“A unique curriculum using a balanced approach to working with a population for which resources are scarce ... a long-awaited and 'must-have' resource for professionals who support young adults with social challenges.” —Lisa A. Crabtree, Ph.D., OTR/L, Director of Research and Outreach, Towson University Center for Adults with Autism “This timely book offers important insight into young adults with social learning disorders as well as a solid program for helping these youth enhance their social literacy in a vareity of life situations.” —Richard Luecking, Ed.D., President, TransCen, Inc. All adults need strong social skills to find and keep a job, establish relationships, and participate fully in adult life—but building these skills can be a special challenge for people with autism, Asperger syndrome, nonverbal learning disorder, social anxiety, and other disorders affecting social learning. Give them the essential support they need with this field-tested curriculum for high-functioning adults, designed to build a broad range of social skills through explicit instruction and coaching. Based on the highly acclaimed Social Skills Seminar at the University of Pennsylvania, this engaging, hands-on curriculum is an invaluable addition to college counseling programs, vocational rehabilitation groups, and any other program helping people with social learning disorders. The first program of its kind to target the social learning needs of young adults and adults, Social Literacy Is proven effective. During more than 7 years of field testing, these lessons improved the social skills of young men and women with a range of social learning disorders. Goes far beyond the basics. Participants will learn more than how to smile and make eye contact—they'll learn and practice the high-level social skills they'll need to manage the complexities of adult interaction. Helps participants generalize skills. Adults will reinforce and generalize the skills they learn in class by working one to one with a social coach (often recruited from a local college or university). Adapts to any program's needs. Program leaders can choose which lessons to emphasize, based on participants' specific needs. Targets the areas most critical to success. Each in-depth, 2- to 3-hour class focuses on a key aspect of social success (see box), so adults will have the specific skills they'll need for employment, relationships, and more. With this book-and-CD set, professionals will have everything they need to conduct a full 12 weeks of lessons. They'll get practical guidance on establishing a social learning course, strategies for recruiting and training social coaches, photocopiable handouts, and exercises that help participants understand and practice social skills, and a CD-ROM with more than 100 PowerPoint slides for instructional use. A highly effective way to teach critical social skills to high-functioning adults, this proven curriculum will prepare participants to successfully navigate the joys and challenges of adult life.
Help adults: - recognize and respond to nonverbal cues
- improve conversation skills
- understand social rhythms
- increase empathy
- establish friendships
- overcome obstacles to dating and intimacy
- use social networking sites safely and appropriately
- conduct a successful job interview
- navigate the college experience
and more
Table of Contents Contents of the Accompanying CD-ROM
About the Author
Preface
Acknowledgments Introduction: Foundations of the Social Skills Seminar 1. Understanding Social Learning Disorders
2. Program Design
3. Socializing with Support: Using Social Coaches
4. Understanding Nonverbal Communication
5. Improving Conversation Skills
6. Interpersonal Relationships and Dating
7. Employment Issues and Interviewing Skills
8. The College Experience
9. Demographics and Outcome Measures
10. Practical Applications References
Index --- from the publisher | 
