Counseling People on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Manual

Paxton, a consultant and counselor, and Estay, a psychologist who teaches at the U. of Calgary, describe counseling techniques for professionals working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The guide is not meant to provide tools for directly treating the core features of autism or teaching behavioral skills, but gives techniques for working with emotions, cognitions, meaning making, and coping with the disorder using a cognitive behavioral framework. After enumerating characteristics and cognitive patterns of the disorder, the authors discuss counseling issues and approaches, including general strategies and modifications for cognitive behavioral therapy; depression, anxiety, and OCD techniques; relationships and social skills; stress and relaxation; and emotional expression, identification, and regulation. Case studies are provided. The book is a revised version of Paxton's master's project at the Campus Alberta Applied Psychology Program. Both subject and author indexes are provided. Annotation 穢2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)