What is The Social Survival Guide for Teens on the Autism Spectrum about?
This book is a practical guide to help autistic teens handle social situations, build friendships, and understand their emotions. It covers communication, social rules, self-awareness, conflict, and bullying.
Who wrote The Social Survival Guide for Teens on the Autism Spectrum?
The book was written by Lindsey Sterling, PhD. She is a clinical psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorder and coexisting conditions such as anxiety and depression.
What does this book help autistic teens with?
It helps autistic teens feel more prepared for everyday social situations. The book focuses on making friends, joining conversations, reading social cues, managing emotions, and responding to difficult situations.
Can this book help with making friends?
Yes. It includes guidance on finding potential friends, starting conversations, joining groups, making plans, and understanding what healthy friendships look like.
Does the book cover emotions and anxiety, not just social skills?
Yes. It includes sections on identifying emotions, noticing body signals, understanding triggers, handling stress, and using positive self-talk to manage anxious or negative thoughts.
What kinds of social situations does the book cover?
It covers common situations like meeting people, greeting someone you know, starting and ending conversations, joining a group, going to a party, making plans, handling disagreements, and dealing with being left out.
Does this book talk about texting, email, and social media?
Yes. It explains online etiquette for texting, email, and social media, including how messages can be misunderstood, how to protect privacy, and how to respond safely online.
Does The Social Survival Guide for Teens on the Autism Spectrum include exercises or just advice?
It includes both advice and practice activities. Each chapter has check-in questions, exercises, and reflection questions to help teens apply the ideas to real-life situations.
Is this book more of a workbook or a guide?
It is primarily a step-by-step guide with interactive elements. Rather than being a fill-in workbook, it teaches strategies and includes optional exercises, check-ins, and reflection prompts.
Can teens read this book in order or skip to the parts they need?
Yes. The book is meant to be read from start to finish, but it also says readers can jump to the sections most relevant to them.
Is this book really for teens, or is it better for younger kids?
It is written for older kids and teens. The introduction also notes that many of the ideas can apply to young adults.
Will this book help with understanding body language, sarcasm, and tone of voice?
Yes. It includes specific guidance on nonverbal communication, facial expressions, body language, tone, humor, sarcasm, idioms, and other social cues that can be hard to interpret.
Does the book address bullying and cyberbullying?
Yes. It includes a full section on recognizing bullying, responding to verbal, social, physical, and online bullying, and knowing when to ask a trusted adult for help.
Can teens use this book on their own?
Yes. The book is written directly for teens and can be used independently. It also suggests that some check-in questions and exercises may be helpful to discuss with a trusted adult.
How much time do the activities take?
The book says the check-in questions are optional and recommends spending about 5 to 10 minutes thinking about them or discussing them with a trusted adult. Other exercises vary by chapter.
If a teen struggles with social anxiety or feeling left out, will this book help?
Yes. The book includes strategies for managing anxiety, handling negative self-talk, joining in with peers, coping with unexpected changes, and dealing with feeling left out of plans or conversations.
