Social Skills Instruction for Kids and Adults with Aspergier Syndrome

Just finished reading a wonderful article by Susan Stokes, "Using Technology for Social Interaction Skills Instruction for Children and Adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome."  You can find it at Closing the Gap,
 
You have to be a member to have access to their articles, but it's a great organization and resource.
 
Stokes reminds us how limited the rote responses are that are taught to school children who are on the spectrum, that social interactions are complex, varied and can be very subtle.

 
Stokes writes that individuals with Asperger Syndrome are generally average or above average intelligence, yet "Social interaction skills are a huge predictor of a person's success later in life, much more so than cognitive functioning."

The article lists many low tech strategies as well as the use of videos and software.  The one that caught my attention was Mind Reading, a software program developed by Simon Baron-Cohen. 

It includes over 400 emotions and facial expressions, the level can be adjusted, and it has interactive games.  It cost $249.97 new, but Amazon has used copies at a considerably lower price.  This is certainly worth exploring.