Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, has published a new book to guide parents in helping their socially challenged children make and keep friends.
“The Science of Making Friends” (Jossey-Bass, 2013) is based on research done in the UCLA Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) Clinic, which Laugeson directs. PEERS is the only evidence-based social skills intervention available for teens and young adults with autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression and other social impairments — individuals who often have trouble making and keeping friends and can become easy targets for bullying, a situation that challenges their coping skills.
The book guides parents in helping their children become more adept at establishing meaningful connections with their peers. An accompanying DVD and mobile application called FriendMaker are designed to provide real time advice and video demonstrations of appropriate behavior for the teens and young adults when they find themselves in a challenging social situation. The strategies in the book, while geared to the socially challenged, could also apply to any teen who is trying to fit in or is being bullied, Laugeson said.
Read about a presentation Laugeson made on the book here: The science of making friends.
