LEGO -Based Therapy ─ How to Build Social Competence Through LEGO -Based Clubs for Children With Autism and Related Conditions

LeGoff, a pediatric neuropsychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral conditions in infants, children, and adolescents, et al. offer a guide to LeGoff's LEGO-based therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders or related social communication difficulties and anxiety conditions. They describe the history, rationale, development, and outcome studies of LEGO clubs for group therapy; their implementation, participants, staff, environment, and basic principles; modes of intervention, including individual therapy and pivotal skills and collaborative building with one or two peers; group sessions; effective and ineffective therapy strategies; behavior management and rewards; setting up therapy groups; materials and arrangements; assessment procedures; and two therapists' experiences running LEGO clubs. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Daniel B. LeGoff is a licensed and board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist, and the pioneer of LEGOR Therapy. A psychology graduate of the University of Winnipeg, Canada, Dr LeGoff received Master's and Doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. He then completed residency and post-doctoral training at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, and the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral conditions in infants, children, and adolescents.Gina Gomez De La Cuesta completed her PhD in 2008 at the Cambridge University Autism Research Centre, running and evaluating LEGOR therapy under the supervision of Daniel LeGoff, Simon Baron-Cohen and Ayla Humphrey. She is a trained teacher and has worked at the National Autistic Society as Action Research Leader. She runs training for professionals interested in LEGOR Therapy when she can and has run LEGOR Clubs in schools and clinical settings. She is now in her second year of Clinical Psychology training at the University of East Anglia. GW Krauss completed his graduate training at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and the Widener University Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. Dr Krauss has provided play and group therapy for children and adults with social and neurodevelopmental deficits since 1995. He has worked on the development and implementation LEGOR Therapy with Dr LeGoff for the past six years. Dr Krauss integrates the approach into the social learning programming for students with autism and related conditions at the Y.A.L.E. School and Clinic in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA where he is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist.Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cambridge University and a Fellow of Trinity College. He is also Director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, and runs a clinic for adults with Asperger Syndrome. Professor Baron-Cohen is involved in collaborative research on LEGOR Therapy.