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Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp
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The Homeschool Diner's Guide to
Homeschooling With Special Needs
Learning Disabilities


Resources to Help Develop Social Skills
by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006


Whatever the reason... for children who need help with understanding
social situations, body language, and non-verbal communication...



Some Basics

Socialization in Public Schools -- an article takes analytical look at
specific behaviors that help or hinder a child's ability to form friendships,
includes goals for improvement (but no actual implementation strategies)

Good Friends Are Hard to Find  a book by Fred Frankel, Ph.D. of the
UCLA Children's Social Skills Program, step-by-step help for parents of
kids 5 -12, how to make friends and solve problems with other kids, help
for teasing, bullying, and meanness, "clinically tested" techniques

Social Skills for Kids with ADD (ADHD) an article by Cathi Cohen --
tips and a summary of her book,
"How to Raise Your Child's Social
IQ"
, this article focuses on ADD, but her book is good for parents of
many children having trouble figuring things out

"Play Partner" or "Sure Shelter": What Gifted Children Look for in
Friendship by Miraca U.M. Gross, The University of New South Wales

The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding
Unstated Rules in Social Situations a book by Brenda Smith Myles

Encouraging Social Skills in Young Children: Tips Teachers Can
Share with Parents article by Jacquelyn Mize, PhD, & Ellen Abell, PhD

Dos and Don'ts for fostering Social Competence by Rick Lavoie for
LDOnline

Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of
Children by Michael Thompson and Cathe O'Neill-Grace -- a very
interesting book for parents who want to understand the psychology
behind the social behavior of children

Social Skills Help for Children with Visual Impairments or
Blindness -- a list of articles from Perkins School for the Blind

Family Game Time: Strategies for helping the "poor loser" in your
family -- tips for helping keep family game time fun

The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by
Marti Olsen Laney -- an in depth look at what it means to be an introvert
(if you are not one... this book may help you understand your child or  
spouse who is)



Some Social Skills Resources
(these books can often be found in the public library, or can be purchased from a
variety of new and used online and in-store vendors)


Real Kid Readers by Marcia Leonard and others -- (preK - 3) early
reader series, illustrated with photos of children, topics feature fun
activities, real-life social situations, and problem solving.  Many of the
stories could be helpful in teaching and discussing social skills.

Feelings by Aliki -- sweet cartoon illustrations describe everyday social
situations and dilemmas, and provide lots of opportunities for discussion

"A Children's Book About..." Series by Joy Berry -- many titles are out
of print (but can be found on e-bay and second-hand), Scholastic Books
has re-printed several titles,  each book discusses a behavior (lying,
bragging, sneaking, teasing, etc.) in a very simple cause-and effect way,
aimed at 4 - 8 year olds, only covers negative behaviors (parents and
children could create their own story books for other behaviors, following
the format of these books :-)

Manners for the Real World: Basic Social Skills -- a DVD/video that
provides a light, slightly amusing look at the basic dos and donts   

How Rude!: the Teenagers' Guide to Good Manners, Proper
Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out by Alex J. Packer - a
humorous (and very comprehensive!) book written for teens

Jarvis Clutch: Social Spy by Dr. Mel Levine -- great resource for kids
who are shy or are just having some trouble fitting in (a bit too subtle for
kids with social disabilities).

The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help
Your Child Make Friends by Natalie Madorsky Elman and Eileen
Kennedy-Moore-- a great book that points out typical trouble areas for a
variety of types of kids, read a Chapter 1 excerpt at Amazon (click on
"Look Inside") to see if it sounds helpful.

Social Skills Activities for Special Children by Darlene Mannix --
covers 142 topics, including classroom etiquette, relating to peers,
developing positive social skills and getting along with others, each topic
has a short lesson plan for the parent/teacher and an activity sheet -- a
cartoon drawing -- that helps illustrate the topic and leads the child to
discuss and describe the situation, designed for kids in school but just
as  useful for homeschoolers,  good for all ages

Model Me Kids  -- a series of videos that demonstrate social skills by
modeling peer behavior at school, on a playdate, etc., narrated by kids

Autism Aspergers: Solving the Relationship Puzzle--A New
Developmental Program that Opens the Door to Lifelong Social
and Emotional Growth by Steven Gutstein -- A review by Dr. Tony
Attwood says,  "A remarkable intervention program! A practicing
psychologist offers a new approach to developing social skills and
relationships in children diagnosed with autism or Asperger's Syndrome.
Dr. Gutstein describes ways to steer these children onto a bright new
path of self discovery and social awareness, one that will ultimately bring
them home to meaningful friendships, shared emotions and heartfelt
connection with the people in their lives. "

Social Skills Activities for Secondary Students With Special
Needs by Darlene Mannix

Life Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs by
Darlene Mannix, look thru this before buying.. it may be too basic for
your particular aspergers or HFA child

100% Speaking and Listening by Nomi Kaston for LinguiSystems, this
speech-pathology program that can be used by schools or parents, the
goals are to improve speaking and listening skills, helping children to:  
join in sharing times and discussions; speak clearly and confidently in
daily interactions;  listen with understanding and empathy ; express
ideas in an organized and persuasive way; describe experiences using
rich, varied vocabulary; communicate to share feelings and get along,
other accessory products and games available   

Teaching Your Children Sensitivity by Linda and Richard Eyre -- a
wonderful, down-to-earth approach for teaching children (and adults) to
be more aware/observant of other people, includes games and activities  

Many Books on Social Skills for Aspies -- reviews by Tony Attwood

Pumpkin Faces -- play with facial expressions

Facial Expressions Game -- see how many facial expressions a child
can recognize...

Make Beliefs Comix! -- free online comic-maker, choose from several
pre-made characters, choose the mood of the character (happy, sad,
mad, surprised), and type words into "bubbles" to make a comic/story

The Token Economy System -- a rewards-based behavior
management system for improving behavior and productivity in children

How Good is My Face Recognition? -- an online test for self
evaluation by the Prosopagnosia Research Centre  


Related Issues:

Literature That Teaches Kids Values from Mrs. Rushton's
Spectacular Second Grade -- a nice list of books by topic

Bullying  -- "Dealing with bullies toughens you up" ... "Bullying is part of
life in the real world"... and other myths about bullying from Bully Online

Stop CyberBullying -- what it is, what to do about it
Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp.  All rights reserved.
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