Cbt to Help Young People With Asperger's Syndrome Autism Spectrum Disorder to Understand and Express Affection ─ A Manual for Professionals

Australian clinical psychologists Attwood (Griffith U.) and Garnett, who specializes in autism spectrum disorders, outline a cognitive behavioral therapy program for teachers, psychologists, and therapists to use to help children with autism spectrum disorders (who have intellectual ability in the normal range) recognize, express, and enjoy affection. Focusing on children ages eight to 13 in individual or small group settings, they help professionals aid parents and friends in challenges faced by these children in reading signals about affection and demonstrate how to help children discover how expressing and experiencing affection can improve friendships and relationships; identify their comfort and enjoyment range for gestures, actions, and words of affections, as well as those of friends and family; and improve their range of expressions for liking or loving someone that are appropriate to the relationship or situation. They explain cognitive behavior therapy, how to conduct the program and use the assessment questionnaires (provided in the appendix), how to run sessions, the session components, and each of the five sessions, which include exercises and activities. An accompanying edition of the book, From Like to Love for Young People with Asperger's Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder), is aimed at parents. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Tony Attwood, PhD, is a clinical psychologist from Brisbane, Australia, with over 30 years of experience with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He is currently adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland. He is the author of the best-selling Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, and the Exploring Feelings program manuals. Michelle Garnett, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and founder and Director of Minds & Hearts: A Specialist Clinic for Asperger's Syndrome and Autism. She has specialized in autism spectrum disorders for the past 20 years, and created the first screening instrument for Asperger's Syndrome, the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS) in 1993. Michelle has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.