Having Fun with Feelings on the Autism Spectrum

Michelle Garnett, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and founder and Director of Minds & Hearts: A Specialist Clinic for Asperger's Syndrome and Autism. She has specialized in autism spectrum disorders for the past 20 years, and created the first screening instrument for Asperger's Syndrome, the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS) in 1993. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.Tony Attwood, PhD, is a clinical psychologist from Brisbane, Australia, with over 30 years of experience with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He is currently Adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland.Louise Ford, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Brighter Futures Psychology clinic in Brisbane, Australia. Since 2007, Louise's work has centred around assisting individuals on the autism spectrum and she particularly enjoys working with young children and their families. Louise spent the first seven years of her career at the Minds and Hearts clinic. Stefanie Runham, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Brisbane. She has specialised in children, anxiety and ASD for over 10 years.Julia Cook, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist. She has ten years experience working passionately with the autistic community in supporting and celebrating children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. She previously worked with Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle Garnett at Minds and Hearts Clinic in Brisbane, Australia.

Young children with ASD often find it difficult to understand and control their emotions/feelings and they seldom use emotional expressions. Here's a CBT activity book compiled by five clinical psychologists with considerable experience of working with people who have autism to help in these respects. It's intended to be used in conjunction with another JKP publication, 10 Steps to Reducing your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum: The CBT-Based 'Fun with Feelings' Parent Manual, but is a helpful publication for analysing and exploring commonly experienced feelings and emotions, in its own right... I was particularly drawn to Ryan and his relaxation tools, most of which I've used with early years and KS1 classes in general, rather than with a specific child who has autism... This activity book could really help parents who have a young child on the autism spectrum; but equally in a nursery or KS1 setting, it could be used by a key worker/classroom assistant who has specific responsibility for a child with autism.