Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are often not instinctive and intuitive in expressing their liking or love for someone, or in understanding that family members, friends and others need affection. Expressing affection to teachers, other close professionals, or family friends, can be even more challenging. This book, by the leading experts in the field, provides a carefully constructed CBT programme for professionals to help boys and girls with an ASD to feel confident recognising, expressing and enjoying affection. The activities will help the young person identify their own and others' comfort and enjoyment range for gestures, actions and words of affection. They will also learn the variety of appropriate ways they can express liking or loving someone, helping them to strengthen friendships and relationships. This book will be an invaluable resource for professionals supporting a child with an ASD.

Part 1. Introduction. 1.1. Why children and adolescents who have Asperger's syndrome (autism spectrum disorder) need a programme to understand and express affection. 1.2. Aims of the programme. 1.3. Who can use this programme?. 1.4. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Part 2. How to conduct the programme. 2.5. Assessment of the ability to communicate affection. 2.6. How to run group and Individual sessions. 2.7. Session components. 2.8. Session Overviews. Part 3. Sessions. 3.1. Introduction to the programme: Exploring Feelings of Affection. 3.2. Beginning to Recognize and Express Affection. 3.3. Giving and Receiving Compliments. 3.4. The Reason we Express Like or Love through Affectionate Words and Gestures. 3.5. Developing our Skills at Expressing Affection. Recommended resources. References. Appendix 1. Stories Used in the Assessment Programme. Appendix 2. Affection Questionnaires.