M. R. Cohen: Social Literacy: A Social Skills Seminar for Young Adults with ASDs, NSDs, and Social Anxiety

Abstract

Reviews the book, Social Literacy: A Social Skills Seminar for Young Adults with ASDs, NSDs, and Social Anxiety by Paul H. Brookes (2011). This book book outlines a 12-week intervention for adults with social vulnerabilities. Although primarily focused on social skills, the program extends to other skills critical to success in adulthood, such as career selection and job interviewing skills. The intervention is designed for adults with Asperger’s Disorder, but the author notes it is suitable for individuals with other social vulnerabilities. Participation in the intervention requires strong verbal skills, and thus is not suitable to individuals with intellectual disability. The author’s description of the intervention as a "seminar" is appropriate, in that it has a strong educational component. One of the strengths of the program is its foundation in the research literature. For each topic covered in the intervention, the author reviews the relevant literature pertaining to that topic; and in turn, many of the lesson plans involve reviewing this research literature with the participants as part of the intervention, to contribute to their understanding of the target skill, as noted above. This book is recommended for the experienced clinician, who perhaps has run social skills groups for children, but requires guidance as to how to proceed with adults. The author provides a number of tangible materials to aid the clinician, including lesson plans, handouts, and an included CD that provides Powerpoint slides for use in the intervention. For the experienced clinician who does not require such specifics, this book takes absolutely the right approach toward intervention with high functioning adults, with its research foundation, its focus on more advanced aspects of social cognition, and its emphasis on generalization through use of social coaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)