Table of Contents

Chapter One: Asperger’s Syndrome, autism disorders, and the need for life
skills training
Chapter Two: The transition process and the law
Chapter Three: Self-awareness and moving beyond denial
Chapter Four: College, Career and Residential Options Beyond High School:
What parents can do to prepare their son or daughter (by Rick Blumberg,
Ph.D.)
Chapter Five: Assessment of social skill needs
Chapter Six: Skill instruction strategies: Individual, small group, self-instruction
Chapter Seven: Generalization of skills
Chapter Eight: Training peers to be more accepting of students on the
spectrum
Chapter Nine: Skill Lessons

Nonverbal cues/body language
1. Expressing and reading welcoming versus unwelcoming social
cues.
2. Interest versus boredom social cues
3. Sarcasm versus genuine expressions
4. Attending to others
5. Respecting personal space and belongings
6. Personal hygiene
7. Dealing with odd motor mannerisms

Dealing with anger/frustration
8. Overview of dealing with anger
9. Identifying triggers to your anger
10. Altering or avoiding the triggers to your anger
11. Better ways to think about and deal with the triggers to your
anger.
12. Calming yourself when angry
13. Talking versus acting out your feelings
14. Putting it all together: Using the Daily Anger Record

Dealing with anxiety
15. Dealing with anxiety and fear
16. Dealing with unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
17. Dealing with social fears
18. Dealing with new feared situations

Conversation
19. Saying hello’s and goodbye’s
20. Introductions
21. Politely interrupting
22. Maintaining and joining a conversation
23. Starting conversations with people you know
24. Getting to know someone new
25. POSTER: Summary of Starting and Maintaining Conversations
26. Conversation repair strategies
27. Politely changing topics
28. Being sensitive to the listener’s interests
29. Politely ending conversations
30. Answering the telephone and taking messages
31. Calling friends on the telephone

Building and maintaining friendships (and dealing with roommates)
32.Where to find friends
33.Don’t try too hard too soon
34.Sharing friends
35.Avoiding touchy subjects and insults
36. Complimenting
37. Respecting others’ views
38. Don’t impose rules on others (minding your own business)
39. Avoid bragging
40. Dealing with peer pressure and avoiding setups
41. Empathic listening
42. Showing caring for others’ feelings through supportive
statements.
43. Deepening relationships—sharing personal information
44. Conflict resolution/Assertiveness
45. Dealing with teasing
46. Showing good sportsmanship
47. Getting attention in positive ways

Dating
48. Where to find a date and how and when to ask someone on a
Date
49. Asking someone out on a date
50. Reading the signals—when to pursue a romantic relationship
51. Sexual harassment
52. Do’s and Don’ts on a date
53. Communicating clearly to meet each other’s needs

Dealing with school and family demands
54. Asking for reasonable modifications
55. Dealing with frustrating work
56. Accepting no or waiting for what you want
57. Asking nicely for what you want
58. Working cooperatively in groups
59. Dealing with mistakes and correction
60. How to respectfully disagree with teachers, parents, or supervisors
61. Dealing with stressful living situations

Employment Skills
62. Choosing job/career directions
63. Conducting a job search
64. Writing a resume and cover letters
65. Scripts for networking with friends, relatives, and potential employers
66. Interview skills (and whether to disclose a disability)
67. Handling rejection
68. Do’s and Don’ts to maintain a job
69. Responding to criticisms, accusations, or complaints on the job
70. Exiting a job

Money Matters
71. Managing money

Preparing for emergencies
72. Dealing with emergencies and emergency workers (such as police or hospital workers)

Transportation
73. Negotiating transportation