Dr. Chris’ Autism Journal

The Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism is a book which uses pictures of real children to teach over 30 social skills such as conversation, manners, and empathy.  I use this book frequently with older or higher-functioning children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.  Because children with autism often learn better using visual supports, books like this are great tools for making complex social interactions more salient.  I also really like that they used pictures of real children rather than cartoons or drawings.  This helps show peer modeling in a 2-D situation.  When I have used this book, I typically supplement it with video modeling and hands-on activities with peers.  I have never used the book on its own, nor do I think that was the intention of the authors.  I would strongly recommend this book to teachers, behavioral therapists, and speech therapists.  It can also be useful for parents who are trying to teach social understanding to their child, or to use when a play date comes over.