Table Of ContentSocial Skills Groups for Children and Adolescents
with Asperger’s Syndrome
of related interest
AssessingandDevelopingCommunicationandThinkingSkill
inPeoplewithAutismandCommunicationDifficulties
AToolkitforParentsandProfessionals
KateSilver,AutismInitiatives
ISBN1843103524
MakingitaSuccess
PracticalStrategiesandWorksheetsforTeachingStudent
withAutismSpectrumDisorder
SueLarkey
ForewordbyTonyAttwood
ISBN1843102048
SensoryStimulation
TheoriesActivitiesandIdeas
SusanFowler,publishedwithScope(Vic)Ltd
ForewordbyHilaryJohnson
ISBN1843104555
Asperger’sSyndrome
AGuideforParents,ProfessionalsandPeople
withAsperger’sSyndrome
SecondEdition
TonyAttwood
ISBN1843103079
TheSocialPlayRecord
AToolkitforAssessingandDevelopingSocialPlay
fromInfancytoAdolescence
ChrisWhite
ISBN1843104008
Pre-SchoolerswithAutism
AnEducationandSkillsTrainingProgrammeforParents
ManualforCliniciansandManualforParents
AvrilV.BreretonandBruceJ.Tonge
ISBN1843103419
AngerManagement
AnAngerManagementTrainingPackageforIndividualswithDisabilities
HrepsimeGulbenkogluandNickHagiliassis,publishedwithScope(Vic.)Ltd
ISBN1843104369
EnhancingSelf-Esteem
ASelf-EsteemTrainingPackageforIndividualswithDisabilities
NickHagiliassisandHrepsimeGulbenkoglu,publishedwithScope(Vic)Ltd
ISBN1843103532
BeingBullied
StrategiesandSolutionsforPeoplewithAspergerSyndrome
NickDubin
ISBN1843108437
CareerTrainingandPersonalPlanning
forStudentswithAutismSpectrumDisorders
APracticalResourceforSchools
VickiLundineandCatherineSmith
ForewordbyJo-AnneSeip
ISBN1843104407
Social Skills Groups
for Children and Adolescents
with Asperger’s Syndrome
A Step-by-Step Program
Kim Kiker Painter
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
First published in 2006
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Kim Kiker Painter 2006
The right of Kim Kiker Painter to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or
incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner
except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms
of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T
4LP. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication
should be addressed to the publisher.
All pages marked(cid:1)may be photocopied for use with this program, but may not be reproduced
for any other purposes without the permission of the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil
claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Painter, Kim Kiker (Kimberly Kiker), 1977-
SocialskillsgroupsforchildrenandadolescentswithAsperger'ssyndrome:astep-by-stepprogram/Kim
Kiker Painter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84310-821-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-84310-821-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Asperger's syndrome--Patients--Rehabilitation. 2.
Asperger's syndrome--Social aspects. 3. Social skills in children. I. Title.
RJ506.A9P24 2006
618.92'858832--dc22
2006000871
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978 1 84310 821 4
ISBN-10: 184310 821 6
ISBN pdf eBook: 1 84642 519 0
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Printwise (Haverhill) Ltd, Suffolk
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7
Introduction 9
PART I:ASPERGER’S SYNDROME AND SOCIAL SKILLS
1. Overview of Asperger’s Syndrome 13
2. Diagnostic and Assessment Issues 15
3. The Importance of Social Skills 21
4. Treatment Approaches 23
5. Introduction to the Model Program 29
6. Summing Up 31
PART II:THE PROGRAM
7. The Model Program 35
Session 1:Greetings and getting to know you 36
Session 2:Identifying emotions 41
Session 3:Identifying facial expressions 46
Session 4:Continuum of emotions 50
Session 5:Tone of voice 55
Session 6:Initiating conversations 60
Session 7:Maintaining conversations:Basic conversational skills 64
Session 8:Maintaining conversations:Responding to the emotions of others 70
Session 9:Conversational skills:Phone skills 75
Session 10:Manners and dinner outing 81
8. Supplemental Sessions 85
Supplemental Session 1:Emotion collages 86
Supplemental Session 2:Tone of voice movie clips 90
Supplemental Session 3:Joining a group 94
Supplemental Session 4:Being a good sport 99
Supplemental Session 5:Personal space 103
Supplemental Session 6:Friendship skills 108
Supplemental Session 7:Perspective-taking and empathy 114
Supplemental Session 8:Flexibility and adaptability 119
Supplemental Session 9:Politeness 124
Supplemental Session 10:Understanding sarcasm and figures of speech 129
Adolescent Supplemental Session 1:Hanging out 135
Adolescent Supplemental Session 2:School dances 139
Adolescent Supplemental Session 3:Interviewing skills 145
PART III:FURTHER READING
APPENDIX:THEORETICAL BACKGROUND TO THIS RESOURCE 153
REFERENCES 166
SUBJECT INDEX 169
AUTHOR INDEX 172
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to thank my graduate school advisor, Lee A. Rosén,
Ph.D.,whohasprovidedmewiththeencouragement,direction,andinsightneededto
successfullycompletethisbook.Dr.Rosénhasnotonlybeenvitalinthecompletionof
thisproject,butalsoinmydevelopmentasaclinician,anassessor,aconsultant,anda
person.Hehasprovidedmewithnumerousopportunitiestoworkwithchildren,ado-
lescents,andfamiliesinvarioussettings—opportunitieswhichhaveproveninvaluable.
AsisDr.Rosén’snature,hewentaboveandbeyondstandardexpectations;notonlydid
he provide me with countless training opportunities, he also took the time to mentor
me. Dr. Rosén’s guidance, expertise, and humor throughout my graduate work have
helped me become a betterclinician, student, researcher, and person and I thank him
for the time he has invested in me.
IwouldalsoliketothankKarlaJ.Gingerich,Ph.D.,forherexpertiseintheareaof
autismspectrumdisorders.Dr.GingerichsupervisedthesocialskillsgroupsofwhichI
wasapart,andherknowledgeofindividualswithAsperger’sSyndromeisimpressively
extensive.Iappreciatehersharingherexpertisewithme,asithasbeenessentialinthe
creation of this book.
On amorepersonalnote, I would liketothankmy friendsandfamilywho have
providedsupport,motivation,andencouragementtomethroughoutthewritingofthis
resource.Iowemanythankstomyhusband,Todd,whohaslovinglyendureddaysof
writing,editing,andgrumpiness.Hehasbeenaneverconstantsourceofcomfort,per-
spective, and humor and I am so grateful to have him in my life.
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