Destination Friendship: Developing Social Skills for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders or Other Social Challenges

Written by a team of two special educators, a speech-language pathologist, and an occupational therapist, Destination Friendship provides easy-to-use, research-based strategies and activities that support the development of friendship skills in children with ASD within an active and fun learning environment. From the initial session, participants learn that what they say and do has a direct impact on others. Adult Tour Guides (TGs) act as a personal GPS system by offering subtle coaching and social scripting throughout theme-based sessions that include social activities and situations in which children have immediate opportunities to practice their friendship skills. The Friendship Skills Checklist, a valuable tool included in this book, enables the user to identify the strengths and needs of individuals with ASD, resulting in a comprehensive assessment and interest inventory that can be used to guide social instruction and support.