Phase 1. Embracing the spirit of play - - phase 2. Setting the stage for play - - phase 3. Observing children at play - - phase 4. Guided participation in play.

This book presents the Preschool Peer Social Intervention (PPSI), a manualized comprehensive social curriculum to enhance peer-interaction for pre-schoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in three key domains: play, interaction, and conversation. The book outlines the PPSI’s transactional approach in each of the three intervention domains and incorporates developmental features and age-appropriate play, interaction, and conversation skills while accounting for individual differences in social communication abilities. The intervention is designed to be implemented within the child’s natural social environment, such as preschool, and it includes the child’s social agents, namely, their peers, teachers, and parents. PPSI intervention curricula addressed in this book are based on typical play, interaction, and conversation development, taking into account the social and communication challenges found to characterize young children with ASD in these domains. Building up the ability to play, interact and converse more efficiently with peers may render a substantial impact on preschoolers with ASD, with vast potential for improving not only these children’s immediate social experience with peers, but also their future social competence that relies on these early building blocks.

This book discusses the deficits in the development and presentation of play behavior and social skills that are considered central characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The book explains why play provides an important context for social interactions and how its absence can further exacerbate social deficits over time. It highlights the critical roles of social skills in development, and the social, cognitive, communication, and motor components of play. Chapters offer conceptually and empirically sound play and social skills interventions for children with ASD. Play activities using diverse materials and including interactions with peers and parents are designed to promote positive, effective social behaviors and encourage continued development. The book provides unique strategies that can be tailored to fit individual children’s strengths and deficits. Topics featured in this book include: Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NaTS) for developing play and social skills. Teaching play and social skills with video modeling. Peer-mediated intervention (PMI) strategies that promote positive social interactions between children with ASD and their peers. Visual Activity Schedules and Scripts. Parent-implemented play and social skills intervention. Play and Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, and graduate students in clinical child and school psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, social work, public health, and related psychology, education, and behavioral health fields.

The authoritative guide to implementing the Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation (JASPER) intervention. With a strong evidence base, JASPER provides a clear, flexible structure to bolster early skills core to social communication development. The authors show how to assess 1- to 8-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), set treatment targets, choose engaging play materials, tailor JASPER strategies to each individual, and troubleshoot common challenges.

Teaching Autistic Children through Play Skills

This book contains safe and structured role plays for working with different groups, including individuals with ASD, their teachers, caregivers, parents and peers. It provides materials for custom-making role plays to suit the specific needs of participants and photocopiable forms for tracking individual participants' skills.

From leading clinical researchers, this volume presents important recent advances in understanding and treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in very young children. The book is grounded in cutting-edge findings on the social-communication behavior of typically and atypically developing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The contributors highlight the connections between ASD and specific early social-communication impairments - including problems with joint attention, imitation, and play - with a focus on what clinicians can do to help. Innovative screening and assessment procedures are reviewed, as are evidence-based intervention and prevention strategies. Throughout, attention to both real-world practice and research considerations enhances the book's utility as a clinical reference and text.