissa Trautman & Ronda Schelvan, $27.95

In the revised and expanded edition of this popular book, the authors narrow their target to issues common to adolescents and young adults. While many of the features of the original book have been maintained, information on evidence-based practice has been added. Further, a series of instructional strategies are provided that can be used to teach the hidden curriculum. Instructional aids include charts, forms, and templates designed to make the job of teaching and learning the hidden curriculum more effective.

The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment, a Guide for Individuals with Autism Spectrum and Other Social-Cognitive Challenges. Brenda Smith Myles, Judy Endow & Malcom Mayfield, $27.95

Adults on the spectrum often have difficulty getting and keeping a job that is unrelated to their job skills. This practical and easy-to-use book provides necessary yet often untaught information on a variety of topics related to getting a job, finding a mentor, networking, using agencies, interviewing, talking with supervisors, dealing with on-the-job-frustrations, understanding the social rules at work and many other topics.

How to Start, Carry On and End Conversations: Scripts for Social Situations for People On the Autism Spectrum. Paul Jordan, $17.95

Do you find it hard to make friends? Do you struggle to know what to say to start a conversation? In this book, Paul Jordan, who is on the autism spectrum, explains how to make sense of everyday social situations you might encounter at school, university or in other group settings. He reveals how, with the use of just 65 simple words, it is possible to create 'scripts for thinking' that break conversations down into small chunks and help you to think of what to say, whether you are speaking to a fellow student, starting a conversation with a new friend, calling out bullies or answering a teacher's question. These small words will be a big help for all teenagers and young people with ASD.

How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Don Gabor, $22.00

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.

Learning the Hidden Curriculum: the Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Judy Endow, $23.50

Drawing from her personal experiences, Judy Endow provides lots of hidden curriculum items that pertain to most areas of adult life. In relating how she personally has learned to more successfully maneuver social interactions, she also presents a framework for developing the ability to more quickly assess a situation and take steps to avoid making social blunders before they have been committed. A sampling of strategies includes Pause and Match, Laugh Along, Recognize and Expand Black-and-White Thinking, and It Is Not Necessary to Report All My Truths. Judy's framework enables readers to learn to create their own social "rules" and, as a result, live freer, more successful lives.

Learning Social Skills: a Conversation Workbook. Do2Learn, $35.95

Conversations involve complex sets of rules. This workbook for teens and young adults explains some of the more basic ones so that other people can better understand your actions and your needs. The workbook gives you visual guides and blank pages you can fill in, to practice conversation tips with others.

Making Friends at Work: Learning to Make Positive Choices in Social Situations for People with Autism. Saffron Gallup, $17.95

Making new friends at work can be tricky — it's tough to predict how people will react to certain situations. This 'choose your own response' book can show you how these situations could potentially play out. Some endings are positive and some less so, and the book includes explanations about why particular outcomes may have occurred, so you can learn to avoid those situations. The best part is you can go back and see how a different choice can change the outcome of the story!

Mike’s Crush: Teaching Relationship Skills to Adolescents with Autism, Asperger’s, or Intellectual Disabilities. Nancy Nowell, $37.95 (ages 11 and up)

Young people in middle and high school need to be able to negotiate a wide range of relationships by the time they graduate, without these skills they can struggle in the workplace and have difficulty making new friends. Many parents of children with ASD or intellectual disabilities are worried about loneliness, romantic relationships, puberty, sexual abuse, and sexual behavior that can cause serious problems or may be illegal; and there are good reasons for them to worry about these issues.

MIKE’S CRUSH teaches teens what to do when they have a crush; what behaviors can get them in trouble; and how to recognize when someone is not interested in them. These fun and interactive lessons and videos were specifically designed to help parents and caregivers teach middle and high school relationship skills that will serve them throughout adolescence and adulthood.

Mike’s Crush: Understanding High School Relationships. Nancy Nowell, $225.95

Some adolescents and adults with ASD or intellectual disabilities struggle with loneliness, starting and maintaining friendships, and romantic relationships because they have not developed good people skills.They have a difficult time carrying on a conversation, do not ask questions and learn about others, and don’t listen well. This affects their ability to make friends, have a boy / girlfriend and/or get along at work. Others have more serious problems such as: victimization, post traumatic stress disorder, problematic sexual behavior and sex offending behavior.

Teaching adolescents about intimate and romantic relationships is complex but necessary to keep them safe from sexual abuse or contact with the criminal justice system because of a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge. MIKE’S CRUSH teaches essential adolescent romantic relationship skills to students with autism, Asperger’s, and intellectual disabilities.

These materials teach healthy relationship skills to middle and high school students. The goal of the school curricula and relationship classes is to provide adolescents and adults a safe place to learn new information, watch DVD’s demonstrating healthy and unhealthy relationships, and practice the new skills that are being learned.

• Models the difference between a crush and stalking behavior
• Practices safe relationship skills using role play and video self modeling
• Explores many unspoken high school relationship rules
• Boundaries — Teaching physical, emotional, informational, and relationship boundaries
• Appearance Matters — grooming and taking care of your body
• Sexual Abuse Risk Reduction / Abusive relationships
• Rules and Laws — What happens if you break rules and laws
• Relationship communication skills / how to get to know someone
• Decision-making / being in a healthy relationship

The Model Me Kids Video Series for Modeling Social Skills DVDs

THE MODEL ME KIDS VIDEO SERIES FOR MODELING SOCIAL SKILLS was 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 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 the DVDs.

Teachers - Speech Language Pathologists - 
School Psychologists - Autism Service Providers
Model Me Kids® Autism Training Workshops

Model Me Kids® now offers professional training workshops. Schedule an in-service workshop for your school, designed to teach staff how to implement social skills training for children with autism using video modeling. For more information, or to schedule a training workshop, please contact: [email protected]

Learn More

Model Me Interactive™: Practicing Conversation CD-ROM, $71.95 (Ages 7-13)

MODEL ME INTERACTIVE™: PRACTICING CONVERSATION combines video modeling teaching tools with the interactive capability of software. First, video models a conversation between children. Then, the student practices the conversation using a webcam. The practice conversation is recorded and a feedback area allows teachers to comment on and grade a student's recordings.

The interactive conversation can be prompted with text or this feature may be turned off once the user becomes familiar with the lines. The text prompts may be changed by the user for an endless number of possible responses to the conversation prompts. The software is intuitive and easy to use. Clear text buttons allow for navigation by young users.

Ages 15 to 21:

Model Me Job Skills. Watch as young adults model social skills helpful for gaining and maintaining employment — from interviews and greetings, to understanding rules and workplace expectations. The DVD comes with bonus software that combines video modeling teaching tools with the interactive capability of software, allowing a student to practice a conversation using a webcam. DVD, $48.95 (80 minutes)

Ages 9 to 17:

Model Me Confidence & Bullying Prevention. Modelling skills to prevent bullying and build self-esteem. DVD, $42.95 (63 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me Conversation Cues. Modelling conversation skills. DVD, $40.95 (68 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me Friendship. Modelling how to initiate and maintain friendships. DVD, $42.95 (75 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me Movement, Balance & Calming. Movement activities developed by an Occupational Therapist to improve balance, increase core strength, and promote self-calming.  DVD, $42.95 (60 minutes)

Model Me Organization & Motivation. Modelling skills for staying organized and persisting. DVD, $45.00 (63 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me Tips and Tricks. Demonstrating social skills tips and tricks. DVD, $42.95 (67 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me Yoga demonstrates yoga activities that promote the social and emotional development of children ages 7-17. Developed to help address challenges with attention, Autism Spectrum Disorders, social skills, self-regulation, learning, and low muscle tone, this DVD can be used in classrooms, camps, and other group settings as well as in-home.  DVD, $42.95 (153 minutes)

Ages 5 to 12:

Model Me 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. DVD, $42.95 (53 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $104.95; 5 Student Workbooks $104.95

Model Me Time for a Playdate. Presents social skills in the context of several playmates. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills on a playdate. DVD, $42.95 (67 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Model Me 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. DVD, $42.95 (61 minutes); Teaching Manual and Student Workbook Set, $72.95; Teaching Manual & 4 Student Workbooks $102.95; 5 Student Workbooks $102.95

Ages 3 to 14:

Model Me Airplane. Presents the essential elements of air travel. Follow Owen as he goes through the airport, security, and boarding. Then join him on the plane as he listens to the flight attendant, buckles his seatbelt, and enjoys the plane ride. DVD, $35.95 (50 minutes)

Ages 2 to 8:

Model Me Faces and Emotions. Watch as young children demonstrate a wide range of faces and emotions. This is a great teaching tool for visual learners. DVD, $35.95 (27 minutes)

Model Me Going Places. Models appropriate behavior in community locations including the hairdresser, grocery store, dentist, doctor, mall, and more. DVD, $35.95 (42 minutes)

Model Me Training: Practical Strategies for Using Video Modeling for Teaching Social Skills to Children with Autism. Elizabeth Delsandro & Jennifer Cerbasi, $42.95 (2 DVD set)

This workshop examines video modeling as an evidence-based method of improving social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD often have social skills deficits that interfere with success. Video modeling has been found to be an efficient and effective method of teaching social skills to children with ASD. This DVD workshop addresses how to implement a video modeling program, pairing video modeling with other social skills training approaches, and strategies for generalization of skills.

This recorded video of our live professional training workshop is for teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals, speech language pathologists, and Autism service providers. Run Time: DVD 1 approx. 83 minutes, DVD 2 approx. 64 minutes

Preparing for Life: The Complete Guide for Transitioning to Adulthood for those with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome. Jed Baker, $45.50

The author of the best-selling Social Skills Picture Book now speaks to the growing challenge of social skills in young, and-not-so-young, adults with autism/Asperger's Syndrome. Often the barrier to success, the lack of social skills can be frustrating and a very real challenge. This easy-to-follow resource provides a complete toolbox of skills that can open doors to opportunities. Includes sections on perspective taking, non-verbal communication, conversational skills, goal setting, and stress management.

The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults. Elizabeth Laugeson, $30.95 (includes DVD)

This book is based on UCLA's acclaimed PEERS program, a research-based approach to helping adolescents and young adults with autism make and keep friends. This step-by-step guide helps parents, educators, and others to provide "social coaching" to teens and young adults on the spectrum.

The book includes concrete rules and steps of social etiquette identified through research. Parents can use the book to assist in improving conversational skills, expanding social opportunities (including dating), identifying strategies for handling peer rejection, and developing and enhancing friendships. Lessons are taught using didactic teaching narratives, followed by key rules and steps. The book features a bonus DVD with video demonstrations of the skills taught and a mobile application that helps teens and young adults use the strategies in real-world situations.

Should I or Shouldn't I? A Game to Encourage Social Thinking and Social Problem Solving! Dominique Baudry, $34.95 (Middle & High School Edition)

This adaptable game encourages players to think about their own behavior choices and then compare how their perceptions match (or don’t) those of the other players. It revolves around the idea of perspective taking - being able to think about others, their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how this interrelationship plays out in social situations. The game is based on the Social Thinking concepts and vocabulary introduced by Michelle Garcia Winner and outlined in her many books and articles on the topic.

Should I or Shouldn't I? Middle & High School Edition Expansion Pack. Dominique Baudry, $24.50

Double your playing fun with the Should I or Shouldn't I? Expansion Packs! This product is an add-on to the original Should I or Shouldn’t I™ games. In the game, players ages rate a behavior in a particular context on a scale based on whether the behavior was expected or not, and then compare how their perceptions match (or don’t) to those of the other players. Teachers, clinicians, and families have been playing this game so often that they've gone through all the playing cards and have been asking for more. Well — we listened!

The expansion pack includes 300 new situations that cover various age-related topics encountered at school, home, and in the community. Add the new cards to your existing game decks or use them on their own to prompt deep discussion and learning on perspective taking, self-awareness, and executive functioning.

60 Social Situations & Discussion Starters to Help Teens on the Autism Spectrum Deal with Friendships, Feelings, Conflict and More. Matt Winter, $31.95

Teenagers and older children on the autism spectrum are, like everyone else, surrounded by complex social codes and rules that govern everyday interaction, but have much more difficulty in interpreting them. This book of realistic and thought-provoking stories provides much needed help.

Written with both parent and teen in mind, every story outlines a real-life situation that young people on the autism spectrum are likely to encounter. Each story is followed by questions such as 'what else might he have done?', 'how do you think she felt?' and 'why do you think they were upset?' along with practical tips for parents on how to initiate constructive discussions. As teens consider these questions with adults, they will begin to be able to put themselves into someone else's shoes and think about how their actions and behaviour may affect those around them. This process will equip them to transfer this invaluable understanding and confidence to other everyday life situations.

Social Behavior and Self-Management: 5-Point Scales for Adolescents and Adults. Kari Dunn Buron, Jane Thierfeld Brown, Mitzi Curtis & Lisa King, $27.95

Building on the success of the INCREDIBLE 5-POINT SCALE, by Buron and Curtis, this book also uses scales as a way of explaining social and emotional concepts to individuals who have difficulty understanding such information but have a relative strength in understanding systems. The 5-point scales can be used to increase communication between the person on the spectrum and their support person. It can increase self-management skills and, once learned, it can serve as an excelled self-advocacy tool. As such, it is invaluable at school, on the job and in the community.

Social Fortune or Social Fate: a Social Thinking Graphic Novel Map for Social Quest Seekers. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pam Crooke, $34.95

Utilizing the graphic novel with anime illustrations concept to capture the attention of teens, we have developed this book to teach the core concepts related to Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Behavior Mapping (SBM). The core of the book consists of 10 social scenarios, each one scenario is played out through the lens of Social Fortune or Social Fate by demonstrating visually how a situation can change quickly based on how someone reacts within it. Every scenario begins with a mini-story told through a four pictured comic strip which then leads the protagonist to a decision making point. If the decision made leads to others feeling good and ultimately the character feeling good about him or herself, this will be represented as “social fortune.”  However, if the protagonist makes a decision that traps him/her and peers/adults in an uncomfortable or frustrating situation, this leads to “social fate.”

This book is unique in its layout and format. The first cover depicts the Social Fortune side of the book; but when the reader turns the book over, the back side of the cover appears up-side down. This is the Social Fate side — a playful way to point out two different points of view.  

The Social and Life Skills MeNu. Karra Barber, $52.95

During adolescence social development and social status among peers is of crucial importance. For teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) social interaction does not come naturally and often needs to be carefully learned. This workbook provides guided strategies to help those with ASD engage and connect with other people at home, school, work, social gatherings and in the community. By practicing these easy techniques students can improve self-awareness, increase self-confidence and build on their daily life skills.

This book will be a life-changing tool for all teenagers and young adults with social cognitive disorders, as well as their parents and the teachers and other professionals who work with them.

The Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond. Jed Baker, $54.95

The Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond offers parents and educators of teens (and young adults) photos of actual students engaging in a variety of social situations. This visual learning format shows, rather than tells, students the right (and wrong) ways to interact in different circumstances. The photos illustrate the positive and the negative consequences of social interactions in a wide variety of real-life situations that are important to teens.

Social Skills for Teenagers and Adults with Asperger Syndrome: a Practical Guide to Day-to-Day Life. Nancy Patrick, $24.95

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.

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, $20.50

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.

Social Thinking THINKSHEETS for Tweens and Teens: Learning to Read in Between the Social Lines. Michelle Garcia Winner, $48.95

Social Thinking Worksheets for Tweens and Teens, has a new name: Social Thinking Thinksheets for Tweens and Teens. It’s the same great content, now with a new title and cover.

Thinksheets for Tweens and Teens focuses on the social issues and challenges faced by pre-adolescents and adolescents and introduces social concepts and strategies that can help individuals navigate these tricky years. Social rules and expectations change with age; thinking and behavior that was appropriate in elementary school can quickly become inappropriate and unexpected as students move into middle and high school. Thinksheets help educators, therapists, and parents encourage more mature social thinking and related shifts in their students’ social skills. The thinksheets explore a wide range of topics, starting with the basic Social Thinking understanding of the Four Steps of Communication, to exploring the hidden rules of the classroom. Thinksheets books are easily used by parents, paraprofessionals, or professionals. Thinksheets are designed to help guide the thinking of both the teacher and the student in working together to better understand social issues and social challenges.

Socially Curious and Curiously Social: a Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, $34.95

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.

Taking Care of Myself2: for Teenagers & Young People with ASD. Mary Wrobel, $33.95

Taking Care of Myself2 is written specifically for teenagers and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is an instructional book to be used by parents, instructors, therapists, and individuals on the autism spectrum. Most of the information is written concisely, however, simple how-to lists are included. This book is great to use in an instructional setting, especially for those individuals who are familiar with that type of format. Teenagers and young adults with ASD typically want what everyone in their age group wants. Being able to fit in, being as independent as possible, and developing relationships, including friendships, as well as loving, intimate relationships, are important to individuals with ASD.

Fitting in involves looking and acting appropriately, typical of their age peers and feeling comfortable in public and social situations. Topics such as, dressing for different events, feeling anxious in social situations, and public versus private behaviors are included in this book. Being independent means understanding and managing their health and personal safety, to the best of their ability. This includes important topics such as staying healthy, anxiety, depression, feeling suicidal, social media, sexual harassment and even rape.

Forming relationships, especially intimate relationships are of special interest to teens and young adults on the autism spectrum. Several topics such as, developing a variety of relationships, as well as sex and sexual relationships are covered in this book. Other topics include: finding and keeping friends, finding a boyfriend or girlfriend, how do we define sex, safe and responsible sex, deciding to have sex with a partner, and sex is a choice.

Thinksheets for Teaching Social Thinking® and Related Skills. Michelle Garcia Winner, $49.95 (formerly titled Worksheets!)

One of Social Thinking's best-selling books, Worksheets!, now has a new name: THINKSHEETS. Same great content, now with a new title and cover. THINKSHEETS encourages higher functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder, social (pragmatic) communication disorder, ADHD, or other related social–emotional learning challenges to process more deeply what social thinking means to them. The curriculum works best for students mid elementary through high school. The THINKSHEETS are coded for different aged students.

Developed from years of working with students with social–cognitive challenges, the THINKSHEETS serve as mini-lesson plans to introduce Social Thinking concepts. Educators can then take these concepts and adapt them through different activities they develop. Teachers, therapists, parents, and other caregivers can also copy and send the material to other stakeholders in the individual’s life to reinforce the concepts the student is learning.

Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries through the Unique Perspectives of Autism. Temple Grandin & Sean Barron, $27.50

Born with autism, both authors now famously live successful social lives. But their paths were very different. Temple's logical mind controlled her social behavior. She interacted with many adults and other children, experiencing varied social situations. Logic informed her decision to obey social rules and avoid unpleasant consequences. Sean's emotions controlled his social behavior. Baffled by social rules, isolated and friendless, he made up his own, and applied them to others. When they inevitably broke his rules, he felt worthless and unloved. Both Temple and Sean ultimately came to terms with the social world and found their places in it. Whether you are a person with autism, a caregiver in the autism community, or just someone interested in an "outsider" view of society, their powerful stories will enthrall and enlighten you.