Product Description

Friendship, even for the most able, requires hard work, and the odds are heavily stacked against those with autism spectrum disorders. Designed for younger children, typically between the ages of two and eight, this comprehensive set of activities emphasizes foundation skills such as social referencing, regulating behavior, conversational reciprocity and synchronized actions. The authors include over 300 objectives to plan and evaluate a child's progress, each one related to a specific exercise. Suitable for parental use, the manual is also designed for easy implementation in schools and in therapeutic settings. A comprehensive website acts as companion to the book, free to purchasers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64822 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 331 pages

Book Info
(Jessica Kingsley) Comprehensive set of activities emphasizes foundation skills for younger children between the ages of two and eight. Covers skills such as social referencing, regulating behavior, conversational reciprocity, and synchronized actions. For use in therapeutic settings as well as schools and parents. Softcover.

About the Author
Clinical Psychologists and husband/wife team Steven Gutstein and Rachelle Sheely are founders of the internationally known Connections Center for Relationship Development and the Monarch Therapeutic School. Dr. Gutstein, author of Autism/Aspergers: Solving the Relationship Puzzle and Dr. Sheely, a nationally respected expert in Autism, reside in Houston, Texas with their two daughters Esther and Hannah. Dr. Gutstein has spent over twenty years as a professor, researcher and clinician, creating powerful tools for social and emotional growth.

Customer Reviews

Interesting
As you can see, I enjoy the topic of Autism. This approach has more useful ideas that should be considred when working with children with Autism. Although, this is a more parent/home approach, there can be some carry-over into school as well.

Fun as well as therapeutic
My son and I love the games in this book, and we often end up in fits of laughter.

I also love RDI because it doesn't feel like therapy - it just feels like playing! The games are light and non invasive, and don't involve analytical thinking or psychology etc. This is perfect for my son as he tends to think too much about things. These games get right outside of linear thinking and work on relating.

Highly recommended!

Excellent book for parents and clinicians of ASD youth
The title of thie book is a little misleading, as the book is not really a downward age-extension of Gutstein's other RDI book but an expansion of exercises useful for the first 3 stages of RDI. Therefore, it is THE book for most parents of children with ASD, as usually these are the stages you end up starting with/on when doing the RDI exercises with your child. And, having more than double the options for the exercises is very helpful. I strongly recommend this book.