Social Skills for Teenagers With Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The PEERS Treatment Manual

This book is essential reading for any clinician or researcher working with teens with autism spectrum disorders. This parent-assisted intervention for teens is based on a comprehensive, evidence-based, 14-week program at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the manualization of the popular UCLA PEERS Program, and the success of the Children's Friendship Training (Routledge, 2002) manual for children.After reviewing techniques designed to help parents and therapists tailor the manual to the needs of the teens with whom they are working, the text moves on to the individual treatment sessions and strategies for tackling issues such as developing conversational skills, choosing friends, using humor, get-togethers, teasing, bullying, gossiping, and handling disagreements. Each session chapter includes handouts, homework assignments, descriptions of what to expect (and how to handle challenges in delivering the intervention), and customized tips for both parents and therapists.

Elizabeth A. Laugeson, Psy.D. is a Clinical Instructor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior (Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). She is also Director of the Help Group-UCLA Autism Research Alliance, Director of the UCLA Early Childhood Clubhouse Program, an intensive social-skills program for preschool children with high-functioning autism and Asperger's disorder, and Associate Director of the UCLA Parenting and Children's Friendship Training Program.
Fred Frankel, Ph.D., ABPP is Professor in Residence at the UCLA School of Medicine and Director of the UCLA Parenting and Children's Friendship Training Program. He is the author of Children's Friendship Training and Friends Forever: How Parents Can Help Their Kids Make and Keep Good Friends. He has over 50 published research articles and 5-funded research grants on autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and teen and children's friendships.