ASNC Conference 2007 Report

We're back from the ASNC Annual Conference in High Point! As you can see, we took a few things with us. Actually, these pictures only show a fraction of what we took with us, and that in turn is only a fraction of what we have in the store! The conference was quite a success this year, the first year it's been in the western part of the state for quite some time. The pre-conference workshop on Friday had 182 attendees, and the conference itself on Saturday had 349!

Those of you who were at the conference know that our fabulous pre-conference workshop speaker was Dr. Jed Baker. He got rave reviews from all the attendees we overheard in the bookstore. For those of you who weren't able to attend, or who don't live anywhere near North Carolina, you can still buy Dr. Baker's fantastic books! His first two books, Social Skills Training and The Social Skills Picture Book, have long been bookstore favorites, and his two latest books, Preparing for Life and The Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond, continue this tradition. We highly recommend you take a look at these books:

Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome
This book contains 70 skill lessons that were created to help teach social skills to children and adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and social-communication problems. These skill lessons are grouped in the following categories: conversational skills; cooperative play skills; friendship management; self-regulation; empathy; and conflict management. It is Dr. Baker's view that intervention should not focus solely on the child with a social skills deficit. Rather, he believes that skills should also be taught to typical children who may be ignoring, teasing, or rejecting the child who has communication difficulties. As a result, the last chapter of the book is devoted to sensitivity training for typical peers and incentive programs to promote peer acceptance. This is an indispensable social skills curriculum for parents and professionals.

Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism
In this book, Dr. Baker demonstrates approximately 30 social skills in the areas of communication, play, and emotion. Each social skill is formatted sequentially through photographs and conversation bubbles, similar to a comic strip. These picture stories show children exactly what to say and do in social situations, and they will be of particular value to those children who have difficulties with auditory and language processing, abstract thinking, and sustaining attention. This book is a dynamic teaching tool for educators and parents, and is appropriate for students ages 12 and under.

Preparing For Life: The Complete Guide to Transitioning to Adulthood for Those with Autism and AS
Dr. Baker has written this guide to help parents and professionals teach valuable social and life skills to adolescents and young adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger Syndrome. He focuses on the importance of allowing persons with HFA and AS to continue to be unique and accepted, rather than judged. However, he also recognizes the need to help adolescents build specific skills that they can utilize throughout their lives, and this book emphasizes adding to those skills rather than replacing behaviors, which can empower young adults to attain goals while still remaining true to themselves. Specific targeted skills include: respecting personal space; dealing with anger; conversation strategies; advocacy; conducting a job search; interview skills; managing money; and many more. The program encourages person-centered goal setting, as well as planning and training to help ensure a successful transition to adulthood.

Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond
Dr. Baker has created this picture book edition for adolescents and young adults. Part one describes how to implement and individualize this book, and it also focuses on the importance of visual aids. In addition, an emphasis is placed on helping students generalize the information provided. Part two of the book teaches specific social skills through conversation bubbles and photographs of teens interacting in real-life situations. These skills are illustrated with step-by-step instructions and examples of the right way and the wrong way to approach specific situations. The social skills featured range from greetings and interrupting a conversation to dealing with mistakes and interviewing for a job, and older students will learn expected behavior as well as how to make good social choices. This resource is especially helpful for individuals who have difficulty with abstract thinking, sustaining attention, and auditory processing.

Finally, our readers may be interested to know that Dr. Baker is also featured in the Asperger Syndrome: Success In the Mainstream Classroom DVD. Locally-owned Coulter Video, located in Winston Salem, does a fantastic job producing these videos, and they come highly recommended.

Please visit our website through any of these links to read more about the books or to place an order! Feel free to contact us with any questions.