Janine Toole PhD

Community Participation & Independence Skills for Teens with Autism & Asperger's Janine Toole PhD

Is your ASD teen ready to venture into the community with confidence and success? Like their peers, teens and young adults with Autism and Asperger's often seek more independence as they move into their teens and twenties. However, caregivers are often concerned that their ASD teens do not have the skills to independently navigate outings and activities in the community successfully. Designed for both parents and professionals, the Community Participation and Independence Skills workbook is your guide to assessing and teaching your ASD learner the skills they need to successfully navigate a wide variety of experiences in their community. This easy-to-use and engaging book is practical and hands-on. Key features include: Builds Foundation Skills + Community Activity Skills The book focuses on two types of skills that are required for successful outings in the community: Foundation skills: These are skills that are applicable to a wide variety of outings, such as paying for goods, dressing appropriately, and walking safely and confidently. Community Activity Skills: These include the skills required to participate in a specific community activity, such as catching a bus, buying groceries, using an ATM, etc. Skills are Broken Down into Small Steps Each foundation skill and community activity is broken down into the component skills needed for successful community participation. For example, catching a bus includes the skills of determining the route, purchasing a ticket, flagging down the bus, choosing a seat, etc. Each of these skills can be assessed and taught independently so you can focus specifically on the areas where your learner needs most support. When your learner has mastered the component skills for a community activity, you can be confident they have the basic skills required for successful participation. Builds Beyond the Basic Skills Many students easily learn the basic skills for participating in community activities. However, it is also extremely important that your learner knows what to do in unexpected situations. For example, when catching a bus, your learner needs to know what to do if she misses her stop or if she gets off at the wrong stop. All the community activities and foundation skills in the book include a list of potential problems. Knowing how to handle these issues will increase the confidence of both you and your learner. If you're a parent, SLP, or teaching professional looking for a hands-on, practical guide, then you'll love the Independence Skills series from Dr. Toole and Happy Frog Press - providers of award-winning Autism resources. Support your learner's steps towards independence. Buy this book and build a confident and capable teen who is ready to participate in community activities.