All Books
College on the Autism Spectrum:
A Parent's Guide to Students' Mental Health and Wellbeing
Providing expert yet accessible guidance to parents of young autistic people who are going to college, this book helps parents support their child from application to graduation.
Covering social issues, independent living, academic challenges, student services, and emotional wellbeing, this is the one-stop shop for advice on the transition to college or university. The book examines skills that students need to live and function at college and the skills parents need to let their teens navigate college without a parent as intermediary. It offers ways to combat common problems that affect the mental health of people on the spectrum, such as keeping up with homework, fast-paced classes, and complex social expectations.
This book is for any parent considering college as an option for their child, mental health professionals and school counselors, teachers looking to provide advice, and for students on the spectrum themselves.
Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
A Parent's Guide to Students' Mental Health and Wellbeing
Providing expert yet accessible guidance to parents of young autistic people who are going to college, this book helps parents support their child from application to graduation.
Covering social issues, independent living, academic challenges, student services, and emotional wellbeing, this is the one-stop shop for advice on the transition to college or university. The book examines skills that students need to live and function at college and the skills parents need to let their teens navigate college without a parent as intermediary. It offers ways to combat common problems that affect the mental health of people on the spectrum, such as keeping up with homework, fast-paced classes, and complex social expectations.
This book is for any parent considering college as an option for their child, mental health professionals and school counselors, teachers looking to provide advice, and for students on the spectrum themselves.
Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Dr. Leventhal-Belfer is co-author of the book Asperger’s Syndrome in Young Children: A Developmental Guide for Parents and Professionals. This book focuses on AS in preschool children and is a resource for parents coming to terms with their child’s AS diagnosis and for professionals who work with this age group. It is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and at several local bookstores.
Why do I have to? A Book for Children Who Find Themselves Frustrated by Everyday Rules
Why do I have to go to school before the show that I am watching is over? Why do I have to wear shoes and a jacket when I go outside Rules like these can be really frustrating – but they don’t have to be! This book looks at a set of everyday situations that provide challenges for children at home, with their friends, and at school. Laurie Leventhal-Belfer empathizes with children’s wish to do things their way, explains clearly why their way does not work, and provides a list of practical suggestions for how to cope with these challenges and avoid feelings of frustration.
This is the ideal book for children who have difficulty coping with the expectations of daily living, as well as for their parents and the professionals who work with them. Illustrated by Luisa Montaini-Klovdahl. It is available on Amazon.com and several other online and retail bookstores.
Who Needs Friends? A Guide to The Friends Program, An Intervention Program that helps Young Children on the Autism Spectrum/Asperger’s Disorder and their Parents explore and expand their social world
This guidebook provides the reader with an explanation of the treatment model, our goals, and clinical tools used in The Friends Program. The book introduces the acronym “SPECS” that we use to describe the behaviors that we target and how they are addressed in each session.
To paint a picture of the children we serve, we present several case vignettes to capture how diverse these children can look while sharing the same core behaviors.
This book also provides a comprehensive description of the structure of our groups, the curriculum and how it is designed to best serve the developmental level of the children ranging from preschool to 3rd graders.
Parents are a core part of The Friends Program. This book explains the group structure and paints a picture of the journey they travel individually, as a couple, and in their social world. This book provides the reader with references to children’s books that we use to supplement our monthly themes, and references for clinicians. We also have included the charts that we use in the program. Lastly we have a description of our pilot outcome study and the assessment tools that we designed so that they can be shared with researchers from different programs. Illustrated by Alice Locke-Chezar. This book is available on Amazon.com and several other online bookstores.
This guidebook provides the reader with an explanation of the treatment model, our goals, and clinical tools used in The Friends Program. The book introduces the acronym “SPECS” that we use to describe the behaviors that we target and how they are addressed in each session.
To paint a picture of the children we serve, we present several case vignettes to capture how diverse these children can look while sharing the same core behaviors.
This book also provides a comprehensive description of the structure of our groups, the curriculum and how it is designed to best serve the developmental level of the children ranging from preschool to 3rd graders.
Parents are a core part of The Friends Program. This book explains the group structure and paints a picture of the journey they travel individually, as a couple, and in their social world. This book provides the reader with references to children’s books that we use to supplement our monthly themes, and references for clinicians. We also have included the charts that we use in the program. Lastly we have a description of our pilot outcome study and the assessment tools that we designed so that they can be shared with researchers from different programs. Illustrated by Alice Locke-Chezar. This book is available on Amazon.com and several other online bookstores.
Potential Ramifications of DSM-5 Classification of Autistic Disorders: Comments from a Clinician’s Perspective
Dr. Leventhal-Belfer wrote this article in response to editorials, ‘‘DSM-5 Conceptualization of Autistic Disorders,’’ the ‘‘Commentary from the DSM-V Workgroup on Neurodevelopmental Disorders’’ and the study on the ‘‘Sensitivity and Specificity of Proposed DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Autistic Spectrum.’’ In it, she expresses her concerns as a community-based clinician who has directed a therapeutic group program for young children with Asperger’s Disorder, PDD-NOS, and related disorders.
Dr. Leventhal-Belfer wrote this article in response to editorials, ‘‘DSM-5 Conceptualization of Autistic Disorders,’’ the ‘‘Commentary from the DSM-V Workgroup on Neurodevelopmental Disorders’’ and the study on the ‘‘Sensitivity and Specificity of Proposed DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Autistic Spectrum.’’ In it, she expresses her concerns as a community-based clinician who has directed a therapeutic group program for young children with Asperger’s Disorder, PDD-NOS, and related disorders.
Reviews
"It is my hope that professionals will use this book ("Who Needs Friends") as a model to perhaps starting more programs like The Friends Group and for working with kids using some of the approaches and activities outlined in the book. I hope that parents of ASD kids will see the book as a tool to better understand the main issues their child faces and as a guide to helping their child, themselves and the rest of their family."
- An Aspie Mom
- An Aspie Mom
"We do need friends and the parents and teachers of those who have difficulty making friends need this book ("Who Needs Friends"). The activities are fun and engaging and I strongly recommend this excellent book and an intervention program for young children with ASD."
- Dr. Tony J. Attwood
- Dr. Tony J. Attwood
"In the book, "Who Needs Friends?", A Guide to The Friends Program, an Intervention Program that helps Young Children on the Autistic Spectrum/Asperger's Disorder and their Parents explore and expand their social world," Dr. Leventhal-Belfer has provided a wonderful description of her social skills program for young high functioning children with autism spectrum disorders."
- Jennifer Phillips, Ph.D., Stanford University
- Jennifer Phillips, Ph.D., Stanford University